In Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, we witnessed Darth Vader betraying Emperor Palpatine to save his son, Luke Skywalker.
But have you ever wondered how Palpatine, the master of sensing the feelings of those around him, couldn’t sense Vader’s betrayal at that intense moment?
To unlock the answer to this question, you need to follow a canon comic series that explains everything.
I’ve found the evidence and provided it below to answer your question.
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
Palpatine Recognizes Vader’s Betrayal
After defeating Luke on Cloud City, Vader eventually returned to Palpatine.
But before he made his return, there was more to his journey than what we saw in Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Upon learning that Luke survived the fall and was saved by Leia and Han Solo, Vader embarked on a mission to find him.
You can follow Vader’s journey to find Luke in the canon comic series Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020), starting with issue #1.
In summary, Vader did not manage to locate Luke after the battle on Cloud City. However, the journey reminded Vader of his role as the chosen one.
As we know, Sith power comes from hatred, but this journey caused Vader to lose some of his hatred.
When Vader returned to Palpatine, the Sith Master sensed that something was wrong.
Palpatine felt that Vader had lost his hatred and was now filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Palpatine Restores Vader’s Hatred, the Source of Sith Power
Continuing from Darth Vader (2020) canon comics issue #6, instead of successfully bringing Luke back to Palpatine, Darth Vader couldn’t complete his mission.
Palpatine knew of Vader’s failure because he had sent the Grand Vizier to follow Vader’s actions. This was revealed to Palpatine while he was punishing Darth Vader with Force lightning.
The Grand Vizier said, “You were sent to bring Skywalker to the dark side. Instead, you let him escape. Then you were summoned to report to your Emperor…”
Palpatine then asked, “What do we do with traitors?” The Grand Vizier replied, “We kill them, my Lord.”
Palpatine punished Darth Vader with Force lightning and then sent him into exile. During this exile, Darth Vader rebuilt his source of Sith power and came to understand Palpatine’s plan on Exegol.
He then returned to Emperor Palpatine once again.
The Emperor Failed to Sense Vader’s Betrayal
So, after returning to Palpatine as we saw in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Vader finally captured Luke and brought him to Emperor Palpatine.
But here’s the catch: after Luke defeated Darth Vader, Palpatine tried to persuade Luke to join the dark side of the Force, but Luke refused.
Palpatine then used Force lightning on Luke.
Unable to stand by and watch his son being harmed, Vader fought back by throwing Emperor Palpatine off the reactor shaft.
At that moment, Palpatine didn’t sense the light side returning to Anakin. Anakin’s actions must have stemmed from his journey to find his son after the Cloud City battle.
Vader must have finally found what he loved again, and that became the source of his light side power.
For Palpatine, he couldn’t sense Vader’s betrayal because, within Palpatine, there is no concept of love.