Star Words: Episode V, Part 18

[matril]

Tarkin is the primary antagonist of Episode IV; Vader is his attack dog. It's only in Episode V that Vader fully takes on the role of main villain as his obsessive pursuit drives much of the story. Even so, he still serves a more powerful master. After only a brief reference now and then, it's not until nearly halfway through the trilogy that we finally see the Emperor. Introduced via hologram, just as both the Senator and the Sith Lord first appear in Episode I.

It's only one scene. Yet it's all we need to realize just how powerful the Emperor is. The officer informing Vader of the transmission looks like he might be nearing a pants-wetting level of terror. Vader, who until this point has been combing the asteroid field ruthlessly, immediately commands a withdrawal and wastes not another minute answering the Emperor's call. He bows to him, a small figure of humble submission alongside the over-large hologram of his master's face. What is thy bidding?

There are clues, however, of a play for power taking place behind the impassive mask. In the revised version filmed with Ian McDiarmid, there is quite a bit of tension behind Vader's How is that possible? with regards to Luke's parentage. When the Emperor presents Luke as a serious threat, Vader's reply is almost an open disagreement. He's just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him. And when his master remains undeterred, Vader brings in a new idea.

"If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally."
"Yes...he would be a great asset."

In its original context, the most significant thing about this exchange is the notion of trying to twist Luke to their side rather than just destroy him. This is the first real intimation of the danger that Luke faces, something far greater than peril of life and body. The scenes on Dagobah will reveal more of this spiritual danger and Luke's susceptibility. I imagine it would have been rather disconcerting for audiences in 1980. Luke, turn to the Dark Side? Unthinkable! We are forced to confront the notion that no one, however good-intentioned, is immune to that temptation.

In a wider context, however, we recognize that Vader isn't just helpfully suggesting a potential ally. This is a bold move in the game that a Sith master and apprentice play. He's essentially saying, You won't be around forever, master. Someday I'm going to take your place, and I've started looking for my apprentice. Palpatine's response could be interpreted as Ah, but what if I decide to replace you instead? I might enjoy having a younger, able-bodied apprentice

For now, their plans are only speculative. They can both remain in agreement about wanting to bring Luke to the Dark Side. Vader willingly offers the chilling He will join us or die, Master. Without knowing it, Luke has become a pawn in a millennia-old power struggle.

And next time, we'll see him continue to make a rather lousy impression on his Jedi instructor...

Comments

[krpalmer]

I'd seen others point out before how both Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine were "introduced via hologram" in The Phantom Menace, but might not have been thinking so much of the Emperor's introduction in this movie until now... On the other hand, after "there are only two Sith" was pointed out to me I've been sort of free with suggestions this scene can be seen as "an open challenge both parties understand so perfectly they don't need to mention that to each other." There, though, I do have to acknowledge there are people attached enough to older ideas of "a Dark Side acolyte around every corner to give the heroes mighty opponents in between movies" to try and argue away "the Rule of Two," and also admit a certain number of people had very definite assumptions about the Disney Space Movies I was much more likely to suppose as "just because you say it's there doesn't mean it is" when I did think about them at all, increasingly content with thoughts of my own of "six self-sufficient movies."