# When and how did Darth Vader realize Luke was his son? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711 "2009-05-26T17:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/41 "2009-05-27T07:54:38Z")
The people who run the annual father-son picnic are just merciless. You WILL show up and you WILL have a good time. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/42 "2009-05-27T13:40:10Z")
I just wanted to say, I _have_ thought of this question but never thought to actually ask it. It’s good to see some feasible answers. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/43 "2009-05-27T14:30:02Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > We’ve tested the results and Darth Vader, you ARE the father! [Noooooooooo!!!](http://www.guitar.com/uploaded/profile_images/forum_9cc7260a_Noooooo!!!.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/44 "2009-05-27T16:13:53Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Had they just told his uncle to change his name to ‘Luke Lars’, Vader would’ve presumably never figured it out. Plus, that would be an awesome name. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/45 "2009-05-27T22:09:12Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > (snipped) > > 1. Vader knows about Luke before the Emperor contacts him while he is hunting down Han and Leia in the asteroid field. \*\*He does not sound surprised when the Emperor says "Luke Skywalker. \*\* Further, he knows this Skywalker is “just a boy,” and that the boy had been with Obi-wan Kenobi. > > (snipped) (Bolding mine) How do we know that wasn’t the first time Vader heard the boy’s name? The mask and the voice both hide emotions pretty well, don’t they? I don’t recall the scene in detail, but I seem to remember Vader was kneeling, with short answers to the questions the Emperor made. Maybe what we were witnessing was the Emperor’s subtle scolding of Vader because: 1. The Emperor already had found out who they were dealing with 2. Vader hadn’t even found out the boy was his own son ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/46 "2009-05-28T01:00:35Z")
It occurs to me a lot of people give the prequals some shit because why wouldn’t Vadar remember the protocol droid he built as a kid? But according to IMDB, there is only one scene in the original fims where he is even in the same room as C3P0. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/47 "2009-05-28T01:11:24Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > It occurs to me a lot of people give the prequals some shit because why wouldn’t Vadar remember the protocol droid he built as a kid? But according to IMDB, there is only one scene in the original fims where he is even in the same room as C3P0. Which scene? Dinner at Bespin? ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/48 "2009-05-28T11:01:54Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > How do we know that wasn’t the first time Vader heard the boy’s name? Doesn’t Vader refer to him by name at the beginning of ESB when the probe droid first finds the Hoth base? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/49 "2009-05-28T12:35:16Z")
From the opening scroll > [@](#): > > The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, > has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of > space… After the probe radios back its report > [@](#): > > VADER: That is the system. And I’m sure Skywalker is with them. Set > your course for the Hoth system. General Veers, prepare your men. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/50 "2009-05-28T13:02:19Z")
> [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](#): > > Doesn’t Vader refer to him by name at the beginning of ESB when the probe droid first finds the Hoth base? Yes. “That’s it. The rebels are there, and Skywalker is with them”. As for C3P0, keep in mind that he’s not exactly a unique-looking droid. We see at least two others I can think of off the top of my head, and that’s just in ESB. Hoth base had one, and there was another in Cloud City that C3P0 ends up close to right before getting blown to bits. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/51 "2009-05-28T14:41:28Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Yes. “That’s it. The rebels are there, and Skywalker is with them”. > > As for C3P0, keep in mind that he’s not exactly a unique-looking droid. We see at least two others I can think of off the top of my head, and that’s just in ESB. Hoth base had one, and there was another in Cloud City that C3P0 ends up close to right before getting blown to bits. > > -Joe And there was one on the _Tantive IV_, too. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/52 "2009-05-28T15:50:10Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > As for C3P0, keep in mind that he’s not exactly a unique-looking droid. We see at least two others I can think of off the top of my head, and that’s just in ESB. Hoth base had one, and there was another in Cloud City that C3P0 ends up close to right before getting blown to bits. There was also one (TC-14) on the Trade Federation ship at the beginning of The Phantom Menace. It’s yet another example of the doofiness of the prequels…young Anakin builds his own droid out of spare parts, and makes one that is an exact replica of a common model. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/53 "2009-05-28T16:03:29Z")
Now that we’ve answered the OP, maybe you can solve my big SW problem: How the hell did Han, Leia et. al. get from Hoth to Bespin without entering hyperspace? Did they travel for months, or even years in sublight speed? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/54 "2009-05-28T16:17:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Now that we’ve answered the OP, maybe you can solve my big SW problem: > > How the hell did Han, Leia et. al. get from Hoth to Bespin without entering hyperspace? Did they travel for months, or even years in sublight speed? I suspect that it did take them some time (maybe closer to months); I think there’s some time-compression that goes on with the depiction of that trip, and Luke’s training on Dagobah. I’m not sure if this is 100% canon, but in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (the materials for which are all vetted by Lucasfilm), ships like the Milennium Falcon do have a backup hyperdrive, which is much, much slower than the normal hyperdrive, but still far faster than trying to make an interstellar trip at sublight speeds. While that would explain why it didn’t take Han and Leia 10 years to get to Bespin, it doesn’t entirely jibe with the claims of “we _can’t_ jump to hyperspace!” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/55 "2009-05-28T16:38:32Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Now that we’ve answered the OP, maybe you can solve my big SW problem: > > How the hell did Han, Leia et. al. get from Hoth to Bespin without entering hyperspace? Did they travel for months, or even years in sublight speed? I think it did take them a long time at sublight speeds. Maybe Hoth and Bespin are only a few light-months away from each other. Luke really would need a lot of time to train too. I think that’s the best answer. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/56 "2009-05-28T17:10:30Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think it did take them a long time at sublight speeds. Maybe Hoth and Bespin are only a few light-months away from each other. Luke really would need a lot of time to train too. I think that’s the best answer. If that’s the case, would it be very wrong for me to assume that Leia and Han passed the time by having lots and lots of sex? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/57 "2009-05-28T17:14:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think it did take them a long time at sublight speeds. Maybe Hoth and Bespin are only a few light-months away from each other. Luke really would need a lot of time to train too. I think that’s the best answer. You’d think that if the Rebels were trying to find an out of the way, middle of nowhere spot to hide their secret base, Solo might have mentioned the wildcat gas mining facility in the system next door. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/58 "2009-05-28T19:14:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If that’s the case, would it be very wrong for me to assume that Leia and Han passed the time by having lots and lots of sex? Heh…perhaps in those hidden smuggling compartments… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/59 "2009-05-28T19:49:06Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > There was also one (TC-14) on the Trade Federation ship at the beginning of The Phantom Menace. It’s yet another example of the doofiness of the prequels…young Anakin builds his own droid out of spare parts, and makes one that is an exact replica of a common model. Actually, it is far more plausible for this kid to build one out of common parts than do it totally from scratch. I’d suspect that protocol droids, being obnoxious, wind up in parts in the junkyard reasonably often. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711/60 "2009-05-28T19:53:13Z")
I’m imagining this in the back of a comic book in the Star Wars galaxy Kids! Build Your Own Droid! Amazing All-In-One Kit! Amaze Your Friends! Build Your Own Friend! Request Catalog At P.O. Box 1929439, Coruscant [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-and-how-did-darth-vader-realize-luke-was-his-son/497711.md?page=4)