Star Wars: was The Galactic Empire really that bad?

[sparkchaser]

Using only the movies as evidence, I say no.

The Galactic Republic that we are introduced to in The Phantom Menace has grown too large to be an efficient governing body. The Senate has split into continuous bickering factions and the Chancellor has no real power.

By contrast, The Empire is streamlined and efficient. As far as the movies are concerned, the day to day activities of your typical citizen was no worse off than before.

OK, there was Alderaan which killed 1.97 billion but I place the blame for its destruction on Leia.

 

[Meadow337]

The Emperor was an evil follower of the dark side of the force and held absolute power enforced by Darth Vader. Is an efficient totalitarian militaristic State better merely because its efficient?

Besides which something must have been stinking in the state of Denmark because even the ewoks were fighting against the Empire

 

[sparkchaser]

There's no way The Empire should have lost that battle.

 

[Sparhawk]

Bad guys, even well organized ones, never win they end up doing something silly that helps the good guys.

And yes they were that bad, anyone that has huge death stars and death rays that they use to blow planets to bits, just to get what they want are in no way good.

 

[sparkchaser]

Only one planet was blown up.

To put things into perspective, pretend that Earth is the Galactic Empire. Alderaan getting blowed up is like the U.S. shooting down an Antonov 28 full of monks over Pakistan.

 

[regdog]

Peace and order through death, tyranny and terror is not a good thing

 

[Meadow337]

How do we know only one planet was blown up? They had constructed a second FULLY FUNCTIONAL (said in the Evil Emperor's voice) Death Star where they lured Luke Skywalker. Who knows what they blew up with it.

 

[Sparhawk]

Or what they where planning to blow up.

 

[Meadow337]

true, true. Evil henchmen of evil megalomaniac rulers tend to blow things up and oppress the population

 

[Sparhawk]

Yes, and may I ask why did they need the Death Star in the first place???

 

[regdog]

It was an easy way to destroy those who refused to be ruled by them and control through fear.

 

[Sparhawk]

It was an easy way to destroy those who refused to be ruled by them and control through fear.

Exactly!

 

[Meadow337]

The Galactic Republic that we are introduced to in The Phantom Menace has grown too large to be an efficient governing body. The Senate has split into continuous bickering factions and the Chancellor has no real power.

We really only have the word of the Emperor to be on that one. We had no proof that the senate would not have acted if given time to do so.

 

[Sparhawk]

And if they were not so controlled by the Emperor, which I thought was one of the main problems.

 

[regdog]

Remember what Padme said. "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."

 

[Meadow337]

we could draw any number of parallels with current events

 

[Conscious Bob]

The senate was rubbish, even Jar Jar Binks was a politician.

 

[Conscious Bob]

OK, there was Alderaan which killed 1.97 billion but I place the blame for its destruction on Leia.

I blame the whole family...

 

[Meadow337]

sigh why do you blame Leia Organa? She didn't build the deathstar, she didn't order them to destroy the planet. She gave them the answer to prevent it happening and they did it anyway.

 

[sparkchaser]

No, but if she divulged the location of the rebel base, Alderaan probbaly would have been spared. I don't know how far Yavin IV was from the core worlds.