Why didn't Palpatine just ambush Luke at Jabba's Palace?

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Mara was sent to kill Jabba under Sidious' command, but I don't remember anything about it being at the same time Luke was at the Palace.

 

In the Starwars book Heir to the Empire Mara Jade met Luke Skywalker and told him that the Emperor sent her to Jabba's palace to kill him. I forgot why she said it didn't happen.

 

Because she wasn't allowed on the sail barge. That's actually a short story in Tales form Jabba's Palace. Silly explanation, but what else are they gonna do...

 

Ah, I see. I probably just read up on this on Wookieepedia at some point. I know I never read any of the actual literature behind it.

 

Yeah, me too. The EU can be so damn silly sometimes, the most I can usually make myself do is read the summaries on Wookieepedia... and then decide how many grains of salt to take it with.

 

Very true.

 

I seem to remember Luke having a dream/vision of what would have happened if Mara was able to get on the sail barge in one of the novels after Mara told him that she was supposed to kill him on Tatooine. In this dream/vision, Mara caught Luke's saber instead of him and she killed him..

 

I think Palpatine was trying to test Vader to a degree. I don't think Palpatine could ever forsee his eventual doom but Vader was running off different vibes. He wasn't acting in his prime as he was in ESB. Meeting Luke definatly screwed with his head

 

Playing mind games with each other is what Sith do. Its all just part of being a Sith.

 

Because it would've been too easy for him and that wouldn't have been much of a challenge.

 

Zahn retcons it so that he tries to but fails. They should've added Mara into the Special Edition.

 

Palpatine is a patient guy, just like the events leading up to Order 66. He knows the Force will eventually bring Luke to him or to Vader, so there's no need for a preemptive strike. He set the bait for his trap, and it really almost worked. I might have been overconfident too if I was dealing with the equivalent of a Jedi padawan, his sister that hasn't picked up a stick with the Force, her smuggler boyfriend, his Wookiee, a couple of droids and the Care Bears.

 

Well, Palps and Vader probably knew that Luke would try to rescue Han (I have forseen it), and if he succeeded, then one of three things: The Empire can crack down on Jabba for aiding and abetting wanted rebels and terrorists, Jabba and his ilk are killed and breaks the back of one of the biggest crime rings in the galaxy, or Luke is killed and therefore not worth being an apprentice to one of such power and ability of the Great Lord Sidious.