The Emperor's Throne Room Return of the Jedi

Darth Vad3r

[robertwilson]

For a child in '83, this was the most exciting character ever..a wizard of magic, surrounded by awesome technology, with menacing yellow eyes and brilliant acting skills.most epic practical effects film in history!

[logicaldude]

I loved how the original trilogy portrayed people like Yoda and the Emperor, compared to how the prequels changed things. In these movies, you get a sense that these guys are so powerful that they don't have the need to even use basic Force powers or lightsabers anymore. They have wisdom and foresight, the Force is granting them a kind of clairvoyance that goes beyond what the normal person or even less powerful Force user can attain. The Emperor's power is in his god-like foresight and the control he has over the Empire, not only can he see things that are going to happen but he has the power to move the pieces around like he's simply playing chess. It makes him a lot scarier than a guy who can just flip around and swing a lightsaber. I love how this movie has Luke coming in with all this swag and you realize pretty quickly that the Emperor is a million steps ahead of him, so much so that Luke's "powers" don't even mean anything to him. The Emperor is scoffing and gloating over Luke's inferior understanding of everything. It's a phenomenal scene.

[leonardoantonini]

Ian McDiarmid's transformation from 30-something-years-old British gentleman to an old-ass omniscient and almighty warlock who happens to be the literal personification of evil is truly incredible and somewhat haunting. Not just the make-up, but the voice! I wish we had more backstage outtakes from 1983 to appreciate even more Ian's might as an actor.

[patrickholt]

“Soon I’ll be dead, and you with me.” I love that line. Once you realize that Luke has been on a suicidal rampage for the whole movie makes it so meaningful. He went to the Death Star to try to save Vader but he thought that might not work so now he’s trying to run down the clock and trying to keep vader and palpatine one board while it explodes.

[Donald]

Palpatine: Welcome young Skywalker. Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?

Vader: Not this again.

[brandonmedina]

You, like your father, are now....mine.
God that line is so chilling.

[Zach_TheGamer]

2:16 I love how Vader turns to Luke like “how are you able to speak to him like that so easily?!”

[tayzonday]

I always zero in on the fact that Palpatine does not refute Luke’s accusation that “Your overconfidence is your weakness.” He barely achieved his goals. They nearly failed at many points because of his flaw.

[summers]

I love that the emperor’s role in the film is to be the devil on your shoulder; kinda proving that the real ultimate evil is your own temptation

[MarshallYTGaming]

What I also love about this scene is that if you notice almost every time Luke talks back at the Emperor, Darth makes a sudden turn toward him. Its like he's thinking he's crazy for talking to him and that he's worried about him. Like he's basically thinking "shut up shut up shut up shut up" because he's afraid Sidious would kill him.

EDIT: Spelling.

[QDesjardin]

2:09 - I love how the Emperor's expression just morphs from poised confidence into hateful disdain.

[joebundens]

They set up the Emperor as such a strong character. He reminded me of the grim reaper, like your looking at death and didn’t want to mess with him with his yellow eyes staring you back. It really made Vader look like a pawn and a pathetic figure compared to what we saw in the Empire Strikes Back. Vader used his strength as fear. The emperor just needed to look at you. He was so powerful that it made him arrogant to the fact that Vader would sacrifice his life for his son.

[TRAVISHAYDEN]

I love how Luke was fearless
Every time he stood up to Palatine Vader looked at him like “dam my son got balls”

[LizardMan-ekej]

I love the Emperor's theme, it is appropriately malevolent.

[nickwilliamson]

The way Vader looks toward Luke as he talks back to Sidious shows that he is genuinely concerned about his son. Vader knows how powerful his master is and could kill Luke with little effort.

[Ale-mvgr]

Man, still one of the greatest films scenes in cinema history.

[generalstorm]

1:59 Can we all just appreciate this subtle laugh right here? Throughout the film, we mostly hear him let out his iconic cackle, but here, he relishes in how much Luke doesn't know, and it genuinely amuses him. Therefore, he just lets out this evil chuckle. It's just chilling.

[zefurin]

- Your overconfidence is your weakness.
- Your faith in your friends is yours.

I love this exchange...

[classics]

Ian McDiarmid deserved an Oscar for this. His slow, drawn-out, sneering line deliveries make Palpatine one of the most despicable and horrifying villains in film history. He feels like a genuine threat to Luke and the rebellion. If he hadn’t sold that as brilliantly as he did, the entire trilogy would’ve failed.

[chriswilson]

The emperor is such a fantastic character. He is only introduced in the third film of the trilogy but impacts the story so well regardless.
Massive respect for Ian McDiamid for doing such a great job.