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star wars - Why didn't the Emperor realize that torturing Luke to death in front of Vader might be a bad idea?


I know he's supposed to be an evil super-genius, but the Emperor seems to lack common sense here. He sensed that Vader's feelings about Luke weren't clear pretty early on, and while he was using Force lightning on Luke, Vader was doing the exaggerated "Look at Luke, now look at the Emperor. Look at Luke, now look at the Emperor" thing for a good 15 seconds or so. Granted, the Emperor had little peripheral vision with his hood on, but Vader can't turn his head without also turning his torso to some extent, and someone with the Force should be able to tell when someone in the room is moving.


EDIT: I just found out that the 2011 Blu-Ray edition has inserted audio of Vader saying "No", then SCREAMING "Nooooooooo!" while the Emperor is using his Force Lightning on Luke. This makes the Emperor's obliviousness even harder to explain.


Why does it seem like it never occurred to him that Vader might react badly to seeing his son being brutally tortured to death in front of him? Why have Vader stick around to see that?



Answer



Luke gives us the answer when he tells the Emperor:



Your overconfidence is your weakness.



The Emperor was overconfident that the Rebel fleet would fail and that he could turn Luke to the dark side. The Emperor was also overconfident in his hold over Vader.



The Emperor's confidence in his hold over Vader wasn't wholly unreasonable, though. First of all, Vader pledged to turn Luke or kill him in Episode V:



He will join us or die, my master.



That's not something a normal father would say about his son.


Moreover, we should remember why Vader chose to join the Sith (and remain a Sith) for decades. That question has been asked before, and some of the reasons I gave in my answer are relevant here:




  • He has psychologically separated himself from Anakin:




    Luke: I have accepted that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father.


    Darth Vader: [angrily] That name no longer has any meaning for me!





  • He is afraid of the Emperor:



    Luke: Come with me. Leave everything behind.


    Darth Vader: Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the Dark Side. I must obey my master.






  • He feels that he is beyond redemption:



    Luke: Search your feelings, Father, you can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.


    Darth Vader: It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now.



    Considering the atrocities he participated in (destruction of Alderaan, cold-blooded murder of younglings, etc.) it is no surprise that Vader thinks he is beyond redemption.





The first point is particularly important: if Vader no longer thinks of himself as Anakin, then Luke is not his son. The Emperor knows this, so he feels there is no danger in torturing Luke in front of Vader. This fact, combined with Vader's fear of the Emperor's power and the fact that Vader himself feels he is beyond redemption, gives the Emperor confidence that Vader would not betray him. The Emperor was overconfident, but his confidence was not wholly unjustified. Of course, Luke was right because Vader hasn't fully disconnected himself from Anakin (notice Vader slips and calls Luke "son" when he says it's too late for him).


It's also worth pointing out that the Emperor has been a Sith for much of his life and never had a family of his own. The Emperor does not understand the power of a father's love for his son. This lack of understanding contributed greatly to the Emperor's false confidence in his hold over Vader.


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