How well known was Darth Vader?

Kilgore · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:19 pm Post subject:

Since my campaign is set about 6 years after ROTJ I'd like to know how many people besides Luke and Leia know about the Anakin - Vader thing and the whole Chosen One prophesy.

As far as I know it is only the reborn Jedi (and only Luke, Leia and Jedi Knights) & perhaps the top dogs of the New Republic.

but what are your oppinions on this subject?

vong · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject:

garhkal · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:13 am Post subject:

IIRC it was not until the Jedi Academy trilogy that luke told more than just his kin about the vader/anakin skywalker link. Also iirc it was a point of discontention later on when luke wanted Kyp to take the sun crusher to the maw cluster to be finally destroyed...
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

scott2978 · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:31 pm Post subject:

As far as I can tell, during the GCW the only people who knew Anakin was Vader are the emperor, vader (of course), Obi-Wan and Yoda. Bail Organa had his suspicions before he was killed and several others are written of as "having a feeling that vader used to be a jedi" and are suspicious about the death of Anakin at the Jedi temple. I don't think it's a far strech for a regular citizen to have his own personal conspiracy theory that vader is anakin either, as we have plenty of conspiracy theorists today that think similar things.

Once the emperor, obi wan, yoda and vader are dead, that leaves only luke and possibly leia. I never read all the hokey post GCW novels besides the Thrawn trilogy, so I don't know what's (semi) official beyond that point.

Ankhanu · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:07 pm Post subject:

The link to Anakin was not widely known. I'm just finally reading I, Jedi now, and when Luke reveals the fact that Vader was his father and Anakin to his new students it was a big leap of trust and a surprise.
_________________
Hotaru no Hishou; a messageboard about games, friends and nothing at all.

Donate to Ankhanu Press

Ray · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:

Conspiracy nuts abound, and probably have all kinds of ideas.

Some conspiracy nuts might think it's General Kenobi that's Vader.

Or even Yodi, suffering from Short Sentient Syndrome!

Whill · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 3:18 am Post subject:

Whill · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 12:11 pm Post subject:

D+1 · Cadet Joined: 10 May 2015 Posts: 22

Going pretty much just by the movies... Leia knew who he was to be sure (as a political/military figure anyway) which pretty much says that the entire rebellion hierarchy is fairly familiar with him to the same extent. But at the time of ANH he's working UNDER Tarkin who is "holding his leash". Obviously, the emperor could make him second in command of the whole empire, being his Sith master - but DIDN'T. I'd suggest that he's not much more renowned than most other generals/admirals in the spearhead of the empire's fight against the rebels. UNTIL Yavin.

He was seen by Luke and Leia to have killed Kenobi. He seems to have been moved up in the Imperial hierarchy to fill in after Tarkin's death and the destruction of the Death Star to personally lead the effort to KILL THE REBELLION. I never got the impression that the portion of rebels at Hoth were even a substantial portion - it just happened to be the portion that Han, Luke, and Leia were wildcatting around with.

But Vader was by that time pretty much finally the #2 man in the Empire. At that point it would be very much in the propaganda interests of the rebels to let the whole galaxy know about him if they hadn't already - and fear and despise him enough to join in opposing him. He's too good a propaganda tool - for BOTH sides - for anyone in the galaxy to NOT know who he is.

lurker · Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 9:50 pm Post subject:

I’ve been thinking about this. I’d say no one (except Obi Won) knows he is what is left of Anikian.

However, the leadership of the rebellion knows a lot about him. Even putting 2 & 2 together on him being sith. They would have studied military history and the previous wars from the early republic. So, would know what a sith is and can do & know the title of Darth and what it means.

This would filter down to the common soldier, to a point. They would know that if he is in the area or rumored to be around, things are going to go very badly.

The flip side is the Empire. The military leadership will know he is close to the Emperor, so should be feared, respected, avoided. However, power breads contempt, so some that are gaining/striving for political power will do their best to undermine him – and then pay the price for it as in the scene from ANH.

Will they know him as sith or what it means …. Some maybe, most not. Unlike the rebellion, I’d argue the military history would miss or gloss over some of the finer points of the old wars. Look what Stalin did when he got power. Erased the complete existence of people that were his peers and some even supporters of his. Even editing them out of pictures …. So, I can see the Emperor selectively editing history and limiting the history taught even in war colleges etc etc etc. I’d take it a step further and say Vader to enhance the mystery/fear surrounding him would encourage this editing. People fear most what they don’t know soooooo how better to make other political rivals fear (or underestimate) you than keep them unaware about your true power significance etc etc etc.

Now, for the common populous … on both sides of the war. It will depend on how involved they are with politics &/or the war. As such the rebel citizen may be slightly more apt to know ‘of’ him. But that will be very limited knowledge. For the imperial citizen, very few will know or care to know. (Look at our world, how few people know what ISIS truly is, What the difference between ISIS ISAL Al-Qaida, Taliban, Muslim Brotherhood, etc is) With that outlook, I’s say the average citizen of the empire, if they bothered to watch news about the military or war – or are directly or secondarily tied – to the war – may have seen pictures of him behind the emperor or inspecting a legion of troopers. Most others … Darth who ? …. Who cares ….
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

Whill · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:38 am Post subject:

garhkal · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:20 am Post subject:

Plus at the end of Ep3, we saw vader standing on the bridge of a star destroyer looking at the starting of the death star.. Right next to tarkin!
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

Whill · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 6:37 pm Post subject:

lurker · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:28 pm Post subject:

mea culpa, mea culpa .... What I should have said was "Obi Won was only one of a very select few" Embarassed

I completely agree that those you all pointed out would have known. I could even see a few more being in a position to know or to be able to put 2 and 2 together and figure it out. But even then say something like less than .... 10 people total

Whill, I agree with you on your view of Tarkin. & Vader. I would go so far to say they were actually friends. They each are probably the only friend the other could ever have. That said, I'm sure there were behind the scenes plots and maneuvering between them. But no animosity and hard wishes so to speak.
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

garhkal · Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:34 pm Post subject:

While i wouldn't go that far to say they were friends, i would at least say they mutually respected one another.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

	The Rancor Pit Forum Index -> Gamemasters	All times are GMT - 4 Hours Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3 Next
Page 2 of 3