For those of us who remember between ANH and ESB..

[DarkHelmet]

Was talking with a co-worker who was born in 1989 about Star Wars before the prequels.

Mentioned to him that before ESB, Darth Vader was not Luke's father and his name was Darth Vader (not a Sith title). Luke's father was a good guy exactly as "Ben" told Luke.

Another backstory I remember was that Vader killed Luke's father (never named back then) on a volcano planet while they were looking for crystals to complete their lightsabers. Luke's father injured the young Vader enough that he needed the armor.

Of course the only back stories then were given to us in little tidbits via Starlog and other related periodicals or novels such as "Splinter of the Minds Eye".

Lucas inserted these original back stories in TPM (Qui-Gon and Maul and Obi-wan fighting Anakin on Mustafar.

What do some of you remember?

 

[Apollo]

All the speculation which for me was not much, mainly the wait for “Empire” to come out...

 

[Halliwax]

one thing i learned a few years ago was the sith term was around since 1977, i couldn't believe it when i saw it

 

[Wolfsburg]

Yeah he was always known as a dark lord of the Sith but certainly the movies never expanded on that or what it really meant. Sith is never even mentioned. One of the big revelations with The Phantom Menace was that Emperor Palpatine was actually a Sith as well and Darth was a title, not simply an assumed name Anakin chose.

 

[Halliwax]

Yeah he was always known as a dark lord of the Sith but certainly the movies never expanded on that or what it really meant. Sith is never even mentioned. One of the big revelations with The Phantom Menace was that Emperor Palpatine was actually a Sith as well and Darth was a title, not simply an assumed name Anakin chose.

Yeah I never realized it until a few years ago someone brought it up here

I think it’s cool that he had the sith terminology planned out all the way back then

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

I don't remember much as I was very very young between ANH and ESB. I had no idea that Darth Vader Was Luke Skywalker's father before I saw ESB. It never would've occurred to me and thankfully no one spoiled it. It was a massive shock even as a kid. Another lesser shock when it was confirmed in ROTJ.

 

[TK765]

I remember when the title for the sequel was revealed, everyone was like "it's called what?? " "The Empire Strikes Back" What kind of a goofy name is that, LOL

 

[dbuck]

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was written by Foster in case Lucas could only get a cheap sequel greenlit. Then when Empire came out whoever had read that book was more like….huh? Okay, flush that memory.

 

[Halliwax]

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was written by Foster in case Lucas could only get a cheap sequel greenlit. Then when Empire came out whoever had read that book was more like….huh? Okay, flush that memory.

i kind of liked that book

 

[3Dsf]

Vader is described as “a” Dark Lord of the Sith in the novel, but not the final script.

 

[Halliwax]

Vader is described as “a” Dark Lord of the Sith in the novel, but not the final script.

never knew that either

 

[batguy]

There were sorta two different times for when the Vader character was merged with Anakin. George Lucas was at least halfway to making that decision during ANH. He hadn't committed to it yet but the framework & hints were definitely there. Meanwhile the SW merchandise & media (which George approved) was still totally treating them as separate characters until ESB hit theaters.

It makes sense for the circumstances. (ANH might never have gotten a sequel, or not an expensive one. And then once it did, they were still trying to preserve the twist at the end.) But it made for some oddball SW material between the two movies.


Very few (younger) people understand what a risky movie ESB was at the time. There were expected (read: financially proven) rules about doing sequels. ESB broke most of them with flying colors.

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

Someone posted a BTS clip of the filming of ANH a while back where Vader was referred to as a Sith Lord by General Tagge during the Death Star Meeting. Obviously it was cut.

Here it is...

 

[Probe Droid]

Funny, half the audience back then thought Vader was a robot! The one rumor I remember was that Kenobi was the first clone of the emperor and his real name was Obi-ONE! How's that for nutty! Lots of us also assumed that Uncle Owen and Kenobi were brothers. I met actor Phil Brown at a con a long time ago, and he said it was his understanding as well that they were brothers, but that hasn't panned out.

 

[Jaitea]

For those of us who remember between SW and ESB…..​

(Fixed that for you)

All I remember was the long wait

The first clip of Empire I saw was the scene of Luke in the corridor on Bespin when Leia shouts that it’s a trap, ending with Vader saying ‘The Force is with you young Skywalker, but you’re not a Jedi yet!!’

Still get nostalgia chills at that bit

EDIT: In fact here is the very programme I saw that clip go to the end 31:34

J

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

I remember hearing that the name was OB-1 & it was a clone designation, he & Owen were raised as brothers.

As for Vader being a robot, I heard that as well, & also have a vivid memory of an episode of Wonder Woman that took place in a zoo. The villain was a cross between a robot & a gorilla, & that aired on a Friday night. I go back to school on Monday & ALL everyone was talking about was , "Did you see Darth Vader's brother on Wonder Woman?".

Man, we were stupid. LOL

 

[Wolfsburg]

Funny, half the audience back then thought Vader was a robot! The one rumor I remember was that Kenobi was the first clone of the emperor and his real name was Obi-ONE! How's that for nutty! Lots of us also assumed that Uncle Owen and Kenobi were brothers. I met actor Phil Brown at a con a long time ago, and he said it was his understanding as well that they were brothers, but that hasn't panned out.

Wasn’t there mention in an earlier draft of RoTJ when Obi-wan is speaking to Luke after Yoda dies that Owen was his brother?

 

[Probe Droid]

Wasn’t there mention in an earlier draft of RoTJ when Obi-wan is speaking to Luke after Yoda dies that Owen was his brother?

I honestly don't know.

 

[blewis17]

Was talking with a co-worker who was born in 1989 about Star Wars before the prequels.

Mentioned to him that before ESB, Darth Vader was not Luke's father and his name was Darth Vader (not a Sith title). Luke's father was a good guy exactly as "Ben" told Luke.

Another backstory I remember was that Vader killed Luke's father (never named back then) on a volcano planet while they were looking for crystals to complete their lightsabers. Luke's father injured the young Vader enough that he needed the armor.

Of course the only back stories then were given to us in little tidbits via Starlog and other related periodicals or novels such as "Splinter of the Minds Eye".

Lucas inserted these original back stories in TPM (Qui-Gon and Maul and Obi-wan fighting Anakin on Mustafar.

What do some of you remember?

As a child, having seen all of the OT in theaters during their initial run, what I remember at the time:

1) I initially thought stormtroopers were robots, and the "011" look to the backplate was the word "oil"
2) I first thought that Vader was a robot as well, but must have been repeat viewings with Obi-Wan saying that Vader was a former pupil, that I realized he was human
3) It was never thought that Anakin injured Vader, always that Obi-Wan injured Vader on the lava planet
4) I knew ahead of time that the little green gnome on Dagobah was Yoda. I think it was spoiled by the Kenner toys released just before or right at the time of the film's release.
5) I had a debate with a school friend who had not seen TESB yet, that Luke LOST his hand in the saber battle with Vader. My friend thought it was just injured.
6) "Sith" was definitely know before TESB. But there was no explanation of what Sith meant.
7) Darth was definitely Vader's first name in SW:ANH, not a title. The title was "lord"
8) I had the mail-in Boba Fett WITHOUT the firing missile. Had the little slip of paper that said I could return it and get any other SW Kenner figure I wanted. Glad I kept the figure.
9) No one saw Leia as Luke's twin reveal in ROTJ.
10) My sister, who saw the film just before I did, told me that Vader's helmet comes off in ROTJ.

 

[3Dsf]

“Two meters tall. Bipedal. Flowing black robes trailing from the figure and a face forever masked by a functional if bizarre black metal breath screen - a Dark Lord of the Sith was an awesome, threatening shape as it strode through the corridors of the rebel ship.”

- from Alan Dean Foster’s novelization.