CT Return Of The Jedi question

The Force is far more powerful than any martial art or gun. That's another part of my headcanon.

 

As a kid I always thought using a saber was beneath the likes of palps and yoda.

 

Well, Sidious says that he is unarmed. Of course, the word of a Sith doesn't mean much, but think he didn't lie on this one. He probably still owned a lightsaber, but I don't think he had it with him in the Throne Room. He could have defended himself just fine with the Force, though.

 

Palpatine, is a character like Yoda, who never should've had a lightsaber. When Darth Vader hands the Emperor Luke's lightsaber, Palpatine says " A Jedi's weapon, much like your fathers" which implies he sees it as only a Jedi's weapon and it is beneath him. Also he says "take your Jedi weapon, use it, I am unarmed". Again he implies that a lightsaber is beneath him and he even says he is unarmed. Obviously he has the Force so he's never unarmed but you get the idea. Palpatine represents the Dark Side extreme while Yoda represents the Light Side extreme. Palpatine is so powerful in the Dark Side he has no need for a lightsaber.

 

I didn't compare the two. I used something called an analogy. The martial art represents the Force. That doesn't mean it's more powerful than it.

Yes let's all just make up our own canon! Who cares what actually happens in the films!

 

^ Works for me; glad to see you're on board with this.

 

I believe he had one accessible to him somewhere in the throne room in case he needed it,

but did he have one on him sat in his roundabout chair goading Luke? doubt it, he had Vader as his weapon, why carry dead weight?

 

Vader's not entirely trustful and far more experienced than Luke. He knows about how to deflect the Lightning with his Lightsaber. If the two gang up on him, he would be up **** creek without a paddle.

 

I never quite got the thinking that using a saber was "beneath" them.

Yoda was considered a "Great Warrior". I doubt that reputation was given to him either 500+ years ago or do to his telekinetic prowess.

As for Palps, his "A Jedi's weapon" jabs at Luke were meant to illustrate just how easily a Jedi could become a Sith. Just as Vader was once a saber wielding Jedi and now a saber wielding Sith, the transformation would be just as easy for Luke.

 

To be fair, only Luke considers Yoda to be a great warrior and that's more the folly of youth than truth. Note that Obi-wan never says that he was a great warrior.

 

In one of the original drafts for RotJ Palpatine has his lightsaber hidden up his sleeve, he doesn't use it but gives it to Vader to use after Luke forces Vader to fall and his saber hand is melted in the lava lake. So there was this idea of Palpatine being someone who carries a lightsaber right back in 1979/1980.

 

True and for a time Lucas did believe that neither one should use a Lightsaber. In 1981, Kasdan suggested that Yoda had used a Lightsaber, but Lucas was against it stating that Yoda was the type of Jedi who didn't fight. He mostly just trained Jedi to use the Force as a Jedi guru. In the end, he wound up listening to Kasdan when he began work on AOTC.

 

I think the Emporer probably had a lightsaber, but I like to think of it stored safely away in the Imperial Palace. I feel he had transitioned to a point where it was no longer needed, and I don't think he personally liked to publicize that he was a force user. Darth Vader was his Sith lackey in the Empire's eyes. Plus, up until ROTJ who would pose such a threat that he would need one? He knew Vader wasn't going to get his act together all of sudden and no other enemy would draw a lightsaber on him, or any other weapon he couldn't easily defeat with the power of the darkside.

Even in ROTJ, I believe him when he says he is unarmed. He has a 50/50 shot of Luke taking a swing at him. He either joins the darkside, or Vader blocks him and defends his master. His ignorance does blind him eventually, though.

 

is that true?

 

Yep.

Frankly,I never got why some people are so adamant that Yoda/Emperor not use a lightsaber. One would expect them to be as proficient with the weapon as the people they trained. Also,the films are very visual. Just seeing Yoda duel Dooku/Palpatine with lightning/Force pushes would be flat out, boring.

 

Yes, its in J.W. Rinzler's excellent The Making of Return of the Jedi . Luke is taken to Emperor Palpatine's throne room by Vader, its described as an island in a see of lava. Palpatine taunts Luke and he fights with Vader as per the film until Vader falls and his right hand goes into the lava, the hand is melted and the sabre lost. Palpatine summons a lightsabre from up his sleeve and passes it to Vader when Luke refuses to kill his defenceless father.

There are also some notes made by Lucas during ESB that give away Leia's parentage as early as that.

 

sweet. i've read most of the scripts but not the rotj one.

 

Yes, it was in the rough draft and the revised rough draft.

The Emperor enters the cavern and looks across to the boiling lava lake. He sees Ben and is surprised.

EMPEROR: "So you are not dead after all, Obi-Wan. I thought I felt your presence in the netherworld. So, you have returned. But you have failed…the boy is mine, and will soon embrace the Dark Side."

YODA: "It is you who have failed, my old friend."

The Emperor turns around to see the shimmering image of Yoda standing before him.

EMPEROR: "You!"

YODA: "Evil one, this will be the last day of your existence."

EMPEROR: "Your presence in the netherworld can do me no harm. And neither can this boy or this old man."

YODA: "Your fear is strong…overestimate your abilities, you do."

Vader steps out of the shadows and stands next to the Emperor.

VADER: "My Master, they must be destroyed. Now it is too late to turn the boy."

Luke looks at his father, then reaches out and Vader’s lasersword leaps off the Dark Lord’s belt and into the young Jedi’s hand. Luke ignites the lasersword as the Emperor pulls a sword out of his sleeve and tosses it to Vader.

EMPEROR: "Destroy them."

Vader’s sword ignites and he starts to move toward his son. Luke backs away.

http://starwarz.com/starkiller/revenge-of-the-jedi-revised-rough-draft/

 

so they re-used the saber in the sleeve. awesome.

 

Yep. But that was only when Lucas decided to change most of Act II. Originally, Palpatine uses Anakin's Lightsaber as Anakin originally didn't go back to the Temple to tell Mace about Palpatine. Obi-wan does after he finds out on Utapau.



When you watch the duel in the final film, pay attention and you can still see Anakin's saber in Ian's hands.









You can tell the difference.

 

The amount of ideas that were recycled into the PT is amazing when you look into it, I wonder how many will be recycled into the latest trilogy?

 

That'll be different since Lucas isn't as heavily involved and Abrams and Kasdan will have added their own material to the mix. Most of the material will probably come from backstory material that Lucas had in mind before he decided to settle on completing three films back when the OT was made. And before he decided he wasn't going to do the ST, way back when he was making the PT.