Vader wasn’t originally planned to be Luke’s dad. One of the producers came up with it halfway through Empire.
Part of being Sith is fucking over others, even those you are “allied” with. The way to become second in command is to kill the current second in command. Tarkin is at the point in his career where killing Vader would probably be a good move if he could manage it.
Wasn’t Vader being his dad hinted at in a new hope when Luke talks to obi wan?
Original draft of Empire by Leigh Brackett had Luke meet a force ghost of his dad. Obi Wan pretty clearly says in the original that Vader killed Luke’s father, which you can certainly claim he was being metaphorical, but I’ve never really gotten that vibe. Luke and Leia are also infamously handsy. I suggest hunting down VHS rips of the originals to see what you think. It’s a shame we’ll never get the unaltered versions in HD.
George Lucas claims it was always his plan, but he also has waffled on so many things (was it always planned to be 6 movies? Or 9? Or just a one and done?) One aspect is that he did have just a shit ton of random, unhinged ideas that never made it in.
Doesn’t matter, really.
Because the most inconsistent thing in that scene ends up being Obi Wan choosing from the entire prequel canon the idea that Anakin was “the best pilot in the galaxy”.
Seriously, he tells him that:
- his dad was a good pilot.
- his dad was a cunning warrior and a good friend
- his dad wanted him to have his lightsaber when he was old enough.
It’s not just that the facts of the conversation are wrong, it’s that the tone of the conversation is entirely off for what ended up being canon, even before the prequels, but DEFINITELY after the prequels.
People latch on to the “Vader” thing, and who’s to say, but it’s absolutely clear watching it that the backstory they hint either makes no sense, is different than what they ended up doing, or both.
I don’t think Tarkin has to be a Sith - more that he’s a smart cookie and knows how the politics work. He knows that if he could find some way to take down Vader, it would make him look more powerful/valuable in Palpatine’s eyes.
