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I'm tring to gather some information for a friend of mine who is in a film class. The question is, for those who saw ESB for the first time, whether it was back in the 80's or when you were 12 years old and you saw it in 1995, how did you feel during the Vader revelation?

EDIT: Just for clarification, this is the "No, I'm you're father" scene.

I was elated. I was a kid when I saw it, but I figured something was up with the way the Emperor and Vader talked about "the son of Skywalker" in their conversation earlier. I hadn't made the connection yet, but I knew there was something more Luke's parantage than what Obi-Wan had said.

Being born in 1985, so Star Wars was damn well entrenched in the culture. So I'd heard many references to it before I'd even seen the film.

So I wasn't terribly shocked.

My case is similar to Gandalf's. Born in 86, so "I'm you're father" had already become a part of the public lexicon.

Although when I first watched ESB, I did have a sense of satisfaction having finally joined the rest of society in knowing the actual context in which the revelation took place.

I thought, "ah, so this is how Luke reacted.. poor kid" (well that's translated into adult speak from what I probably thought as a child).

Because I saw ROTJ first in '83, then ANH in the theater, then finally ESB on video at my cousin's house I don't know when, maybe a year or two later.

I've read the novelisations first before seeing the movies from one end to the other, so there was not too much impact.

I was regularly exposed to all three movies even before I was old enough to really make sense of them, so it was just second nature and no specific point in time can be defined where I said, "Whoa, he's Luke's father."

I was around 8 when it reached here, almost a year after it was released the rest of the world... I'd read it in the Marvel comics adaptation before I saw it onscreen. I don't think it really hit me dramatically cause I saw ANH when I was 5 or 6, and I couldn't really make the emotional connection because I saw it that age.

So like BCGaius, for me it was more of a "Oh, I see. He's Luke's father" instead "HOLY FUCK!!!! DARTH VADER IS REALLY LUKE'S WHAT?!?!?!"

I was born in 81 and saw Star Wars a few years before, when I got dressed up as Darth Vader for the arival of Hayleys Comet (don't ask). Then one day my mother showed me TESB saying it was a sequal to SW. I was rather young at the time and got board after the Battle of Hoth and skipped a lot of the middle until Luke arrived at cloud city.

I loved the lightsabre fight and everything.....the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks needless to say.

It was a bit of a shocking revelation to a 5yr old in 1980.....

Awesome. Complete surprise.

I was born in '64, and saw ROTJ in cinemas on first release (after seeing the original 'Star Wars' (no, it's name is not 'A New Hope') eleven times).

I was disappointed, I'm afraid. Ewoks weren't doing it for me, and I just felt "Oh bollocks! That is going to turn out to be true, which makes Ben Kenobi a liar. What crap!"

Sorry, I was a rather cynical teenager.

For the record, I was born in 1982.

I was one of those kids who happened to see RotJ before ESB in the late 1980s, and due to the fact being already ingrained into the common public popular consciousness, I didn't really find the revelation shocking at all, since I was already aware of Vader and Luke's connection.

I was born in 1970, and I remember begging my dad to go see the film, we must have waited in line like 3-4 hours. I almost didn't see it as, pops was real pissed about the absurd wait.

Anyway, when Vader utter those fateful lines it was like a punch to the gut. The whole theater went dead silent. I remember turning to my dad and saying he's lying, he has to be lying! I think I walked around in a daze for the rest of the day. Honestly, I didn't really believe it until ROTJ came out in 83', four years later. Damn you Lucas!

Actually seeing it as a kid, I thought it was the biggest lie Lucas had come up with. Vader was the bad guy, he was trying to screw with Luke.

Seriouly it is that feeling that made it so fucking awesome because it came out of the blue.

I've never actually seen any of the OT on the big screen, or even wide screen

I saw them in order on video when I was about 5, so I can't remember what my reaction was too well, but I think it was something like Plympto's, more of an 'oh riiigghhhtt' than a 'HOLY SHIT WTF OMGZORRZZ!!!111!'.

In the documentary on the DVD OT set James Earl Jones said that he thought Vader was lying when he read the script for the first time too.

I saw it when I was very young, but I didn't have anything invested in the characters. My reaction was along the lines of 'Hmm. That's interesting'.

Im with gaius in that for as long as i can remember i've known, i was born in '86. We had the films on video so i'd been watching them for years.


One thing i do remember is obi wan saying "if you go over to the dark side i can no longer help you" as a kid i remember thinking of the dark side as the emperors throne room in ROTJ, not as an aspect of the force.

Thats probably my earliest distinct memory of star wars.

unfortunately, I saw the Episode VI first, then IV and then V, so that moment was spoiled for me!

Why so many people didn't believe Vader? As for me, I believed it the moment I heard it. It was only natural that Luke rejected the truth, because it wasn't the truth he was ready to hear. However, "search your feelings, Luke, you know it to be true" nailed it for me.

Funny how people could not believe Darth. Oh well. I guess... oh yessss, Jedi liess are stronnng...

Stas Bush wrote:Why so many people didn't believe Vader?

Because he's the villain.

I'm sorry to say that I knew about that line before I ever saw ESB.

Brother-Captain Gaius wrote:I was regularly exposed to all three movies even before I was old enough to really make sense of them, so it was just second nature and no specific point in time can be defined where I said, "Whoa, he's Luke's father."

Jumping on the bandwagon here.

My situation is much the same as other peoples, born in 1982 Star Wars was all over the TV at christmas time by the mid to late 80's, and being too young and having heard references to it all the time it didn't really have an effect on me.

Although it should be noted that the widespread popularity of the "I am your father" line is a testimony to its effect.