who thought Vader was a robot?

I can't help but wonder if people thought Vader was a robot when they first saw him. I mean...you hear the breathing, the robot-esque voice, you see NO human parts. Some people back then had to think he was a droid.

Also...

if he's NOT a robot why the hell does he wear that suit? We know now why he wears it, but waaay back then it was never even mentioned. Why didn't Luke ask Obi-Wan why he wore it. Am I the only one that finds this odd? It just baffles me that Lucas got away with it and no one seemed to care why he was in the suit.

 

*sheepish*

Me...

*raises arm*

btw dude I know you're bored, but would you mind not creating a new thread every 2 minutes? The mods find it annoying and might zap you

 

The story Obi-Wan tells Luke strongly implies Vader is not a robot.

"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped to hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. Vader betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

Obi-Wan also goes on to explain that the Force is generated by all LIVING things. A robot couldn't use the Force. I don't think anyone paying attention would still think Vader's a robot by this point.

As for when we first see Vader, we see Threepio, Artoo, and a few other droids before we see Vader, and they look far more mechanical. I think it's possible to assume Vader is a robot at first, and maybe so are the stormtroopers, but I also think it becomes clear that robots in SW have a more mechanical look than the people in suits who might pass for robots in other sci-fi universes.

EDIT: the possibility of confusion should be nil for future people who might watch the episodes in order I-VI, since the PT shows the history of all the major OT characters who wear robot-like suits.

 

When I first saw ANH way back in either 1979 or 1980, I thought the stormtroopers were robots.

 

Enough people that Lucas was forced to include 5 seconds of footage into the second movie to lay that rumour to rest.
[image=http://starwars.pl/galeria/classic/e5scenes/t015.jpg]

 

I didn't think he was a robot when I was little(born 1984 sadly after the OT was already out) because before I ever saw the movie my dad told me that robots don't breathe in reference to a robot in another movie. I thought he was an alien who couldn't breathe oxygen until I saw Empire.

 

No, I always equated him to "Dr. Doom"