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I have been reading through multiple EU novels, where, multiple times, characters refer to Anakin Skywalker as a long-dead Jedi Knight. One specific example being found in the novel for TFU 1 when Starkiller battle's PROXY's imitation of Anakin.

So my question is this: Did the people in the Galaxy (other than Obi Wan, Yoda, the Emperor, and Bail Organa) know that Anakin and Vader were one-and-the-same? And, if they didn't, where did they think Vader came from?

Originally posted by jmoul
I have been reading through multiple EU novels, where, multiple times, characters refer to Anakin Skywalker as a long-dead Jedi Knight. One specific example being found in the novel for TFU 1 when Starkiller battle's PROXY's imitation of Anakin.

So my question is this: Did the people in the Galaxy (other than Obi Wan, Yoda, the Emperor, and Bail Organa) know that Anakin and Vader were one-and-the-same? And, if they didn't, where did they think Vader came from?
Most people were ignorant to this fact. Tarkin was clever enough to put the pieces together though.

For the most part, people didn't really want anything to do with Vader.

In Rise of Darth Vader there's a news reporter expounding on how no one knows who this fearsome armored character is. Wondering if he's a loyal Jedi, a new kind of clone, a robot, or whatever.

Yeah some suspected he was a droid programmed to protect the emperor, or a high-standing Imperial dressing up. I don't know if Tarkin knew 100%, but he was piecing it together and probably knew after Vader revealed that Obi-Wan was his old Master. Yet he died shortly afterward, so who knows if he leaked it.

Tarkin evidently looked into it and put two and two together.

Tarkin always hated jedi

Pretty much no one outside of the Jedi Order knew who Anakin Skywalker was.

Still, you'd think that Vader, being an immensely powerful Sith Lord, people would wonder who exactly the guy was. Aside from Tarkin, I find it really hard to believe that nobody else even looked into Vader's past.

Originally posted by jmoul
Still, you'd think that Vader, being an immensely powerful Sith Lord, people would wonder who exactly the guy was. Aside from Tarkin, I find it really hard to believe that nobody else even looked into Vader's past.

Who the hell would want to look into it? I mean would you like to get caught by darth vader while searching for his past info?
and also we're forgetting that Palpatine probably forbid or destroyed all evidence of Anakin, this is the very same guy who orchestrated, framed and justified the actions of order 66

^A very fair point.

Tarkin looked into it.