In the Star Wars universe, Emperor Palpatine’s most famous apprentice was Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Because of Anakin’s prophesied role as the Chosen One, Palpatine spent years honing Skywalker’s skills, strengths and allegiances until his ultimate transformation into Darth Vader. However, despite that effort, Palpatine eventually sought to replace Darth Vader with his son, Luke Skywalker, and there's a good reason why.

While Anakin was initially destined to become the Chosen One, the former Jedi Knight's battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith resulted in him losing much of his power. During their fight, Obi-Wan cut Anakin's legs out from under him during a jump, which then resulted in the newly-minted Sith becoming engulfed in fire. As a result of his injuries, Vader's iconic black suit became a life-sustaining necessity. The majority of Anakin’s being was gone, replaced with machinery to keep him alive. The Force, though, is strong with living beings, not inanimate objects.

Related: Star Wars: Darth Vader Dreamed of Killing Palpatine Before Return of the Jedi

Darth Vader Luke Skywalker feature

According to series creator George Lucas, the power loss resulting from Anakin's injuries is what drove Palpatine to decide to replace his apprentice with Luke. "Anakin, as Skywalker, as a human being, was going to be extremely powerful,"Lucas explained in 2005. "But he ended up losing his arms and a leg and became partly a robot. So a lot of his ability to use the Force, a lot of his powers, are curbed at this point, because, as a living form, there's not that much of him left. So his ability to be twice as good as the Emperor disappeared, and now he's maybe 20 percent less than the Emperor. So that isn't what the Emperor had in mind. He wanted this really super guy, but that got derailed by Obi-Wan. So he finds that, with Luke, he can get a more primo version if he can turn Luke to the Dark Side."

With Luke, then, Palpatine saw a second chance. Despite having been beaten by Vader in battle, Luke was still young and, minus a hand, mostly organic. This meant he was incredibly strong in the Force and had all the qualities and raw power that Palpatine still desired. By the time Luke confronted Vader and Palpatine on the Death Star II in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, the Emperor was ready to trade his current apprentice in for a newer model.

Related: Star Wars Legends: Why the Dark Side Tempted Luke Skywalker After Episode VI

Palpatine was, first and foremost, a strategic Sith, and there's a long history of him discarding old apprentices and trading up when their services could be outmatched. He moved on from Maul without hesitation and sacrificed Count Dooku to bring Anakin to the Dark Side in Revenge of the Sith. Following his regular pattern, when Palpatine found a suitable replacement for Darth Vader in Luke, the Emperor betrayed his apprentice. However, as Palpatine found out when Darth Vader threw him into the Death Star II's reactor core after Luke rejected his offer, treating others as disposable is a good way to get disposed of.

 

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