Did anyone else know Anakin/Vader was Luke's father?

Although twenty years past between RoTS and ANH, it seems logical to assume that many remembered Anakin/Vader's last name was Skywalker. When the Falcon returns to Yavin in ANH with Luke Skywalker on it, does anyone else from the rebel leadership make the connection that Luke is related to Vader? I realize those with obvious knowledge (i.e. OBI, Bail Organa and everyone on his planet for that matter, etc) are gone, but certainly there are enough people around to make a connection.

 

Why would they?

At the very most the galaxy knew that someone named "Vader" led the attacks on the Jedi (and that's assuming Palpatine let that info out). Everyone just assumed Anakin died, and that Palpatine had some new guy to be his assistant.

Probably CT forum, too.

 

Yeah, everybody assumed Anakin died in the lava, so its only Darth Sidious who know the connection.


---
Ascaaear
"May the fork be with you"

 

Sorry if this was the wrong forum - first post. I watched ANH with the kids last night and couldn't get the question out of my mind. Your answer seems logical, but wouldn't someone make a connection to the last name "Skywalker" (don't know how common such a surname would have been), and remember there was once a powerful jedi of the same name?

 

Well, yes. In the novel, one of the Rebel pilots talks about how good a pilot Anakin used to be. However, I'm not sure that Luke's name is widely known outside of the Alliance. For example, it took until ESB for Palpatine to know that Luke destroyed the Death Star (Vader knew before that, of course). I imagine the name would be kept under strict Imperial security.

I'm sure the Alliance realized that he may have been related to Anakin... but they wouldn't know that Vader = Anakin.

 

Makes sense. Thanks, now I can concentrate on less important matters like how to make it through the work day and pay bills

 

Ew, that doesn't sound fun.

Good luck... you're gonna need it!

 

i had been thinking about this as well but it all does make sense as long as no1 luke had met on tatooine had heard of anakin skywalker (eg after he won the pod race)

as soon as obi1 tells luke his father was a jedi, ne1 else remembering anakin to him would've only confirmwed this as no1 else knew he had become vader, they just thought he was killed with the other jedi's i s'pose

 

I guess most of my questions were based on the notion that Anakin was no ordinary jedi. I don't know the depth of knowledge of his "chosen one" status beyond the jedi council. If this knowledge was widespread, it appears odd that people would not have paid special attention to someone named "Skywalker". Given that jedi were prohibited from marrying, others could assume Luke was a distant relative or simply someone with the same name (i/e "Skywalker" being as common as "Smith", "Martinez", etc.).

I don't know who left alive after RoTS knew of the "virgin birth" myth. Those aware of this would have paid special attention to anyone named Skywalker. How many people did Shmi tell? Did Watto, etc., know?

If Yodi/OB1 really wanted to hide Luke's identity, wouldn't have made more sense to give Luke the last name of "Lars"? Imagine GL selling "Luke Lars" to movie execs in the early 70's?

 

As Ousley said, I think most people that knew/knew of Anakin thought that he died, and from a certain point of view (thank you, Obi-Wan) he did.

Remember that Leia was quite surprised when Luke told her Vader was his father... if anyone in the alliance had known, she probably would have as well.