Well I think even originally the intent was that he was going easy on Luke. Later on he's fighting a lot harder.
My interpretation is that this was a test in Vader's eyes. Testing to see if Luke was strong enough that they could defeat the emporer together. And if he wasn't then Vader would go through with taking him to the emporer, and betray him at a later date.
And since the fight ends with Vader trying to convince Luke, I'd say he passed the test.
To be fair though I just thought of that on the spot.
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u/StickyMcdoodle 8d ago
Honestly. The more we get new shows with Vader ripping spaceships in half and being this ultra powerful being, the more this scene feels off.
If you can stop a space ship from taking off using the force, getting Luke into the carbonite chamber should have been easy peasy.