SPECULATION What Would Palpatine Have Done?

Luke does attack him. That's how the lightsaber duel between he and Vader is catalyzed. I think the whole point was that Palpatine knew Vader would defend him. (Although that in itself makes no sense because in empire, Vader says that together he and Luke can destroy the emperor and rule the galaxy together. So t would make more sense for Vader to let Luke kill the emperor.)

 

I have no doubt that Palpatine would have used lightning. I also think Vader intervened to protect Luke from Palpatine's lightning.

 

According to the novel Luke gave into his aggression by striking at Palpatine, and Vader defended him because he needed Palpatine too turn Luke further to the Darkside. Vader believed if Luke would have killed Palpatine he would not join him by his side, but leave and rejoin his friends.

 

I think he was going for a power play. If Luke successfully attacked him, without intervention from Vader, Palpatine probably would have stopped Luke before he could finish a swing and then lightning him. This would show Luke how his skills were truly no match for the power of the Dark Side. Sometimes a demonstration is the best way to get the point across.

 

Well he conceals his saber in the arms of his robes he would have activated it either instantly killing Luke but he probably would have fought Luke and convinced him successfully to become Vader and , in one draft, that's exactly what happens in ROTJ
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Palpatine probably would have just force-pushed him across the room. As Vader demonstrated in Empire, Luke has no idea the extent of the force. He couldn't combat Vader throwing objects at him, nor did he know about force lightning. He would not have been prepared to stop a force-push from a Sith Lord.

 

How do you know he did not know ? Obi-WAN AND YODA have encountered it before so I'm sure they've told them about although he probably had just not seen it before at the time
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Force push . . . is that another word for telekinesis?

 

Palpatine always had a number of scenarios going, that's the only way he could've made things work out.

I think he just assumed that Vader was going to step in, either out of loyalty or out of some desire to save Luke. And if Vader didn't step in, Palpatine would've whipped out a lightsaber and kicked Luke's butt, or start blasting him with lightning.

 

How can anyone not see it?

 

You know, I have always found it to be quite odd that if Luke killed Sheev he would instantly turn to the Dark Side. I mean, didn't Mace Windu and Yoda try to do the very same thing? Didn't Obi Wan try to do the same to Dooku? And if someone is going to come up with the whole ''you can't kill him with hate'' line I have to say that I really don't think Obi Wan had happy thoughts going through his head when he cut Maul in half after watching him kill Qui Gon apart from the fact that Luke hated Palps just as much as he hated every single one of Jabba's men that he killed and we didn't see him turn evil because of it. Luke even tried to gun down Jabba and even after that he threatened him by telling him that either he freed him and his friends or he was going to die. You can threaten and want to kill a overgrown slug for what he has done to your friends and it's ok but if you want to kill a creepy old cackling dude for what he has done to your dad you instantly fall to the Dark Side?

 

He swings his lightsaber at Palpatine and Vader blocks it....

 

Palpatine tells Luke to strike him down and Luke resists the first time then later calls his saber to him and swings at Sheev but Vader puts his saber in the way and their duel begins.

 

/thread

 

I was thinking the same. If anybody deserves to be struck down in act of hate, it's Sheev.

 

All this is something I've wondered before myself. Obi Wan even says to Yoda in Ep.III, "Send me to kill the Emperor. I won't kill Anakin." Yet Yoda gives no indication that this would be a move toward the Dark Side. He just doesn't think Obi Wan would be powerful enough.