"It's an older code, but it checks out. I was about to clear them," Admiral Piett reports.
Vader nods. Of course, it's an older code. It must be one of the codes he leaked months ago to the Bothans to sell to the Rebellion. Meaning Luke is here on the stolen shuttle to blow up the Death Star, just like Vader has hoped.
Part of him is relieved.
Part of him is proud.
Part of him is terrified.
Terror wins out. When Piett asks if he should hold up clearance for the shuttle, Vader orders, "Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself."
Then he practically runs to his Master's throne room to grab some political cover. Because who knows where this is heading? Sheev surely senses Luke's presence. Vader needs to make a show of loyalty now. Because if the Rebels bungle their assault and the Death Star remains, Vader needs to avoid blame.
The Force is jumpy and erratic now against his mind. It's nervous and skittish feeling. Does it portend danger? Does it portend death? Only one thing is certain—it signals change. The universe, it seems, is on the verge of something important. That bad feeling Vader had earlier is back and more dreadful than ever. And so, before he walks in to see his Master, Vader says a quick, silent prayer. May the Force be with the Skywalkers. With him, with his brainwashed idiot son, and with his anonymous angry Rebel princess daughter. And also, with his beloved Astral who is safe for now at his castle.
Sheev is annoyed to see him. "I told you to remain on the command ship."
"A small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor," Vader dutifully reports.
"Yes, I know." Sheev is unsurprised. This news is according to plan, apparently. Behind his mask, Vader's eyes narrow with suspicion.
But he continues. "My son is with them," Vader fesses up to keep his Master's trust.
This time, Sheev is surprised. He leans forward on his throne. "Are you sure?"
His Master's reaction is genuine, making Vader gulp. He just made a mistake. A huge mistake. Because Sheev didn't sense Luke's presence in the Force after all. But there's no turning back now. "I have felt him, my Master," Vader explains.
"Strange, that I have not." Sheev sounds especially peevish now. His Master fixes him with a hard look. "I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader."
Vader knows what is being asked. Sheev isn't just wondering if he sensed Luke's involvement in error. He's asking whose side Vader is on. So, the Apprentice automatically reaffirms his loyalty, "They are clear, my Master."
"Then you must go to the sanctuary moon and wait for them."
"He will come to me?" Er . . . what?
"I have foreseen it. His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and then you will bring him before me," Sheev commands.
This is exactly what Vader plans to avoid. But he bows low before he quickly withdraws to regroup. "As you wish."
Vader now takes stock of what he has learned. The Rebels are heading for the shield generator and Sheev knows it. Because Sheev too must have leaked information to the Alliance to provoke an attack on the Death Star. But whereas Vader did it to destroy the weapon, Sheev is surely setting a trap. Vader understands now why the fleet is lying in wait behind Endor. Like he surmised, an ambush is afoot.
But Sheev didn't expect Luke to be with the strike team on the Endor moon. Was that because he was expecting Luke to be in the cockpit of an X-wing? Vader feels foolish for having revealed Luke's involvement in the operation. It's got him ordered to set up the three-way confrontation that Vader knows to avoid. Because the obvious loser in the Vader-Sidious-Skywalker showdown is himself. The stated ruse of turning Luke to the Dark Side is really his Master's plan to trade up to a new, younger and more powerful Apprentice. Vader was there the last time Sheev pulled this stunt. And actually, it's very galling to be relegated to the Dooku role.
For so many reasons, Vader needs to avoid that outcome. So he hops on a shuttle and heads to Endor. As always, Vader will make a show of fulfilling his Master's orders even as he subverts them. It is time, Vader decides, to find his son and send him away before circumstances get out of hand.
On his way, Vader alerts the Endor command to the presence of the Rebels. Send out biker scouts looking for them, Vader orders. Make sure to take prisoners rather than shoot to kill. It's both a ploy to locate Luke and a way to draw defensive resources away from the shield bunker. Vader plans to do all he can to make it easy for the Rebels to disable the Death Star deflector shield. For who knows? Maybe he will still be able to pull off his original plan of destroying the weapon with Sheev on it.
As it turns out, Sheev's foresight is accurate. Because after loitering in and around Endor for an entire day without any sign of his son, an officer arrives that night to announce that they have a prisoner. A man claiming to be the notorious Rebel Luke Skywalker has surrendered to the local garrison. The prisoner has boldly asked to be taken to Darth Vader himself.
Vader is barely off his shuttle when another officer with a squad of troopers intercepts him with the prisoner in his midst. "This is the Rebel that surrendered to us," the nervous commander reports. "Although he denies it, I believe there may be more of them, and I request permission to conduct a further search of the area." The man extends his hand, offering Luke's new lightsaber. "He was armed only with this."
Vader looks at Luke. He's dressed in all black, like he was on Naboo. It's an outfit that is far more Sith than Jedi. His stern-faced kid currently radiates determination in the Force, even if he's only mildly succeeding at appearing unafraid. One thing is for certain, his boy has courage.
Vader turns away and accepts the weapon. "Good work, Commander. Leave us. Conduct your search and bring his companions to me." If the princess is with Luke, Vader wants to be sure that she escapes as well. He doesn't want Sheev getting his hands of either of his children.
"Yes, my Lord." The commander and his troopers withdraw. It's just him and Luke now.
The tension palpable.
Vader begins with a warning. "The Emperor has been expecting you."
"I know, Father."
Father? Father? That's an unexpected form of address. It's disarming. Vader completely forgets to yell at Luke about what happened to Astral. Instead, he goads his kid. "So, you have accepted the truth?"
The answer he gets is full of quiet sanctimony. "I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father."
That sets him off. Vader reflexively rankles the way he always does when confronted with his past. "That name no longer has any meaning for me."
"It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten," Luke retorts. "I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That is why you couldn't destroy me."
"I never wanted to kill you—"
"You wanted to turn me Dark. It's the same thing."
"Wrong again. My goal is balance."
"Your goal is power," Luke sniffs. He still thinks he has all the answers, apparently.
Stressed, annoyed, and impatient, Vader has no desire to rehash another Jedi-Sith argument. The whole construct presents the lie of two choices, suggesting there aren't a myriad of options lying between those two religions. Besides, the time for verbal posturing is over. This is no longer a theoretical exercise and a philosophical debate. The threat of Sheev is a clear and present danger. It's time to speak plainly and make good decisions. That's the only way both of them will get out of this alive.
Vader demands, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in an X-wing to blow up the station?"
"That's someone else's job this time."
"So you're here to kill me?" Vader surmises. "Is that what this stunt of yours is about?"
"I didn't come to kill you."
"So you came to be killed?"
"I came to kill the Emperor."
Oh. "Does that mean we have a deal?" Vader can't keep the happy surprise from his voice.
"No." Luke shakes his head and kills his hopes. He sticks to his prior rejection. "I'll never join you. Not as you are now. I'm here to kill the Emperor without your help."
The youthful arrogance angers Vader. "You stupid fool! This is a trap!"
Luke just eyes him. "I knew all along you were lying to me."
"I'm not the one lying to you!" Vader can feel his anger rise despite his best intentions. "I have never lied to you!" It was the Jedi who told Luke lies. Vader worries aloud now, "How did you know the Emperor is here?"
"It was in the information the Bothans intercepted."
"No, it wasn't. I didn't know when he would be here when I leaked it."
Luke looks to him with alarm. "You're saying—"
"The information you're basing your attack on didn't come from me." It must have come from his Master. "This is a trap!" Vader reveals again.
Luke swallows hard and feigns unconcern. "Whether it's his trap or your trap doesn't matter. I'm here to spring the trap."
Vader scowls behind his mask at this bravado. It's an attitude his younger self might have voiced. He was always the insouciant hero back in those days. But there isn't time for this stubborn hubris right now.
"I'm setting you free," Vader announces, eyeing Luke's bound wrists that he plans to remedy. "You need to get out of here. You can't win. Sheev will either kill you or make me kill you. Don't waste your life like that. Get in a ship and be ready to blow up the Death Star when the shield fails."
"No."
Vader isn't a man accustomed to having his orders disobeyed. He growls back, "Make yourself useful and destroy the weapon. I can ensure your people disable the shield gate."
He will pretend to wait for Luke here on Endor like his Master instructed while Luke 'escapes' and the shield gate 'malfunctions.' Vader only has to keep the ruse credible long enough to give Luke time to blow the weapon with his Master on it. It's very doable, Vader assesses, and it will avoid a direct confrontation with Sheev. It won't be the first time Vader has improvised a battle plan.
"No." It's more knee-jerk rejection.
"Whaat?" Vader snarls.
"No." Luke's third refusal is quiet but emphatic, like the rest. "Take me to the Emperor," he requests solemnly. "I have a mission to complete."
And now, it's Vader's turn to refuse. Fuming, he turns and walks away a bit down the corridor they occupy. Vader has to work hard at mastering his temper. He's thoroughly upset with where he fears this is heading. So upset, in fact, that he declines to raise the issue of Astral's attack. Because introducing more conflict between him and Luke will not improve things, Vader knows.
Remembering the weapon he's holding, Vader ignites it. To his credit, Luke doesn't flinch. Vader inspects the humming, brilliant green blade Luke has fashioned. "I see you have constructed a new lightsaber." He's seen it once before briefly on Naboo. "Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen." Vader's praise is begrudging and resigned. He turns to face his son as he adds, "But you have a lot to learn. You're not a Jedi yet and you're no match for Darth Sidious." It's not criticism, it's tough love to save his foolhardy kid.
They stand in tense silence for a moment, then Vader extinguishes the lightsaber. He doesn't hand it back.
Luke is undeterred. "Come with me," he requests. "We'll do it together. Our combined Light will face down Darkness."
Vader turns away. He won't be swayed by the romantic notion of good conquering evil. That's not how the Force works. Not with Sheev so powerful, Luke so green, and himself basically a cripple. "Obi-Wan once thought as you do," he recalls aloud. Padme had felt the same way. "But I can't be Jedi again."
"You mean you won't," Luke sighs. He's clearly disappointed but not surprised. He inhales a deep breath and his shoulders rise and fall with the effort. "Very well. Take me to your Emperor."
So his zealot kid can martyr himself like countless Jedi before him? Not a chance. Vader growls out another warning, "You don't know the power of the Dark Side. I must obey my Master. If he gets us both in the same room, I'll have to kill you." That is the way of the Sith—it's kill or be killed.
Luke has accepted that fate, it seems. He nods. "I will not turn and you'll be forced to kill me."
"If that is your destiny," Vader grumbles. But he doesn't want that outcome. It's why he wants Luke to flee. This is exactly the sort of suicide mission Vader has decided against for years for himself. But his son must be using Obi-Wan as an example because his face bears the same righteous smugness his old Master wore when Vader struck him down.
Earnest Luke lays on the hard sell now. "Search your feelings, Father. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate. Come with me to the Light." Then the upstart pup has the gall to offer his shackled hands. "Join me," he coos, employing an old Jedi mind trick that has insulting implications. "I'll help you."
Vader bristles. Does Luke think that the threat of his own death is enough to shake his conviction? Is this a de facto ultimatum? Those tactics are unpersuasive. Vader is truly weary of this type of argument and the tone of his reply shows it. "It is too late for me, son." Just because he doesn't want to kill his own kid doesn't mean he's ready to rejoin the Jedi. Just what sort of simplistic morality play does Luke think he's in?
Obviously, his son believes the Jedi view that the Dark Side makes you an unmitigated killer. And that is selling Darkness short. The Dark Side is far more subtle and much more disciplined than the Jedi ever understood. Sheev Palpatine didn't get where he is today by overplaying his hand. He was sly and strategic for many years until he obtained power, got sloppy, and let it go to his head.
Vader warns his kid again, "Do not underestimate the power of the Emperor. Leave now while you can."
"I'm going to see your Master, whether you take me there or not."
"I'm the only one who can get you in," Vader counters coolly.
"I don't need you for an introduction. I'll fly right to him myself."
"They will shoot you down before you can land."
"No, they won't. It's me and my abilities he wants."
The kid is right. He gets it. Appalled Vader realizes his worst fears are coming true. Because his boy is hellbent on becoming a martyr. He's not here to kill Darth Sidious. He's just here to keep the Emperor busy long enough for his friends to blow up the Death Star . . . or so he thinks. This is the trap his Master laid, knowing this fervent would-be Jedi would take the bait. Luke probably doesn't even know that the Death Star is operational, let alone that a fleet of ships is hiding behind this moon's orbit lying in wait. For all Vader knows, Sheev has also beefed up security down here on Endor.
"Luke—"
"I'm doing this with or without you," his boy interrupts testily. He's clearly committed and unwilling to back down. Luke refuses to entertain alternatives because he doesn't trust him, Vader realizes.
Still, he tries again. "Luke—"
"I mean it."
Vader believes it. Over the years, he's become very experienced with martyring Jedi himself. "This is a suicide mission," he growls, "and it won't work."
Luke shoots him a withering look. "Not everyone is you."
What the Hell is that supposed to mean? Vader is stung. He snaps, "You're sure not me! I think you're your mother all over again. This is just the sort of thing she would do." Fuck-this is actually the longest, best conversation he's had with his son yet. They're no closer to agreement, however. Seething at the utter waste of Luke's plan, Vader gripes, "So be it. I will take you to my Master."
He gestures with one hand to open a door with the Force and signals to some distant stormtroopers to approach. He and Luke stand staring at one another for a long moment. "I will never be Jedi again," Vader reiterates.
"Then my father is truly dead," Luke sniffs.
It's more sanctimony. Moreover, it's wrong. Because Vader feels so damned responsible for this kid—for this young zealot he has spawned—that he's going to escort Luke to his Master. This is the scenario he swore he would never allow, but he can't let Luke do this suicide mission on his own. Not if there is a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Maybe if he can keep Sheev convinced that he's keen to turn Luke, Vader will find an opportunity to prevent the tragedy he fears is coming.
Fuck! This is everything he ever feared would happen. This is his fault, Vader knows. This is Obi-Wan's fault, too. Also, Yoda's fault and Sheev's fault. But not Luke's fault. This poor duped kid is a pawn in a larger struggle he only half comprehends. But he's too brainwashed to see any solution other than this.
A parent's first responsibility is to protect their child. And since Vader has failed at every other aspect of parenthood, he's determined to at least attempt to fulfill his role in this instance. It's what Padme would expect. And that's how Vader finds himself escorting his adult son in handcuffs to his Master.
Of all the humiliating moments of his life, this is the worst. There can be no greater failure than this. It surpasses choking Padme and leaping to attack Obi-Wan standing on the high ground. That this moment is completely avoidable is galling. Vader did his best to keep this confrontation from occurring. Even the Force is angry about it, judging by its frenetic swirls and pulses. The universe doesn't want this to happen, but free will has intervened nonetheless.
"Welcome, young Skywalker. I have been expecting you." Sheev purrs out the greeting with cloying smugness. Vader can almost hear the lust for power in his voice.
Luke peers defiantly at the hooded figure on the throne on the high dais. He says nothing in response.
The Emperor looks down at Luke's tethered wrists. "You no longer need those." Sheev motions with a gnarled finger and the binders fall away. It's a showy display of Force that demonstrates Sheev does not consider Luke to be a threat.
Luke does not react to the diss. His expression is very composed, but not sullen. He's more determined than grim. It's a face that means business. A face far too old for one so young.
"Guards, leave us," Sheev orders. Behind them, the Imperial guards disappear with a whisper of red robes and quick footfalls of heavy boots.
Now, it is just the three of them. The son, the father, and the Emperor. The Jedi, the Apprentice, and the Sith Master. A Light knight, the Chosen One, and a Dark Lord. Whatever happens in the next few minutes, Vader knows with certainty that someone is dying.
Because no one in this room trusts anyone else.
No one in this room has the same objective.
No one in this room has the same ideology.
Simply put, there is no common ground. This will only be settled with violence.
Any way their trio aligns, Vader fears his Master comes out the winner. With a heavy heart, Vader also knows that his son has only two outcomes for this confrontation. He can die or take his father's place at Darth Sidious' side as the new Apprentice. Which is the preferable choice? Vader has been the Apprentice long enough to know it's a bad gig. But is it worse than death? So far, his own answer has been no. But for Luke? Probably yes.
"I'm looking forward to completing your training," Sheev announces with transparent glee. "In time, you will call me 'Master.'"
This time, Luke talks back. He uses the language of his religion, steeped in notions of morality. Of the Dark Side as a fall from grace, as a shameful lapse of judgement, and as a seductive lie. It's quintessentially Jedi. "You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father," Luke answers.
The Emperor climbs down from his throne and walks up close. Yellow-eyed, wizened Sheev Palpatine looks into Luke's eyes as he corrects him. "Oh no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you who are mistaken . . . about a great many things."
"His lightsaber." Vader extends a gloved hand to offer Luke's weapon. The Emperor takes it covetously.
"Ah yes, a Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's." Sheev sneers hard at the youth as he clutches the saber hilt. "By now, you must know your father can never be turned from the Dark Side. So will it be with you."
"You're wrong," Luke counters calmly. Then, the foolish kid gives his own plan away. "Soon I'll be dead and you with me."
The Emperor laughs. It's an ugly sound that Vader still finds unsettling after all these years of hearing it. "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet?"
Luke looks up sharply. Maybe he hadn't believed down on Endor that this is, in fact, a trap? Did Luke think it a bluff to scare him into doing his bidding? Because Luke acts surprised and Vader fumes some more.
"Yes," the Emperor announces with a tight smile, "I assure you we are quite safe from your friends here."
"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Luke observes.
Sheev shoots back immediately, "Your faith in your friends is yours."
His Master looks to him and Vader takes the cue. "It is pointless to resist, my son." Vader says the words woodenly. He's playacting the part of dutiful Apprentice, like he has done for years.
Sheev now reveals what Vader has suspected: "Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends up there on the sanctuary moon are walking into a trap as is your Rebel fleet. It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator."
Listening Vader wonders for how long this plan has been in the works. Did Sheev leak the information before he himself did? For how long has his Master been orchestrating this Skywalker showdown? Probably as soon as he learned of the boy's existence. No doubt his Master has been angling to trade up to a younger, more powerful Apprentice all along.
Sheev is his usual nasty self as he promises Luke, "It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them."
Luke eyes dart from the Emperor to Vader and, finally, to his sword now lying on the handrest to the Emperor's throne.
Sheev recognizes the temptation to violence and lays on the sarcasm. "Oh . . . I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive." He says this like a childish playground taunt.
Again, Vader watches as Luke's eyes land on his sword. Sheev's using a classic Dark Side ploy. You goad the Jedi captive into losing his cool and giving in to emotion. Because before you demonstrate the supremacy of Dark power, a Sith first forces you to stray from your ideals. It's humiliation to sweeten the eventual victory. Sheev's toying with Luke.
"Come, boy. See for yourself." Sheev gestures to the windows behind his throne. Already, there can be seen distant flashes from the space battle in progress. The Rebel attack got here too early, Vader judges. The Death Star's shield is still up. And now, the hidden Imperial fleet has launched its attack. "From here, you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance, and the end of your insignificant Rebellion."
This, then, is Sheev's plot. He lured the Rebels here to amass for a final attack. Sheev will test the newly operational Death Star on the Rebels themselves while he simultaneously lures Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side. It will be a military and political victory to demonstrate the beneficial uses of his new super weapon to the galaxy. And it will be an important strategic victory to marginalize the only existential threat left—the resurgent Light Side and its champion Luke Skywalker.
"You want this, don't you?" Sheev taunts the upset boy who is trying hard to master his emotions and keep his concentration. "The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant," the Emperor crows.
"N-No . . ." Luke disavows the temptation.
"It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine," Sheev proclaims. And in that moment, Vader hates him more than ever.
Watching Sheev goad Luke, all Vader can think is that this conflict is a distinction without a difference. Why should it matter if you hurt someone with Dark anger in your heart or you do it as Light Side justice? The goal is still the same. Yes, intent matters. It's what separates murder from manslaughter. But why does the Force determine intent? And when it comes to revenge and legitimate punishment, are those motivations really that different? Who cares if Luke attacks the Emperor for revenge or he does it to rid the galaxy of a true tyrant? Dead is dead and, in this case, it's the optimal solution. All this melodrama about the violence to come is useless preamble in his opinion.
This is what made him was a lousy Jedi, Vader knows. At some point in the Clone Wars, he grew tired of all the Jedi limitations on warfare. War made him cynical over time, and he became increasingly indifferent to the distinctions the Jedi clung to. If the Separatists weren't going to play by the rules, why should the Republic? Why not use the Separatists' own tactics against them? What's so wrong with using Dark means for a Light goal?
The Jedi answer is the slippery slope. That once you start down the Dark path forever will it dominate your destiny. That paranoia about Darkness is why the Jedi never really understood balance. It's why their very existence impeded the true goal of the universe. It is one of many reasons why Vader is glad the cult that raised him is gone.
But watching Luke now, Vader knows it's only a matter of time before his son gives in and grabs for his sword with the Force. He's too upset and too desperate, Vader sees. Luke is very invested emotionally in his comrades in the Rebellion. Plus, the kid's whole strategy is to prolong this confrontation to give the Alliance attack plan time to play out. Luke needs to keep this going in order to keep Sheev busy.
But once Luke grabs his sword, Vader will be forced to do the same to keep his boy from fighting Sheev directly. Where this goes from there is anyone's best guess, Vader fears. Maybe the best strategy is to draw this out as long as possible in hopes the Rebels will blow the station with all of them aboard it. Vader has never been keen on mutual destruction strategies, but more and more it's looking like his best option. He, Sheev, and Luke can all die here together provided the shield crashes and some Rebel pilot can make the shot at the reactor. And then, the Force will balance by default since everyone with any true knowledge will be gone.
From the view out the throne room windows, it appears that the Rebel fleet is being systematically decimated. There are repeated flashes of explosions that evaporate almost immediately in the vacuum of space. Twisted hunks of debris float aimlessly to bounce off the shields of the larger capital ships. But here in the Death Star throne room, there is no sound of battle. They are far removed from the fierce fighting that will ostensibly determine the course of the galaxy. The real fight, Vader knows, is what's happening here.
"As you can see, my young Apprentice, your friends have failed. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station." Sheev toggles the comlink switch on his throne to relay the order. "Fire at will, Commander." Sheev's smile is wide and sly as the Death Star begins firing.
Darth Sidious lets Luke watch and seethe for long minutes in silence. Then, he speaks slowly and emphatically. "Your fleet has lost and your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young Apprentice. The Alliance will die . . . as will your friends."
Luke's eyes are full of frustration as Vader continues to watch him closely. This kid is going to crack soon, he judges. Luke is very quick to violence. Vader recalls how his son had been the aggressor on Bespin and then again on Naboo.
"Good." Sheev closes his eyes to relish the strong emotion revealed in the Force. "I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon!" he exhorts. "Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete."
Well, maybe, Vader thinks, but not necessarily. But his Jedi taught son doesn't know that. Luke believes, like Sheev does, that the Force is an either/or proposition. It's what's so fundamentally wrong about this whole conflict, Vader knows.
Luke can resist no longer. The lightsaber flies into his hand. He ignites it in an instant and swings at the Emperor.
But Vader anticipates him. His own blade flashes up to meet the attack, blocking Luke's blow. The two humming blades spark at contact and lock for an instant as each man presses his strength. This battle has been a long time in coming, but it's unavoidable now. Here is the fight that Luke says he doesn't want and Vader can see no way to avoid. And above it all rings Sheev's ugly cackle. Luke's aggression has found a new target. The young Jedi turns to fight his father as Darth Sidious smiles his approval.
Once the saber swinging starts, it continues but the talking stops. That's fine with Vader. He concentrates on the quick swordplay. Let's see what new skills his kid has picked up since Bespin, he thinks.
There is nothing quite like the sound of lightsaber blades clashing. Nothing like the feel of the Force ready and waiting for your command. It always gets Vader's adrenaline pumping. Combat is a rush as good as sex. He's always been a sucker for violence and speed. But damn, his kid is fast. Luke's come a long way since they crossed swords once before. His saber passes are all conventional and performed in expected succession, but they are much improved in form and executed with lightning speed. It makes Vader feel clumsy and slow by comparison.
Luke might profess the creed of the Jedi, but he's tapping heavily into the Dark Side. Does he even know it? Probably not. It might be instinctive, since he is the son of the Chosen One. Try though he might, Vader predicts, Luke will never walk wholly in the Light. And that's a relief actually. In time, without Obi-Wan and Yoda around to reinforce the Jedi Code, Luke will drift into his own views and find his own way. Provided he lives through today, that is.
Vader catches his mind wandering. He needs to focus on this duel before Luke lands a blow. That last right jab was savage. Well played, kid, well played. It's impressive how much better his son has grown since Bespin. Vader can't repress a tinge of pride. But now, the advantage shifts to Luke. Vader is forced back, losing his balance, and is knocked down the stairs. Luke stands at the top of the steps, ready for another attack.
Sheev is a keen audience to the fight, watching like this is a spectator sport. "Good. Goood. Use your aggressive feelings, boy! Let the hate flow through you," he cheerleaders like the Sith he is.
Luke glances momentarily toward the Emperor. Suddenly, he realizes he is using the Dark Side. Aghast, Luke steps back, turns off his lightsaber, and attempts to reassemble his Light Side Jedi mindset. For the boy is, as always, terrified to use the full spectrum of the Force.
Actually, Vader appreciates the breather though he would never admit it. "Obi-Wan has taught you well," he commends a little wistfully. That last saber pass was a favorite of Kenobi's. Even all these years later, Vader recognizes his old Mentor's handiwork. He also recognizes that Luke does that move better than Obi-Wan ever did. His kid has talent. Lots and lots of talent.
What he lacks, however, is focus. Frazzled Luke now swallows hard as he changes his tune. "I will not fight you, Father," he decides rather belatedly. Luke's clearly still grasping for the Jedi moral high ground in this fight.
Vader walks back up the stairs to Luke. He knows he has to keep this fight going. It will give the Rebels more time and perhaps it will provide an opening for some acceptable solution here in the throne room. So with his Master giving him the watchful, warning eye, Vader dutifully growls, "You are unwise to lower your defenses," before he attacks. It's a halfhearted swing, but he makes it look good.
Luke is on the defensive. But his son quickly leaps in a reverse flip up to the safety of a catwalk overhead. It's a classic old school Jedi move that Vader himself might once have used. But his agile days are over. Vader is stuck standing below, looking up.
Luke starts in again on his Light Side pitch. "Your thoughts betray you, Father. I feel the good in you . . . the conflict."
Vader could say the same for his Jedi kid with the strong streak of Darkness. Luke's conflicted too just in the reverse. And that's no surprise. They are the Chosen Ones, descended from the Force itself. Born to be a mix of Light and Dark. But that's not what Sheev wants to hear, so Vader disavows the assertion. "There is no conflict." The last thing Vader needs right now is Sheev thinking he's reverting to his Jedi allegiance so he and Luke can gang up on him. Keeping Sheev a spectator and not a participant is the main goal of this fight.
But Luke continues his ploy. "You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now." Clearly, the kid doesn't recognize that Vader is playing to his Master's audience. Or if he does, Luke mistrusts his motives. Or maybe he simply doesn't care about the subtleties at work and he just wants to make his point.
But Vader keeps his role, warning, "You underestimate the power of the Dark Side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny."
With that grandiose threat, Vader throws his sword and it cuts through the supports holding the catwalk upon which Luke stands. The young Jedi tumbles to the ground in a shower of sparks and groaning metal. Luke immediately rolls out of sight under the Emperor's platform.
Vader moves to find him.
"Good. Gooood," Sheev purrs from above. And truthfully, Vader isn't sure who his Master is rooting for—himself or his son. But maybe it doesn't matter because either way, Sheev wins.
Vader now stalks the low-ceilinged area on the level below the throne, searching for Luke in the semi-darkness. His lightsaber is held ready as he intones, "You cannot hide forever, Luke." It's an ironic statement because Vader would have been perfectly happy to let his kid hide for years. But Luke had to ruin that status quo with this surrender stunt of his. That's why they're all in this predicament now.
"I will not fight you," the boy persists. Truthfully, Vader is a bit confused now. Because Luke is supposed to be here to fight the Emperor. Did he not realize that you first have to fight the Apprentice to get to the Master?
Vader's the one in the no-win situation thanks to his stubborn boy. He doesn't want to kill his kid, but he also doesn't want to die himself. And if Sheev kills Luke, then Vader wants to preserve his Apprentice role. That context makes this a very tricky situation to play.
But he gives it a go. "Give yourself to the Dark Side. It is the only way you can save your friends." There's no use offering his boy other inducements. Luke Skywalker doesn't want power or influence or he would have accepted the offer from Bespin. The only thing that seems to sway the kid is his cause and his friends.
"Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for . . ." Whoops. Vader instantly wishes he hadn't gone there. Because Luke has little in the way of mental shields to hide his thoughts and right now he's thinking of the princess . . . his sister Leia Organa.
Luke knows who she is. Vader's eyes pop wide behind his mask at the realization.
Well, fuck. Things keep getting worse. Because now Luke's knowledge is screaming out in the Force, meaning Sheev is getting all of this. Somewhere in that fight in space or on Endor, Leia Organa is in pain and Luke is sensing it. Luke's inexperience just put a big target on his secret sister's back.
Vader fights the urge to groan. How does he play this? Instinctively, he acts to preserve his plausible deniability. Because if Luke dies and he lives, Vader still needs Sheev's goodwill. So, he feigns surprise. "Sister! So . . . you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now, his failure is complete." And, just to underscore for Sheev his allegiance, Vader muses aloud, "If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."
It's a mistake to goad Luke that way. Luke's a Skywalker and the Skywalkers one and all revere family ties. Luke now reveals himself from the shadows as he gallantly charges to his sister's defense, "Never-r-r!"
The kid is Dark again now, raging at his father. It's disappointment mixed with resentment and a strong sense of abandonment. This young Rebel is angry, so very angry. Luke blames him for killing Obi-Wan, for torturing his sister, and for carbon freezing his best friend. He blames him for destroying the Jedi Order and for collapsing the Republic. Also, for all the excesses of the Empire and the slaughter of the Rebels who opposed it. Vader is at fault for the gruesome, gratuitous murder of the aunt and uncle who fostered Luke as a child. Also for Luke's backwater, lackluster upbringing in hiding on Tatooine. But most of all, Luke feels cheated. He's deeply upset at the loss of the good Jedi hero Obi-Wan led him to believe Anakin Skywalker was. This boy feels betrayed by the shameful man his father really is. And he will protect what little he has left—his sister—from the threat of the Dark Side and Darth Vader.
Luke lets loose with a series of saber passes that advance as Vader falls back. It's a focused frenzy of swings in the cramped, dim area. Vader retreats fast as the sparks fly and the swings persist. They emerge together out from the underpinnings of the throne room and the onslaught continues unabated. Vader puts up little defense as he keeps ceding ground. He has one eye on his son's sword and the other eye on Sheev who has climbed down from his throne to investigate.
Soon Vader finds himself on a bridge strut that supports the main reactor shaft. And that's not good. If there's one lesson from all the Jedi-Sith duels come before this one, it's never to fight near a precipice. Someone always goes over. And this time, it looks like it's going to be him. For each stroke of Luke's sword drives Vader further toward defeat. The boy is just too unwittingly Dark. Too aggrieved for the situation he finds himself in. The poor kid is talking Jedi but acting bona fide Sith.
Darth Sidious, of course, loves it.
Suddenly worried, Vader keeps looking for an opening to change the fight dynamic. By pulling his punches, he has gotten himself cornered in an increasingly precarious position. But before he knows it, Vader stumbles backwards, almost knocked to the ground. As Vader raises his sword in defense to block another fierce onslaught, his son keeps swinging. Vader goes down. Luke is pummeling him now, raging harder with each vicious stroke. He vents his rage with his sword, his contorted face a mask of pain. It continues until finally Luke slashes his right hand off at the wrist.
His Jedi son takes his revenge for Bespin.
"Arrrrhhhh!" Vader cries out in pain. For while the limb he loses is artificial, the sensation is real. His sword is gone now, flying away along with his prosthetic. He's left waving a stump with wires poking out. But all he can see is the glowing green tip of Luke's lightsaber poised at his throat.
This is it—the Dooku moment when the old Apprentice dies as the new one rises. Sheev wins again, Vader admits with a sinking heart. He only wishes it was some other poor kid who got his job and not Luke. His son deserves better than this. Plus, all along his confused boy has been adamant that he doesn't want to repeat his father's choices. And yet, here he is making them all over again.
Sheev is pleased. "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"
Luke looks stunned as his eyes find Vader's missing hand and then his own black-gloved prosthetic. It's the tangible evidence of how much Luke is becoming like his hated father. It's everything Luke fears. For his boy has been as consistent as he has been vehement in his rejection.
As Sheev pants for power, Luke abruptly steps back to disengage. He blinks a second in a moment of self-realization. Then, he hurls his lightsaber away in disgust.
"Never!" Luke announces, his chest heaving from the exertion of the fight. He faces Sheev head on now as he vows, "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, Your Highness." Luke nods back to him on lying the ground as he declares, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
'Like my father before me.' Not, 'like my father.' It's no surprise that his boy disowns Vader's current self. Luke said it before—his father truly is dead. Anakin Skywalker died the moment he knelt in the Chancellor's office to pledge Sith. But that Jedi hero is who Luke considers to be his real father, not Darth Vader.
It's more implicit rejection. It's also a death wish. For with those words, Luke condemns himself. In the space of a few seconds, Vader has gone from soon-to-be-dead loser to default winner, and Luke has gone from star Apprentice to sacrificial victim.
The Emperor's glee now turns to cold rage. Sheev never takes 'no' well, and certainly not from a Jedi. Moreover, the chance to become the Apprentice is an offer you can't refuse. The answers are 'yes' or death. Sheev now purses his lips and croaks out, "So be it . . . Jedi," with maximum disdain.
Defiant Luke stands still as the Emperor descends to the bottom of the stairs. Sheev raises his arms.
Vader swallows hard. He knows what's coming next. He's powerless to stop it.
"If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed," his Master hisses. Then, he lets loose with Force lightning. This is the most potent form of the Dark Side. It is hate made manifest. And, it is his sadist Master's favorite form of punishment. Vader knows firsthand how much it hurts. Those streaks of blue fire penetrate deep even though they do not leave external marks.
Luke is taken by surprise and incapable of deflecting the onslaught of Dark Force energy. It encircles his body as he writhes on the ground in screaming agony. All the while, wounded Vader struggles to his feet, a helpless spectator to his son's execution.
Sheev is thoroughly enjoying the melodrama. That he has enslaved the Skywalker father, killed the mother, and is now killing the son is no doubt an excellent denouement in his mind for the clan of the Chosen Ones. How neatly Darth Sidious has defeated his rival demigods of the Force. No wonder Sheev believes he is the ultimate power in the universe.
"Young fool," he chides as Luke heaves in pain on the ground, "only now, at the end, do you understand."
Vader watches wincing behind the mask, his own considerable discomfort forgotten. Luke is almost unconscious now beneath the continuing assault. Any second, Vader worries, Sheev will toss him into the reactor chasm with a mighty Force push. But Sheev being Sheev, he prolongs the lead up. His Master loves a slow kill.
Sheev ceases again to make certain that Luke hears. "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side. You will pay the price for your lack of vision."
Then once more Sheev resumes his torture. Luke jerks and contorts on the floor in unnatural positions in an effort to withstand the pain. The boy's eyes squint up towards him. "Father, please," he moans. The words are not very intelligible to Vader's ears, but they are unmistakable in the Force. "H-Help me . . . " Luke outright begs.
Vader can imagine how hopeless his son must be to appeal for his help. This kid is proud and disdainful of his father. It's why this awful moment must be so humbling. For here is proof of the potent Dark Side that Vader warned about and Luke tried to ignore. Did Luke really think this would be a battle only with swords?
Vader stands there, watching first his Master and then Luke. He is very uncomfortable knowing that he himself is usually the one on the floor being victimized.
"Now, young Skywalker . . . you will die," Sheev promises. Luke will be the final Jedi martyr on a very long list that began with Order 66. This is turning out just like Vader always feared it would. And that is so dispiriting.
Now more than ever, he hates his Master. Twenty years ago, Sheev maneuvered a desperate and disgruntled Jedi into being his designated killer, all for the illusory promise of saving Padme. And now, a generation later, how neatly Sheev exploits the conflict between father and son to destroy yet another promising young man. And it's not over yet. Vader has no doubt that when Sheev is done with Luke, he will set his sights on Leia. And then, once again, Vader will be a witness to his own child's death.
It's all so wrong, so twisted, and so heartbreaking. This is never how Vader wanted things to turn out. He would never have agreed to turn Sith if he understood that it meant sacrificing Padme, not saving her. So why now is he willing to sacrifice his children to keep his Apprentice role? So he can remain Sheev's whipping boy behind closed doors and the galaxy's greatest villain to the public? So that he can make tepid plots to forestall his Master's excesses rather than bold moves to balance the Force? All the excuses and rationales of two decades fall away.
Vader decides he has had enough. This is his breaking point.
Twenty years the Apprentice finally comes to its fruition as Vader asserts himself. He has opposed his Master covertly for years, but today his rebellion will be overt. He knows there will be consequences, but he's past caring.
"Noooooo!" he bellows. With a lunge, Vader picks up Sheev bodily from behind, ignoring the Force lightning that now encircles him instead of Luke. It burns deep, instantly frying circuitry in his prosthetics and his suit. But Vader is committed and he will see this through. As his body immediately weakens, his spirit picks up the slack as Vader draws upon the Force to sustain him in this final act.
Holding his Master high over his head, Vader staggers to the edge of the platform. With one final Force-assisted burst of his once awesome strength, Vader hurls the Emperor into the bottomless shaft like he is casting out a demon.
As the Emperor spins helplessly into the void of the reactor shaft, Vader crashes down hard on his knees. His legs are failing him, as are his other prosthetics and enhancements. So much so that Vader is barely aware when he is buffeted by the rush of roaring air as Sheev expires in an explosion of Darkness. It's as if all the Force energy concentrated within Darth Sidious dissipates back into the universe. The cosmos, which had skewed hard to Darkness, now begins to right itself. To balance.
Vader sags precariously. He doesn't have the strength or the motor skills to control his bulky body. But Luke crawls to his side and pulls him away from the precipice. The boy says nothing as they both sprawl side by side in the bowels of the Death Star throne room.
Then suddenly, the giant space station rocks. Luke raises his head to meet his eyes through his mask. He says what they're both thinking: "The shield is down." With that, his kid staggers to his feet. Then, Luke surprises Vader when he struggles mightily to heft his big body over his shoulders.
"Leave me," Vader orders. He can still talk even if he can't physically resist. "Save yourself," he commands. Truthfully, at this point, Vader doesn't much care what happens to him.
But, as usual, his stubborn son disagrees. In this, as in everything, he and Luke see things differently. "Your fate will be the same as mine," the Jedi grumbles as he summons the Force to help carry him.
Sheev keeps a shuttle prepped and waiting at all times in case he needs to escape. It's in a special landing bay adjacent to the throne room, which is very convenient today. They don't have to get far to flee.
From the sirens blaring and many rushing troopers and officers they pass, Vader can tell that panic has set in. A few heads turn to notice the black uniformed young man assisting wounded Darth Vader. The men probably figure that Luke's an Imperial officer. While no one stops to help, no one questions their authority to command the Emperor's transport either.
Exhaustion now overcomes Luke. The kid was just fried by lightning, so he is most definitely weakened. How he has managed to drag his armored bulk this far is nothing short of amazing. They are nearly to the shuttle ramp when they collapse in a heap. And that's when Vader decides that he's a lost cause. He's fading fast. Very fast. All his life support systems are malfunctioning. So before his son can tug him up again, Vader preempts him.
"Luke, help me take this mask off," he wheezes.
"But you'll die," Luke protests.
"Nothing can stop that now." His earnest boy still thinks he's trying to save him. Luke doesn't know that it's far too late for that. Maybe if Astral or Vanee were here with a triage bag to shoot him full of oxygen injections, this situation would be salvageable. But that's not an option and neither is going to the infirmary for help right now. And it's alright. Truly alright. Now, so many years later, Vader finally understands how Padme felt as they were led into that arena on Geonosis. She had said aloud that she wasn't afraid to die and her words had rang with truth.
That's how resigned Vader feels now. He's not afraid to die but first he wants to get a few things off his chest. He wants no ambiguity or misunderstanding between him and Luke. And that starts with removing his mask. More than anything, he wants Luke to see him for the man he truly is, and not the monster Luke believes him to be. So, Vader requests in halting gasps, "Just for once . . . let me look on you with my own eyes . . . "
Slowly, hesitantly, Luke reaches to unseal the mask. The boy who marched fearlessly into Sheev's throne room looks truly terrified now. Clearly, Luke is imagining the worst. Ordinary, Vader would be shy about this moment. He is very self-conscious about his deformities. But it's far too late to care about that now. With what little time he has left, Vader wants to show Luke that he is a real human being. That there is a person beneath the enigma mask. That his father is a man, even if he looks like a machine.
Even with unfocused eyes, Vader can see that Luke's hands tremble as he lifts off the swooping helmet. Slowly, the boy tips forward the inner portion to reveal his hidden face. Luke blinks a few seconds at his scarred, pale visage. His expression is blank. Whatever expectations his son had for what Darth Vader might look like, he didn't meet them. Vader can't decide if that is good or bad. More than anything, Luke just looks sad. Pity normally annoys Vader but not now. For there is nothing trite or superficial about this moment. This is real and it is meaningful.
He's so weak now and time is running out. The time for goodbyes will be fleeting. "Now go, my son . . . " Vader urges. "Leave me." Already, Vader can hear explosions around them. Luke doesn't have much time. He needs to get out of here before some pilot takes the shot at the reactor and the Death Star blows.
Luke looks very determined now. "No, you're coming with me. I won't leave you here. I've got to save you."
Vader nods slightly. "You already have."
This boy saved him from the only thing he truly fears. Not Sheev, who might best him in power but never in merit. Not death, which he has flirted with far too many times. And not pain and loss, with whom he is long acquainted. No, this boy saved him from failure. From being a miserable man whose bad choices squandered his potential. From enduring years of suffering and isolation that in the end had no meaning. No longer will he worry that he let everyone down. For the glorious moment when he killed Sheev Palpatine ensures the future will be safe and the Death Star will not survive.
Since he was ten years old, he has known that he is the Chosen One. But what does that mean? Today, Vader got his answer. He was born to die for the balance of the Force. To fall mortally wounded in the act of repudiating his arrogant Master and the Dark excess he stood for. The Jedi are gone, the Sith are no more. Finally, Vader hopes, the universe can move on.
But he won't be here to see it. "You were r-right . . ." He heaves the words out, each breath so painful and woefully insufficient. "You were right about me . . . " Today, Luke finally perceived the conflict within him and understood it. That is an enormous step forward in understanding balance, Vader firmly believes. In time, hopefully his boy will recognize the conflict born into himself as well. "Tell your s-sister . . . you were right . . ."
Tell your sister that I'm not the evildoer she believes me to be. Tell her that I have done bad things but for good reasons. I'm not a bad person and I have tried my best. Vader has so much to say, but the words won't come out. He cannot summon the effort. More and more, he feels his focus slipping and his Force ebbing.
That also means he will not get to say all the words he wishes Luke would tell Astral. He wants Astral to know that he loves her. That she came into his life when he needed hope the most. That looking back, he fell in love with her when she first tried to remove his mask, fearing him dead but wanting to be sure in case she could help. That's Astral at her core—always trying to help. She has pulled him back from the brink of despair several times now. She'll never know how much that means to him.
"Father—" His wandering, increasingly fuzzy mind now vaguely registers Luke's voice. "I won't leave you."
But Vader is the one who is leaving. He feels himself slipping from the realm of the living. And this time, there is no voice of Qui-Gon Jinn in his mind urging him to persevere. There is only peace and release. Finally, he will be set free of his mortal body to return to the Force from which he came. Soon, there will be no more pain, no more prosthetics, no more respirator, and no more mask and suit. Vader has held death at bay many times over many years, but not today. Today, he welcomes it.
This veteran is a weary warrior ready to lay down arms. His fight is done and the work passes on to this valiant son who Vader is not sure how he feels about. But whatever his misguided zealot kid's mistakes will be, they surely won't top his own. And that's really all the reassurance Vader needs. He's certain that today, after so many missteps and bad calls, he has finally done something meaningful that is right. And if by some unholy Dark magic Sheev isn't dead after that spectacular fall, then hopefully he will be sidelined long enough for Luke and Plagueis to fix things.
But his part is done. His destiny is fulfilled as best he could. And so, Darth Vader closes his eyes one last time. Then, the slave boy from Tatooine who the Jedi feared to train and the Sith plotted to sway becomes one with the Force.
His stunned, confused, and bereft son hangs his head and cries. A proper Jedi would never do that. They would repress their grief and soldier on. But this is Luke Skywalker and he doesn't know it yet, but he has a strong streak of emotional Darkness within him that he will never fully suppress. It will be many years before this son will come to understand his father's views on the Force. Until then, he will continue to strive to be the perfect Jedi knight. It is in large part a mission to overcome the long shadow of his famous father's legacy. Because it is not an easy thing to be the son of the most hated man in the galaxy.
Enduring men are always elusive and Darth Vader is no exception. He is a very public figure who turns out to be an exceedingly private man whose ultimate motivations are confounding. Historians will debate his merits and meaning for years to come. In death, as in life, he is a polarizing figure. But mostly, the galaxy comes to accept the version of Lord Vader as explained by his Rebel son who was there at the end.
The story that prevails is one version of the truth, but it's not the truth. Or rather, not the whole truth. That's because the generation gap between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker is enormous and insurmountable. The gulf is age, it's politics, it's perspective, and it's religion. Try as they might, father and son never understand one another. That disconnect is no more evident than in Sheev Palpatine's throne room.
Luke Skywalker sees what he wants to see in the moment that his father hurls Darth Sidious into the Death Star reactor core. It's a version that fits Luke's preferred narrative, with his longtime sinner father redeeming himself with a sudden lurch to the Light. It's a selfless sacrifice in keeping with the Jedi tradition that proves the fallen knight-turned-Sith-Lord flipped good in the end. For buried deep beneath that black armor and scary mask, a small spark of humanity still burned. And given the right opportunity, it kindled into a blazing flame of Light just when his son and the galaxy needed it most.
With that version, Luke Skywalker claims the moral high ground and clings to it. It's not a ploy to portray himself as the hero. Rather, it's the definitive proof to declare his ideology supreme. For if the evil Darth Vader can be coaxed back to the good side, then none of us is beyond redemption. Luke and his sister firmly believe that the example of their father's transformation is exactly what will eventually occur in the rest of the galaxy. That all others who embrace the ethos of the Empire will, in time, see the error of their ways when presented with the New Republic alternative.
The morality tale of the Death Star throne room becomes an enduring legend. It's the fable of an idealistic young man who refused to fight his own family. Instead, he surrendered to sacrifice his life for his cause, throwing down his weapon at the crucial moment. His efforts inspired his fearsome father to make the sacrifice in his place, saving the son and saving the galaxy from the clutches of the evil tyrant Emperor. It's a lovely message of hope and reconciliation, of forgiveness and atonement, and of love that inspires goodness.
Too bad it's wrong.
Some detractors know it. They say Darth Vader was a Sith of the old school. He lived for power and lusted for supremacy. Tired of decades running another man's Empire, he plotted to take it for himself. So when Lord Vader saw an opportunity to kill his Master Lord Sidious, he took it. But, unfortunately, he killed himself in the process. In this version of events, chucking the old Emperor into the chasm was a selfish power grab and not a moment of selfless martyrdom. It was the Apprentice supplanting the Master in the time honored Sith tradition of kill and replace. The fateful decision was act of Darkness, they contend, and not of Light.
They're wrong too.
Only a handful of people perceive what really happened. They know that Darth Vader saved his son for complex reasons. First and foremost, because Luke was his kin. Family meant far more to Lord Vader than anyone fully realized. The fear of loss had been ingrained deeply in his psyche at age ten. Later, when presented with the prospect of loss as an adult, he chose the Dark Side to avoid it. It didn't work. And so, this time around, Vader chose the Light.
But it was not a moment of manifesto or a declaration of allegiance. It was Vader being Vader. For always, he switched sides. He lived his life vacillating between Light and Dark, the very embodiment of the Force itself. His conflicted soul was balance incarnate, although few could see it, even himself. For the binary thinking of the Jedi and the Sith was too seductive. Those orthodoxies were too well engrained. But there are never just two choices. As Lord Vader had suspected all along, that mindset is a lie to keep you from thinking too much. It's a trap to limit you.
The Jedi preached the purest Light to exert control for fear of unbridled power. They sought to subjugate Force users to serve only the collective good. Because without the limitations of the Jedi dogma, a knight might wander astray like Anakin Skywalker did. The Sith, in turn, urged Dark hedonism as a path to advancement. Their goal was the triumph of the individual. They encouraged ambition at all cost. Because compassion was a weakness the vengeful Sith could not afford. Each tradition was extreme in their own ways. And the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the erstwhile Jedi Anakin Skywalker, knew it firsthand.
So why did Vader kill his Master? Because he was the Chosen One destined to balance the Force. First, he killed all the Jedi. Then, he killed both Sith, including himself. Because Darth Vader was the Sith'ari, the ultimate Sith overlord who would destroy the Sith tradition in order to improve it. Through him, with him, and in him, the Force was remade. Or so, he hoped. But it also didn't hurt that Lord Vader blamed the Emperor for the death of his first wife. There was as much revenge as there was justice in the assassination of Lord Sidious.
Why did Vader save his son? Was it paternal love for the estranged Rebel he couldn't get along with? Was it penance in honor of his late wife, the boy's mother? Or was it to ensure that the Rebellion had someone left who could take out the latest Death Star? Those in the know suspect it was all of the above. For they perceive that Lord Vader all along tried to do the right thing. He was never the evil, controlling fascist he was portrayed as. In fact, he believed strongly that he was a moral man, whatever that means. For Lord Vader, it was a constantly shifting concept, not a set of absolutes.
Luke Skywalker tells everyone that he's sure Darth Vader turned to the good side because later he saw his dead father in the Force among his Jedi brethren. Was that hallucination just wishful thinking? Maybe an outright lie? The best answer is that it was a moment of self-delusion after a traumatic series of events. Unfortunately, Luke Skywalker continues to delude himself about the Force for many years thereafter until he finally confronts the truth. But first, he will come a hair's breadth from murdering his nephew who, like each and every Skywalker, is as Dark as he is Light. Luke Skywalker will see his father in his nephew when, in fact, he should see himself.
-One more chapter to come-
