ST The Legacy of Darth Vader / Skywalker family secret?

I don't recall exactly when them being his kids became public knowledge in the EU, what I recall is things like stormtroopers being told their target to capture was actually Vader's grandson then it becoming a holy mission for them or just all the sudden Leia now incharge of the New Republic having politcal attacks on her due to it. However a sinlge moment there the galaxies press went crazy with the news, not really coming to mind... sorry. I would say the cat was out of the bag by 20 years after Yavin though, the ST being 30ish years after but that means little no I suppose.

A recording of his transformation was captured in Revenge so it could always get out now... just thinking out loud.

 

A recording of his transformation was captured in Revenge so it could always get out now... just thinking out loud.[/quote]


I suppose it could, Maybe Yoda erased the footage? We will know come December 18th 2015

 

I don't think its even a plot point to be honest. There is no reason why they would know. Not many knew Vader was Anakin Skywalker; nor did it matter much to the galaxy as a whole.

Its a question that doesn't need answering imo.

 

In Marvel Star Wars a point is made of how they're not revealing that they're siblings or that Vader is their dad - at least, not yet.

Later on the fact that they're siblings is fairly well known - but the fact that Vader is their dad, isn't (The Thrawn Trilogy). That said, some stormtroopers are informed that Vader is Luke's dad by a powerful darksider in Luke Skywalker & the Shadows of Mindor (set before the Thrawn Trilogy)

Still later, as mentioned - Leia ends up with politicians referencing that she is Vader's daughter and might have some of his traits - in the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy.

 

I think it will be largely hidden, until an opposing force reveals it via The HoloNet in Ep. 7

It could possibly ruin Leia & Han's political/military careers, and also cause Luke to go into exile

 

A really interesting topic for sure. You may be interested in checking out this thread over in the OT forum exploring the same subject: Who Knows Vader is Anakin? Narrowing down who all would have known that Vader was Anakin would help us dive into those characters' potential motivations for letting other people in the galaxy know that Vader was Anakin.

Personally, while I'd love to see Luke continue his quest to redeem his father by letting everyone know that Vader was Anakin and that there was good in him, etc., etc., I think there was some deeper poignancy to the scene at the end of ROTJ where Luke burns Vader's suit. I'd imagine he knows that Vader was just truly evil for a while and that trying to "clear his name" so to speak would probably end up being a futile task.

By Episode VII, Luke and Leia will obviously know, Han will know, their kids (and any of Luke's kids/his wife if he has them) will know. I'd really like for us to see a villain who also knows and is connected in some way to the villains we've already seen (not a unanimous desire here, I know), Vader included.

 

At one point in Darth Vader & the Ghost Prison (when Vader and his minions travel to the prison where all the most dangerous Clone Wars prisoners were kept - Anakin had captured most of them during the war) Vader is asked what happened to Anakin and he says "I killed him".

Might be that this was the "official story".

 

I could see some political foe playing the Vader card, trying to undermine the trust is senator/chancellor/queen Leia.

 

Honestly, unlike other fans I fail to see the big deal. Even if the public learns about it in the worst possible manner and time, its still common knowledge they fought against everything their father stood for and odds are the New Republic or whatever will have laws preventing persecution for a parents crimes on the children. Its not like they could inherit the empire, they're not Palpatine's kids...

It's a short term problem they'd weather in the long run, save for a few bigots. Luke fought Vader and the Emperor, and blew up a Death Star, and was personally trained by Yoda; and Leia was raised by Bail, helped found the rebellion, and is still a rallying cry for Alderaan. Vader greaviously effected both his kids, cutting off Luke's hand and forcing Leia to watch the Death Star destroy Alderaan. This only really became a big issue in the minds of fans writing their own VII stories in their heads due to waiting for decades for the next film...

These two are just too big and too central to the rebellion to be brought down by this, worst case is they have a few bad times due to it. Long term though, it would help them figure out who their mother is if they don't already know... nothing would calm thing over more than have the peaceful and rich planet of Naboo at your back since your the children of their last hero and their best hope of shedding the scorn of Palpatine coming from their world. The timing of Padme's death helps too, since she died before any of the Empires sins could stain her name. Simply put plenty of powers that be are too invested in their success to let them be scapegoats for Vader now that he's dead.

 

Thread merge

 

I would love them to use another McQuarrie concept in one of the ST movies :


Seriously it would be awesome if the Skywalkers went there in seach of something (maybe a frozen Togruta)

 

The reasons I think Vader's history should haunt our heroes is because 1) it makes for good drama, 2) we need obstacles that challenge our heroes, and 3) politics.

Why would Vader's history matter to Luke, Leia, and their offspring? Because political opponents and enemies will make it matter.

It's actually unbelievable that Vader's past wouldn't haunt them in some sense. Even in mythology, endings are not so clean. The sins of one family member can haunt a family for generations.

 

I don't think it would be too much of a stretch for Vader to have had an apprentice. Some lawyering could be done to argue that Anakin technically did destroy the Sith, he killed Sidious and sacrificed himself. The legacy of Vader/Anakin is an interesting topic as to how it will be handled in the ST. I know that Luke would like his named cleared and highlight how he was redeemed, but there will be a lot of angry folks around the galaxy who remember what Vader and Sidious orchestrated.

 

4) Star Wars needs Vader!

 

Marvel SW shortly after ROTJ (when Luke's having nightmares about Vader):

Leia: "Luke ... have you told anyone else about this?"
Luke: "How could I, without explaining to them why it upsets me so ... who Darth Vader really was, and what he was to the pair of us. We haven't even told anyone besides Han about our being brother and sister, because we didn't want people to begin asking questions about our parentage."
Leia: "And the truth would make us so unpopular. No man was ever more hated than Darth Vader, unless it was the Emperor himself..."
Luke: "He was the Dark Lord ... the one who always did the Emperor's dirty work for him..."
Leia: "But Luke, even if most people choose to forget it, he turned back to good at the end, and helped topple the Emperor ... for you! You don't need to feel ashamed of him."
Luke: "I don't. But in my dreams, I'm afraid of him."

Turns out it's The Force warning him there's another Sith out there - using imagery he understands.

Might be an interesting way to make use of Vader imagery without actually bringing him back

 

I could see Vader in a flashback, dream, or maybe a holocron recording for Episode 7. Our new dark side user could seek out some wisdom that Vader wanted to pass on to other dark side users.

 

I could definitely see them doing that too, and I'm betting we'll see something like that, but I feel like if we ever see him again it should be more significant than like watching old Sith home videos.

 

Well yeah, how they go about it makes a big difference and could be good or bad. However Vader is used it will have a point and move the story forward.

 

It's possibly another reason why the Jedi in the ST might be operating on the fringes of the Republics control. Would the Republic want to get in bed with, yet again, an Order where one of its own students ultimately brought about its own and the Republics demise ?

I would imagine that in the upper echelons of Senate circles that the Skywalkers and Jedi might be viewed with mistrust and kept at arms length.

I honestly believe that things didn't go all that well for the Galaxy in the 30 years since Endor.

 

Wow. Is that by McQuarrie? It doesn't look like his style.

 

I'll be surprised if anyone in the GFFA knows that Vader and Anakin are the same person, or thinks that Skywalkers should be distrusted, particularly after one blew up the first Death Star and then was the sole survivor of the battle that resulted in the physical overthrow of the Emperor.

 

If you think about it. Not many people even know Vader was Luke and Leia's father. Even down to the end, Luke basically got rid of all the evidence. So It is a Big Family Secret. I think Luke and Leia will probably tell their kids the positive side of Anakin and not focus on his Vader persona. But JJ and Disney are in a pickle. Vader is one of the most iconic characters and villians in movie history and he's dead and they don't know how to use him. I still think a Dream Sequence could work well but I understand he's gone:

 

You can see his mark in the lower left of the image... so yes.

Not quite such a strict secret as is being made out in this thread, but not exactly common knowledge either. Bail Organa knew, and thus likely many leading the head of the Alliance knew that Anakin turned to Vader. His only obligation was to keep the secret of Luke and Leia... nobody said he couldn't say anything about Vader after Obi-wan said he failed to kill him.

Also, when the Emperor recovered a mortally wounded Anakin, he didn't do so alone either... many troppers were there, and likely officers of the Imperial Navy ship they were transported back to Coruscant likely knew they had Anakin on board as well.

There are those who know... just not the general public knew that the Hero they knew as Anakin Skywalker became the tyrant they later feared named Dath Vader. Had his injuries never happened, they would have clearly recognized his face after turning, but the Mask prevented the general realization.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if a new villain lures a hero into a place that is strong with the dark side. Last time Luke went in one he dueled Vader. Instead of a villain dueling in a lava river or a throne room, might as well duel in a place that works on your side.

 

Luke didn't duel with Vader in the cave, he dueled with himself in a vision.