Darth Vader’s Sense of Timing

In thinking about Darth Vader’s qualities as a father, we must question his sense of appropriateness for intimate conversations. As a great purveyor of evilness, Darth Vader certainly knew how to choose the right time and place to spring an attack, use the force to strangle a subordinate and frighten the rebel forces.

Yet as a father, his sense of timing was certainly suspect. Or it was in at least in one scene in Return of the Jedi. Recall the scene where Luke encounters Darth Vader in the Carbon-Freezing Chamber on Cloud City.

After several minutes of fierce, deadly battle (a battle in which Darth Vader slices off his son’s hand with a light sabre), Darth Vader manages to force Luke onto the edge of the reactor gantry, cornering him for what must surely be ‘the kill’. Mustering all his powers of the Force, Darth Vader then decides that now is a good time to bring up the fact that he is Luke’s father. Really?!? All that mastery of the Force, and Darth Vader still thought moments after cutting his own son’s hand off with an fiery hot laser-sword would be the best time to start working through the many issues surrounding their family relationship. Seriously?!?