Why didn't Darth Vader recognize the "Skywalker" name???

After recently watching Empire Strikes Back, this came to me:

At the beginning of the episode, we hear Vader Say "That IS the system, and I'm sure SKYWALKER is with them."

This is said before the emperor contacts him, and commands Vader to bring Skywalker to him.

Why did Vader not recognize that name at first? I tried that whole "he didn't want to acknowledge his old name, since he was no longer Anakin" thing, but that doesn't seem to do it...wouldn't he think "why is HE named Skywalker as well?"

If this is posted elsewhere, sorry...I didn't see it anywhere in these last 6 or 7 pages of threads.

Thoughts?

 

He did recognize it.

 

In the original Emperor hologram scene, there is no "reveal", Vader is already well aware of Luke being a Skywalker--its part of the plot set-up, as the opening scroll states that that Vader is "obsessively" searching for Skywalker. When Lucas re-shot the Emperor scene for the 2004 he created an inconsistency by not addressing this.

 

There's no inconsistency.

 

Either way, Vader pretended to be ignorant about Luke so that the Emperor wouldn't know what what he was up to.

 

Yeah, why else would he be so single-minded in his chase at the beginning of the movie? He knows who Luke is for the entirety of Empire Strikes Back.

 

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The Rebellion issued a press release about the Yavin-4 decoration ceremony and Luke's name was included. Really stupid, but you know, 20/20 hindsight...

 

Put zombie's and celera's posts together and you have your answer. The opening scroll says Vader already knows about Skywalker. When the Emperor "reveals" the facts about Luke, Vader is playing coy, but he's already aware of the kid's identity.

 

... ... I like this...makes sense to me...

Thanks!

 

and with RotS in mind, consider what he's actually asking. "Offspring of Anakin Skwalker, ya think?? Of course he is, but how is that possible when you told me I killed his pregnant mother? Everyone saw her big dead belly being paraded around Naboo and yet here is my son. I'm gonna throw you down a bottomless pit you lying bag of wrinkles!"

... or something to that effect

 

I agree with pretty much everything said above. Vader knew about Luke and knew that he was his son. He probably did not make a big deal about it to prevent the other Imperials from knowing about this relationship. If the troops knew, the news would spread and quickly get to the Emperor's ears. Vader, in my opinion, wanted to secretly get Luke on his side and surprise the Emperor and overthrow him.

 

Vader was just playing dumb so he could recruit Luke to overthrow the Emperor. And I think the Emperor knew he was lying, too. You can sort of hear it in his "Yeeess... he would be a great asset".

They were both planning to betray each other.

 

It's basically the same as the "strange that I have not felt him" conversation in ROTJ.

There is a serious lack of trust between these two. They both lie to one another, they know that they lie to one another, and they both know that the other knows that they lie. If that makes any sense.

Any aging Sith should assume that its not safe to turn your back to your apprentice.

 

Vader forgotthe Skywalker name. Looks like he's good at developing amnesia conveniently.

 

^^

Vader did not forget the Skywalker name. He ceased to be Anakin and was Darth Vader.

 

The shift is greatly exaggerated. If it was so great that Vader wouldn't know the Skywalker name, it makes no sense for Vader to refer to Luke as "my son."

 

Look, when you get right down to it Anakin Skywalker was a grease monkey who lived in a ghetto. Qui-Gon's midi-chlorian counter was probably broken and gave a falsely high reading. That would explain why the so-called Chosen One seemed to lose a limb or two in every other light saber battle, go on murderous rampages, et cetera.

The guy is just not the sharpest hydrospanner in the toolbox.

Forgetting his own name is just par for the course (or Force, as the case may be).

 

The galaxy is big,there could be millions of people with the name Skywalker.

 

Because we all know that an innate Force sensitivity would magically protect someone from limb loss or murderous rampages.

 

No, but it sure would help prevent it.

 

I understand how it would prevent the former, but how would it help prevent the latter?

 

It's a midichlorian count, not a deflector shield.

 

Right, but with the former it would give raw talent which would give someone a higher (but not 100%) chance to survive a duel unharmed. Of course, I think part of why Anakin went as long as he did without losing more limbs is because of said raw talent.

 

How did Darth Vader know of luke's identity?
In which novel (EU) does this happen?

 

Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit. He tortures a Rebel Pilot to find out who destroyed the Death Star and the pilot eventually breaks, telling Vader that it was Luke.