Sepharih said:
Vladius said:
Vladius said:
...the Emperor shows Luke that the rebels are losing and that he can save them by turning,
I disagree....and if that is what he's saying it's not well established. The only thing he plays on is getting luke to strike him down in anger....when does he imply that if he turns he can spare the rebels?
Were you asleep when he mentioned how badly the rebels were losing, "see for yourself," and then told Luke, multiple times, to take his weapon and kill him?
...did you read my post?
The only thing he does is tell luke to strike him down in VENGANCE for what he has done. He even flat out tells Luke "strike me down, and your Journey towards the darkside will be complete!!!"
Where in that does he say "be my servant and I will spare your friends". Or "learn my power, surpass me....power to save your friends."
Now that WOULD have made his close turn far more convincing....but that's not the direction they went.
No, it's just more subtle. Can't the audience figure it out on their own that killing the Emperor is part of the victory, and leads to the celebration across the galaxy later on? Just like how people with the Force being angry does not mean they suddenly get yellow eyes, but it's still clear that they're angry and that the Force intensifies their feelings.
He's persuading him through multiple angles - through vengeance and anger, through exploiting his compassion ("they do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor,") through his desire for power.
You're acting like all these things come out of left field with no precedent, when Obi Wan and Yoda told Luke already. They told him to confront Vader, something he already struggled with - now that he has a reason to be angry at Vader, he snaps. He had to hide in order to avoid fighting him. You can see the concern and stress on his face, he feels overwhelmed psychologically from the weight of the Emperor and Vader tempting him, like Frodo with the Ring. It's clearly implied that even if there is no specific goal that Luke would achieve, the Emperor's powers of persuasion are powerful enough to defy reason.