Alright, just a question.

[Andrew Darmac]

A person, let's say this person was well-known at one point. The last time this person however, was seen on public television regularly was at the age of 23. The last time this person was seen on TV at all was when said person was 28 years old.

Now the person is 37 years old and enters the public eye again. Is it quite possible for said person to be recognizable anymore? Let's assume no drugs or alcohol or physical handicaps etc. are invovled in the time process.

The reason why I'm asking this question is because I'm working on a piece of writing where this scenario goes on.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Of course, if you didn't recognize that person as their former television self, you'd at least think the older version was his dad or something.

 

[Andrew Darmac]

I hear you, Nebulous, and thanks, but I really do need a few more inputs before I make a final decision on this matter.

 

[Jazzy]

Depends:

Did the said person take care of their physical appearance? For example: I met a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in over 10 years. She used to have a figure that would knock your socks off. That wasn't the case when I saw her. She was grossly overweight and, to be honest, I didn't even recognize her.

Does the said person have a distinctive voice that would be hard to forget? If so, their chance of being recognized for that fact alone would probably make people remember them.

Too many variables for me to be able to say if they would be recognizable or not.

Sorry, as I know I'm not being much help here.

 

[Andrew Darmac]

I mean it helps in that it gives me more things to worry about.

Okay, a little backstory: This person was a famous soldier during an uprising that exploded into outright war. The war lasted five years, and during this time, this soldier was famous for using tactics that crushed the rebels' progress in their tracks. However toward the end of this five year period the rebels find a new leader who begins to use this soldier's tactics against him and his government, eventually leading to a major defeat that leads to the conclusion of the war. The last major television interview this soldier has is one regarding future plans to crush the rebels back, and the last interview period is shortly after the soldier reaches the rank of captain.

He only returns ten years after this last interview in order to help save the people he had once fought against. I won't tell you why, as those are spoilers, but to put it succinctly, a new series of events occurs that require him to make this action. I'm worried because I don't want to make this problem too complex, the soldier having to explain in detail his change in allegiance. Thus, I want to use time as a tool to age the character in order to avoid too complex of a conspiracy.

 

[Evil Eye]

If his face hasn't changed too much and the government made a big hero out of him before, people should be able to recognise him methinks.

 

[Jazzy]

The last major television interview this soldier has is one regarding future plans to crush the rebels back, and the last interview period is shortly after the soldier reaches the rank of captain.

If he had immediately followed his plans to crush the rebels back, then I would say yes he would be recognizable. Since he took a 10 year hiatus, I highly doubt people would recognize him. People do things all the time to keep themselves in the "public eye" whether the things they do are good or bad. This said person did not do that from the scenario I read from you.

 

[Andrew Darmac]

The last major television interview this soldier has is one regarding future plans to crush the rebels back, and the last interview period is shortly after the soldier reaches the rank of captain.

If he had immediately followed his plans to crush the rebels back, then I would say yes he would be recognizable. Since he took a 10 year hiatus, I highly doubt people would recognize him. People do things all the time to keep themselves in the "public eye" whether the things they do are good or bad. This said person did not do that from the scenario I read from you.

No, he didn't follow through with that plan, and on the second interview, which received less publicity, the question wasn't even brought up.

Originally, the plan was to make it a five year difference between the second interview and the current time, but he would be recognizable and actively staying out of the public eye. However, the details got too complex for my tastes, so I decided to wait a few more years and try and see if it got simpler with time.

Although that's why I'm asking this question. Because I'm not sure if it's still enough time or not.