After many years I still don't quite understand the scene so some help would be appreciated. When Luke goes to Dagobah in empire strikes back, Yoda tells him he must go into the forest to face his fears, luke then encounters someone who looks like vader but when he kills him and the helmet blows open he sees himself. I dont get this scene at all.
It's a dream scene that shows Luke the dark side of his choices. Meaning, if he falls to the dark side and is tempted by Palpatine, he would become Vader
It was an illusion, which was the result of Luke's subconscious insecurities. The cave simply served as a test by Yoda, which Luke failed after bringing his weapons with him after Yoda protested.
It showed Luke he had the potential to become what he feared. Combined with the meditation pod helmet-off scene, it also humanized Vader for the first time, which was crucial in setting up the father revelation. Before that Vader was just a bad guy in a black suit that might as well have been a robot instead of a person.
At one point it was my strict belief that Luke was afraid to meet the same sticky end his Father met. More plainly he feared dying at Vader's hand. So when he defeats the apparition and the mask explodes to reveal his own face it was a message saying that his Father Fell to the Dark Side. Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk "The Starman and Moon Goddess."
