"But you'll die..."

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Something just hit me (pncchtt! ) the other day. Luke has dragged his dad through the Death Star, and stops at a shuttle. Anakin/Vader tells him to "help [him] take this mask off." Then, Luke says "But you'll die." My questions, how does Luke know that? And why does he accept that fact so readily?

Vader: "Help me take... this mask off."
Luke: "But you'll die."
Vader: "For someone so powerful in the Force, you won't even try to save me?"
Luke: "Uh... lemme get a moist towel then."
Vader: "Should'a tried to get the sister to help me..."

Seriously, the questions above are the focus of this thread.

[Slicker]

I think it may be a well known fact that the helmet and the armor keep Vader alive. By removing the helmet Vaderakin will have to try and breath without help (you'll notice that he somewhat struggles) and he can't do it for long.

[JimJamBonds]

I think he knows based on this quote:

"He's more machine then man now."

- Obers

[JediTricks]

Luke was just guessing, he said that because he knew Anakin was hideous underneath and didn't want to look at him.

[stillakid]

Something just hit me (pncchtt! ) the other day. Luke has dragged his dad through the Death Star, and stops at a shuttle. Anakin/Vader tells him to "help [him] take this mask off." Then, Luke says "But you'll die." My questions, how does Luke know that? And why does he accept that fact so readily?

Vader: "Help me take... this mask off."
Luke: "But you'll die."
Vader: "For someone so powerful in the Force, you won't even try to save me?"
Luke: "Uh... lemme get a moist towel then."
Vader: "Should'a tried to get the sister to help me..."

Seriously, the questions above are the focus of this thread.

Because the Emperor just happened to have the newest life support suit available from Christian Dior hanging around, I'm sure that Luke would have been more than aware of what that costume was intended as. Twenty years later, who knows what the style would be like if, say, Luke got cut down and was in need of a super evil suit. Probably something more streamlined and sexy.

[El Chuxter]

There was a warning label on the helmet: "WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die."

[JediTricks]

There was a warning label on the helmet: "WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die."

What we didn't realize in the movie is that the belt box on the front of the armor looks like a speaker because it is, and that's exactly what it's saying every 3 minutes in the loudest voice possible.


VADER: Luke, help me take this mask off.

BELT: WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die!

LUKE: ... but you'll die.

VADER: Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with-

BELT: WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die!

VADER: What was I saying? Anyway, tell your sister, you were... URK!

LUKE: Tell her what? Father?? FATHER?!?

VADER lies dead on the shuttle ramp. LUKE remains still for a moment in sorrow.

BELT: ...WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die!

LUKE begins to weep.

---

VADER: Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.

LUKE: He told me enough, he told me YOU killed him!

VADER: No, I am your-

BELT: WARNING! Do not remove or wearer will die!

VADER: Damnit!!!

[stillakid]

Seriously, Luke knew what the F the suit was for. Although the galaxy had nutcases running around with the flair for the dramatic like Boba Fett, Vader clearly was encased in this thing for his health and well-being. Pulling the mask was like pulling the plug on life support.

[El Chuxter]

In EU (the ROTJ novelization), Obi-Wan provides more detail about why Vader wears the suit.

[basschick]

then why couldn't they leave the mask on till they got another breathing option on the guy? then maybe he wouldn't have died and we'd have another 20 years of anakin - the new older anakin - hanging around.

of course, that would have ruined the dramatic impact of the movie, which did have a LOT of dramatic impact...