captainsolo said:

So when it comes down to it Luke vs. Palpy can only be determined by the screenwriter. Is it a happy movie aimed more at kids, or the sequel to Empire Strikes Back?

Unfortunately, ROTJ was aimed more at children rather its more serious predecessor. That's why we had the ewoks!

TMBTM said:

Well, Luke was not there to kill the Emperor after all, he was there to meet his father. Lando and friends would have killed the Emperor in the end no matter what.

This is undoubtedly true, TMBTM. Nonetheless, in his despair when the empreor convinced him that his friends were doomed, Luke made a genuine unpremeditated attempt on the emperor's life, so the issue still merits speculation, in my view.