NationStates Jolt Archive

Hello Everyone!

I would like all of you to read this article below. It's about the Star Wars films but goes on to explain to you just who is really the good guys and who are really the bad guys. Read it with an open mind.

The Case for the Empire
From the May 16, 2002 Daily Standard: Everything you think you know about Star Wars is wrong.
by Jonathan V. Last
12/26/2002 12:00:00 AM

STAR WARS RETURNS today with its fifth installment, "Attack of the Clones." There will be talk of the Force and the Dark Side and the epic morality of George Lucas's series. But the truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good.

It's a difficult leap to make--embracing Darth Vader and the Emperor over the plucky and attractive Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia--but a careful examination of the facts, sorted apart from Lucas's off-the-shelf moral cues, makes a quite convincing case.

First, an aside: For the sake of this discussion, I've considered only the history gleaned from the actual Star Wars films, not the Expanded Universe. If you know what the Expanded Universe is and want to argue that no discussion of Star Wars can be complete without considering material outside the canon, that's fine. However, it's always been my view that the comic books and novels largely serve to clean up Lucas's narrative and philosophical messes. Therefore, discussions of intrinsic intent must necessarily revolve around the movies alone. You may disagree, but please don't e-mail me about it.

If you don't know what the Expanded Universe is, well, uh, neither do I.

I. The Problems with the Galactic Republic

At the beginning of the Star Wars saga, the known universe is governed by the Galactic Republic. The Republic is controlled by a Senate, which is, in turn, run by an elected chancellor who's in charge of procedure, but
has little real power.

Scores of thousands of planets are represented in the Galactic Senate, and as we first encounter it, it is sclerotic and ineffectual. The Republic has grown over many millennia to the point where there are so many factions and disparate interests, that it is simply too big to be governable. Even the Republic's staunchest supporters recognize this failing: In "The Phantom Menace," Queen Amidala admits, "It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions." In "Attack of the Clones," young Anakin Skywalker observes that it simply "doesn't work."

The Senate moves so slowly that it is powerless to stop aggression between member states. In "The Phantom Menace" a supra-planetary alliance, the Trade Federation (think of it as OPEC to the Galactic Republic's United Nations), invades a planet and all the Senate can agree to do is call for an investigation.

Like the United Nations, the Republic has no armed forces of its own, but instead relies on a group of warriors, the Jedi knights, to "keep the peace." The Jedi, while autonomous, often work in tandem with the Senate, trying to smooth over quarrels and avoid conflicts. But the Jedi number only in the thousands--they cannot protect everyone.

What's more, it's not clear that they should be "protecting" anyone. The Jedi are Lucas's great heroes, full of Zen wisdom and righteous power. They encourage people to "use the Force"--the mystical energy which is the source of their power--but the truth, revealed in "The Phantom Menace," is that the Force isn't available to the rabble. The Force comes from midi-chlorians, tiny symbiotic organisms in people's blood, like mitochondria. The Force, it turns out, is an inherited, genetic trait. If you don't have the blood, you don't get the Force. Which makes the Jedi not a democratic militia, but a royalist Swiss guard.

And an arrogant royalist Swiss guard, at that. With one or two notable exceptions, the Jedi we meet in Star Wars are full of themselves. They ignore the counsel of others (often with terrible consequences), and seem honestly to believe that they are at the center of the universe. When the chief Jedi record-keeper is asked in "Attack of the Clones" about a planet she has never heard of, she replies that if it's not in the Jedi archives, it doesn't exist. (The planet in question does exist, again, with terrible consequences.)

In "Attack of the Clones," a mysterious figure, Count Dooku, leads a separatist movement of planets that want to secede from the Republic. Dooku promises these confederates smaller government, unlimited free trade, and an "absolute commitment to capitalism." Dooku's motives are suspect--it's not clear whether or not he believes in these causes. However, there's no reason to doubt the motives of the other separatists--they seem genuinely to want to make a fresh start with a government that isn't bloated and dysfunctional.

The Republic, of course, is eager to quash these separatists, but they never make a compelling case--or any case, for that matter--as to why, if they are such a freedom-loving regime, these planets should not be allowed to check out of the Republic and take control of their own destinies.

II. The Empire

We do not yet know the exact how's and why's, but we do know this: At some point between the end of Episode II and the beginning of
Episode IV, the Republic is replaced by an Empire. The first hint comes in "Attack of the Clones," when the Senate's Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers to deal with the separatists. It spoils very little to tell you that Palpatine eventually becomes the Emperor. For a time, he keeps the Senate in place, functioning as a rubber-stamp, much like the Roman imperial senate, but a few minutes into Episode IV, we are informed that the he has dissolved the Senate, and that "the last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away."

Lucas wants the Empire to stand for evil, so he tells us that the Emperor and Darth Vader have gone over to the Dark Side and dresses them in black.

But look closer. When Palpatine is still a senator, he says, "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good." At one point he laments that "the bureaucrats are in charge now."

Palpatine believes that the political order must be manipulated to produce peace and stability. When he mutters, "There is no civility, there is only politics," we see that at heart, he's an esoteric Straussian.

Make no mistake, as emperor, Palpatine is a dictator--but a relatively benign one, like Pinochet. It's a dictatorship people can do business with. They collect taxes and patrol the skies. They try to stop organized crime (in the form of the smuggling rings run by the Hutts). The Empire has virtually no effect on the daily life of the average, law-abiding citizen.

Also, unlike the divine-right Jedi, the Empire is a meritocracy. The Empire runs academies throughout the galaxy (Han Solo begins his career at an Imperial academy), and those who show promise are promoted, often rapidly. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Captain Piett is quickly promoted to admiral when his predecessor "falls down on the job."

And while it's a small point, the Empire's manners and decorum speak well of it. When Darth Vader is forced to employ bounty hunters to track down Han Solo, he refuses to address them by name. Even Boba Fett, the greatest of all trackers, is referred to icily as "bounty hunter." And yet Fett understands the protocol. When he captures Solo, he calls him "Captain Solo." (Whether this is in deference to Han's former rank in the Imperial starfleet, or simply because Han owns and pilots his own ship, we don't know. I suspect it's the former.)

But the most compelling evidence that the Empire isn't evil comes in "The Empire Strikes Back" when Darth Vader is battling Luke Skywalker. After an exhausting fight, Vader is poised to finish Luke off, but he stays his hand. He tries to convert Luke to the Dark Side with this simple plea: "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. . . . Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy." It is here we find the real controlling impulse for the Dark Side and the Empire. The Empire doesn't want slaves or destruction or "evil." It wants order.

None of which is to say that the Empire isn't sometimes brutal. In Episode IV, Imperial stormtroopers kill Luke's aunt and uncle and Grand Moff Tarkin orders the destruction of an entire planet, Alderaan. But viewed in context, these acts are less brutal than they initially appear. Poor Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen reach a grisly end, but only after they aid the rebellion by hiding Luke and harboring two fugitive droids. They aren't given due process, but they are traitors.

The destruction of Alderaan is often cited as ipso facto proof of the Empire's "evilness" because it seems like mass murder--planeticide, even. As Tarkin prepares to fire the Death Star, Princess Leia implores him to spare the planet, saying, "Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons." Her plea is important, if true.

But the audience has no reason to believe that Leia is telling the truth. In Episode IV, every bit of information she gives the Empire is willfully untrue. In the opening, she tells Darth Vader that she is on a diplomatic mission of mercy, when in fact she is on a spy mission, trying to deliver schematics of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance. When asked where the Alliance is headquartered, she lies again.

Leia's lies are perfectly defensible--she thinks she's serving the greater good--but they make her wholly unreliable on the question of whether or not Alderaan really is peaceful and defenseless. If anything, since Leia is a high-ranking member of the rebellion and the princess of Alderaan, it would be reasonable to suspect that Alderaan is a front for Rebel activity or at least home to many more spies and insurgents like Leia.

Whatever the case, the important thing to recognize is that the Empire is not committing random acts of terror. It is engaged in a fight for the survival of its regime against a violent group of rebels who are committed to its destruction.

III. After the Rebellion

As we all know from the final Star Wars installment, "Return of the Jedi," the rebellion is eventually successful. The Emperor is assassinated, Darth Vader abdicates his post and dies, the central governing apparatus of the Empire is destroyed in a spectacular space battle, and the rebels rejoice with their small, annoying Ewok friends. But what happens next?

(There is a raft of literature on this point, but, as I said at the beginning, I'm going to ignore it because it doesn't speak to Lucas's original intent.)

In Episode IV, after Grand Moff Tarkin announces that the Imperial Senate has been abolished, he's asked how the Emperor can possibly hope to keep control of the galaxy. "The regional governors now have direct control over territories," he says. "Fear will keep the local systems in line."

So under Imperial rule, a large group of regional potentates, each with access to a sizable army and star destroyers, runs local affairs. These governors owe their fealty to the Emperor. And once the Emperor is dead, the galaxy will be plunged into chaos.

In all of the time we spend observing the Rebel Alliance, we never hear of their governing strategy or their plans for a post-Imperial universe. All we see are plots and fighting. Their victory over the Empire doesn't liberate the galaxy--it turns the galaxy into Somalia writ large: dominated by local warlords who are answerable to no one.

Which makes the rebels--Lucas's heroes--an unimpressive crew of anarchic royals who wreck the galaxy so that Princess Leia can have her tiara back.

I'll take the Empire.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...8ipzbt.asp?pg=2

Comments please?

Very amusing...

Very amusing...But true, I would take the Empire over the Rebels anyday.

Hello Everyone!

I would like all of you to read this article below. It's about the Star Wars films but goes on to explain to you just who is really the good guys and who are really the bad guys. Read it with an open mind.

The Case for the Empire

[ Massive snip ]

I'll take the Empire.

Comments please?

"Order" is necessary for peace and safety, but freedom is necessary for life to survive and thrive. Where you draw the balance is vital.

Amusing indeed. :)

A very well written piece of propaganda for a fascist or a stalinist state.

I was amazed that the republic managed to survive so long - a whole galaxy under a republic when republics are inherently bureaucratic.

Shall I rip this to pieces or does its inherent falseness stand on its own?

the question is, should I post the piece entitled "Chomsky on Middle Earth"

First off... very interesting, and a good read to boot. but some points.
STAR WARS RETURNS today with its fifth installment, "Attack of the Clones." There will be talk of the Force and the Dark Side and the epic morality of George Lucas's series. But the truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good. actually, Change is good. I really cannot see BLOWING UP AN UNARMED PLANET to get 1 rebel base good. now had they sent forces down there to find the rebels... and 'liberate' the poor Alderrains... that would be different.

I. The Problems with the Galactic Republic

At the beginning of the Star Wars saga, the known universe is governed by the Galactic Republic. The Republic is controlled by a Senate, which is, in turn, run by an elected chancellor who's in charge of procedure, but
has little real power.

Scores of thousands of planets are represented in the Galactic Senate, and as we first encounter it, it is sclerotic and ineffectual. The Republic has grown over many millennia to the point where there are so many factions and disparate interests, that it is simply too big to be governable. Even the Republic's staunchest supporters recognize this failing: In "The Phantom Menace," Queen Amidala admits, "It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions." In "Attack of the Clones," young Anakin Skywalker observes that it simply "doesn't work."

The Senate moves so slowly that it is powerless to stop aggression between member states. In "The Phantom Menace" a supra-planetary alliance, the Trade Federation (think of it as OPEC to the Galactic Republic's United Nations), invades a planet and all the Senate can agree to do is call for an investigation.I agree with this point... and...Like the United Nations, the Republic has no armed forces of its own, but instead relies on a group of warriors, the Jedi knights, to "keep the peace." The Jedi, while autonomous, often work in tandem with the Senate, trying to smooth over quarrels and avoid conflicts. But the Jedi number only in the thousands--they cannot protect everyone.they also abandoned their duty. the Senetor (in secret... remember.) asked the Jedi to investigate and to start negotiations... however, when they returned to Coroscant, the Jedi did not report to the Senate... nor to the Senator... they concentrated on little Anakin. leaving poor Princess Amidala (who while being royalty, was in an Elected position.) to plead with the Senate for help on her own. the fact that the Senator did not ask the Two Jedi's to report also shows his lack of power.What's more, it's not clear that they should be "protecting" anyone. The Jedi are Lucas's great heroes, full of Zen wisdom and righteous power. They encourage people to "use the Force"--the mystical energy which is the source of their power--but the truth, revealed in "The Phantom Menace," is that the Force isn't available to the rabble. The Force comes from midi-chlorians, tiny symbiotic organisms in people's blood, like mitochondria. The Force, it turns out, is an inherited, genetic trait. If you don't have the blood, you don't get the Force. Which makes the Jedi not a democratic militia, but a royalist Swiss guard.

And an arrogant royalist Swiss guard, at that. With one or two notable exceptions, the Jedi we meet in Star Wars are full of themselves. They ignore the counsel of others (often with terrible consequences), and seem honestly to believe that they are at the center of the universe. When the chief Jedi record-keeper is asked in "Attack of the Clones" about a planet she has never heard of, she replies that if it's not in the Jedi archives, it doesn't exist. (The planet in question does exist, again, with terrible consequences.)and their teaching does not promote thinking... remember, it took a child to tell Obi-wan that if the evidence pointed to a planet being there where there was none in the records... then someone 'altered' it. I thought about that the moment the pompous recored keeper put on the airs... and two... the Clones were ordered by another Jedi... and no one knew about it... not even the Jedi council knew about it. 'left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.' To his credit, Yoda did mention the "pompousness" of their Jedi order and wondered if what they were teaching/doing was still right.In "Attack of the Clones," a mysterious figure, Count Dooku, leads a separatist movement of planets that want to secede from the Republic. Dooku promises these confederates smaller government, unlimited free trade, and an "absolute commitment to capitalism." Dooku's motives are suspect--it's not clear whether or not he believes in these causes. However, there's no reason to doubt the motives of the other separatists--they seem genuinely to want to make a fresh start with a government that isn't bloated and dysfunctional.

The Republic, of course, is eager to quash these separatists, but they never make a compelling case--or any case, for that matter--as to why, if they are such a freedom-loving regime, these planets should not be allowed to check out of the Republic and take control of their own destinies.I believe it's the methods that they were using, not the fact that they wanted to separate, but how they were going about it. but that is my opinion.We do not yet know the exact how's and why's, but we do know this: At some point between the end of Episode II and the beginning of
Episode IV, the Republic is replaced by an Empire. The first hint comes in "Attack of the Clones," when the Senate's Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers to deal with the separatists. It spoils very little to tell you that Palpatine eventually becomes the Emperor. For a time, he keeps the Senate in place, functioning as a rubber-stamp, much like the Roman imperial senate, but a few minutes into Episode IV, we are informed that the he has dissolved the Senate, and that "the last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away."

Lucas wants the Empire to stand for evil, so he tells us that the Emperor and Darth Vader have gone over to the Dark Side and dresses them in black.

But look closer. When Palpatine is still a senator, he says, "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good." At one point he laments that "the bureaucrats are in charge now."

Palpatine believes that the political order must be manipulated to produce peace and stability. When he mutters, "There is no civility, there is only politics," we see that at heart, he's an esoteric Straussian.

Make no mistake, as emperor, Palpatine is a dictator--but a relatively benign one, like Pinochet. It's a dictatorship people can do business with. They collect taxes and patrol the skies. They try to stop organized crime (in the form of the smuggling rings run by the Hutts). The Empire has virtually no effect on the daily life of the average, law-abiding citizen.except for the enslaving of non-humans. Before the Empire, slaves were people who owed money to companies and could not pay them back... they could however, buy their freedoms if they worked hard enough (explained in 'Phantom Menace'.) Admiral Ackbar mentions the enslaving of his people in 'Return of the Jedi' There is no evidence that they tried to stop the Hutts in Eps 4 - 6. and there was no mention that the Hutts were nothing more than ligitamate business... entities in eps 1 - 3. the Hutts could've been forced into criminal activites due to the Empire... but this is speculation.Also, unlike the divine-right Jedi, the Empire is a meritocracy. The Empire runs academies throughout the galaxy (Han Solo begins his career at an Imperial academy), and those who show promise are promoted, often rapidly. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Captain Piett is quickly promoted to admiral when his predecessor "falls down on the job."Since you are touching Canon now (as Solo's Acadamy training was not touched upon in the movies). I will do the same. While Han did attend an Acadamy, his primary posistion was in the Corrillian Services (note the Bloodstripes he still wears on his pants.) other Cannon suggest that the Corrillian Services were subhumed into the Imperial Forces that caused a majority of their officers to resign and leave. another point, Captain Piett may have recieved a field promotion, but his predecessor was summeraly Executed without trial. If the Empire was as you suggest, then the Original Captain would've been stripped of his rank, and taken to the brig. and remember, this was done over bad judgement, not treason. And while it's a small point, the Empire's manners and decorum speak well of it. When Darth Vader is forced to employ bounty hunters to track down Han Solo, he refuses to address them by name. Even Boba Fett, the greatest of all trackers, is referred to icily as "bounty hunter." And yet Fett understands the protocol. When he captures Solo, he calls him "Captain Solo." (Whether this is in deference to Han's former rank in the Imperial starfleet, or simply because Han owns and pilots his own ship, we don't know. I suspect it's the former.)err... that is more common Curtesy than Empirical Protocal. Vader is technecally not part of the military, and the Bounty Hunters are definately not Military and thus do not hold rank. 2) it was the deck officer that Icilly referred them as "Bounty Hunters" Vader treated them as equals. he did not talk down to them nor did he treat them as scum... his point to Boba Fett about disintergrations shows tha Vader my have had experience with Fett and other bounty hunters. Vader treated them fairly... even to the point of honoring his bargins with them while "altering" bargins with others (Lando's agreement to hold Lea and the others captive on Cloud City without Empire presence. [Empire Strikes Back])But the most compelling evidence that the Empire isn't evil comes in "The Empire Strikes Back" when Darth Vader is battling Luke Skywalker. After an exhausting fight, Vader is poised to finish Luke off, but he stays his hand. He tries to convert Luke to the Dark Side with this simple plea: "There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. . . . Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy." It is here we find the real controlling impulse for the Dark Side and the Empire. The Empire doesn't want slaves or destruction or "evil." It wants order.It could be argued that this was more to the fact that Luke was Vader's son and that Vader, in trying to save his son's life, would say anything to get his son onto his side... even lie. Besides, all governments want order... it's the method and the control of said order that people disagree onNone of which is to say that the Empire isn't sometimes brutal. In Episode IV, Imperial stormtroopers kill Luke's aunt and uncle and Grand Moff Tarkin orders the destruction of an entire planet, Alderaan. But viewed in context, these acts are less brutal than they initially appear. Poor Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen reach a grisly end, but only after they aid the rebellion by hiding Luke and harboring two fugitive droids. They aren't given due process, but they are traitors.

The destruction of Alderaan is often cited as ipso facto proof of the Empire's "evilness" because it seems like mass murder--planeticide, even. As Tarkin prepares to fire the Death Star, Princess Leia implores him to spare the planet, saying, "Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons." Her plea is important, if true.except that the disarming of Alderaan was known and done during the age of the Republic. (Again, Canon.) and while Luke's, Aunt and Uncle did harbor the droids, they did so unknowingly. had the stormtroopers explained the Droids background, who's to say that they would've turned em over... No due process, and you say they're good... don't let those arguing about the US lack of Due process for terrorists see this... :p But the audience has no reason to believe that Leia is telling the truth. In Episode IV, every bit of information she gives the Empire is willfully untrue. In the opening, she tells Darth Vader that she is on a diplomatic mission of mercy, when in fact she is on a spy mission, trying to deliver schematics of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance. When asked where the Alliance is headquartered, she lies again.

Leia's lies are perfectly defensible--she thinks she's serving the greater good--but they make her wholly unreliable on the question of whether or not Alderaan really is peaceful and defenseless. If anything, since Leia is a high-ranking member of the rebellion and the princess of Alderaan, it would be reasonable to suspect that Alderaan is a front for Rebel activity or at least home to many more spies and insurgents like Leia.They threatened Alderaan because it was Leia's home planet... they did know that Alderaan was peaceful, and Destroyed it as an example. Grand Moff Tarken explained that when Leia Named Dantoonie as the rebel base. and again, to find Alderaan Guilty because one of their royal (in name, not power) family was a rebel without investigation is like the US Nuking Afghanistan because the Taliban supported Osama Bin Lauden.Whatever the case, the important thing to recognize is that the Empire is not committing random acts of terror. It is engaged in a fight for the survival of its regime against a violent group of rebels who are committed to its destruction.Both sides are guilty with that.

III. After the Rebellion

As we all know from the final Star Wars installment, "Return of the Jedi," the rebellion is eventually successful. The Emperor is assassinated, Darth Vader abdicates his post and dies, the central governing apparatus of the Empire is destroyed in a spectacular space battle, and the rebels rejoice with their small, annoying Ewok friends. But what happens next?

(There is a raft of literature on this point, but, as I said at the beginning, I'm going to ignore it because it doesn't speak to Lucas's original intent.)

In Episode IV, after Grand Moff Tarkin announces that the Imperial Senate has been abolished, he's asked how the Emperor can possibly hope to keep control of the galaxy. "The regional governors now have direct control over territories," he says. "Fear will keep the local systems in line."

So under Imperial rule, a large group of regional potentates, each with access to a sizable army and star destroyers, runs local affairs. These governors owe their fealty to the Emperor. And once the Emperor is dead, the galaxy will be plunged into chaos.

In all of the time we spend observing the Rebel Alliance, we never hear of their governing strategy or their plans for a post-Imperial universe. All we see are plots and fighting. Their victory over the Empire doesn't liberate the galaxy--it turns the galaxy into Somalia writ large: dominated by local warlords who are answerable to no one.

Which makes the rebels--Lucas's heroes--an unimpressive crew of anarchic royals who wreck the galaxy so that Princess Leia can have her tiara back.in the director's edition of the orginial trilogy, when the Emperor dies, everyone is celebrating... not morning. so I think that the death of the Emperor is seen as a good thing. (hate that ending BTW)

Also, what Grand Moff mentioned was going on with the Senate... each planet had a representative that reported to each planet's government. It's like overthrowing the entire US governemt and declaring a 'New' system where each City will have a leader that will report to a State Moff... who in turn is answerable to the new Governemt. (Mayors, Govenors, Federal) same thing... different name.

also I think the point Lucas is trying to portray is not good or evil but balance. Remember, Anakin was suppose to bring balance to the force... with the Jedi Council gone, only Yoda and Obi Wan to train Luke, I believe Luke is the final goal Lucas was trying to bring. In eps 1-3, we see the good being Pompus and Useless. in 4-6, the Empire is Malevolent and Overbearing ... Luke has the benefit of both visions... Old republic Teaching and living under the Empire. so he is able to strike that balance of the 'force' that both sides were missing. just like in today's terminology, a therocarcy may be good for it's people but bad for international relations. while a Government totally devoid of Religion can be immoral to it's people but really good for international relations. what is needed is a balance between the two.

The author can take the Empire... I'll take the New Republic... and hope they learn from those hard taught lessions.

Good read tho... thanks.

That essay was greatness

The balance element was, indeed, the key. Excellent initial post and fasicnating insights from junii.

In the novelisations of the original three films an interesting new perspective on imperial policy is created, namely that the Empire is very slightly sexist and very obviously racist (or speciest). It then becomes apparent that the image that the Empire was meant to portray was very much meant to reflect on the real world Nazis - their uniforms and names (stormtroopers VERY good example) obviously meant to reinforce such an inference.

However, I always felt that the methods used to indicate such were so heavy handed as to appear almost a caricature - the whole films ended up feeling like a rebel propaganda film.

Oh yeah, and the way all the Imperial officers had english accents and all the rebels american? OBVIOUS impression of evil! :p

Of course, even this assumption that the Death Star is evil and intended for world destruction is silly. If we look further into the matter, we might notice that the "Death Star" is really far more than a weapon. It's clearly a spaceborne humanitarian facility. The sheer distributive capacity for such a creation is incredible. The prescence of so many shuttles and storage areas, shows that really the "Death Star" is intended to support planets that are being hit by starvation and famine. With the facilities aboard the "Death Star" clean water could be provided to the people of disadvantaged planets, and safe haven for those stricken by diesease or political turmoil can also be sought by those attempting to reach the "Death Star." The clear readiness that was shown by the crew when the Millenium Falcon, a notorious drug smuggling ship, I might add, came nearby, to offer aid to what they assumed to be a freighter trying to reach the planet of Alderaan is portrayed as an attempt to cover up the just and righteous destruction of the traitor planet.

Of course, the superlaser poses itself as a serious problem, why would a humanitarian platform have such tremendous firepower? The answer to this question is easy. In an Empire so vast as the one that Palpatine governs, there are most certainly going to be incidents where planets might collide, such as in the scenario that is postulated to be similar to the creation of the moon, when a Mars sized planet smacked into the Earth. The true purpose of this superlaser comes clearly as a manner in which to protect the populated world from the collision and therefore utter destruction with the non-populated world.

And of course, there's the instance when it appeared that the "Death Star" was approaching the rebel Yavin base to destroy it. How do we know that that was the intent of Grand Moff Tarkin? For all we know he might have been approaching the rebels to offer a compromise cease fire. After all, the rebel interceptors were the one's who fired first. But the story is never told that way. We're told to assume that harm was the goal, when further investigation reveals that it wasn't. Hell, the only reason that Tarkin never got his message of the cease-fire offer out was because the "Death Star" was on the opposite side of a large planet, which would have blocked the radio transmissions, and when the "Death Star" finally did round the planet, we should note that Tarkin even gave orders to transmit the offer, but the rebel pilot destroyed the "Death Star."

Now it might be noted that this rebel pilot was Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, one of the most powerful of these elitist pig Jedi's. But Anakin saw the light of liberation for the masses, and stood with the secular humanist Palpatine to bring about a new order, a meritocracy where you can succeed no matter your parents. Luke, on the other hand was taken under the wing of another "Jedi" Ben Kenobi, far more likely his real name than the ludicrous bit of babble Obi-wan. Kenobi, clearly seeing that the only hope to counter the changes wrought by Palpatine brainwashed Luke into believing in this old and dilapitated system that he supported. Luke naturally took it up, almost worshiping Kenobi as a God figure, even in light of his previous goals to attend the Imperial Naval Academy. (This view of Kenobi as a God figure on Luke's part is only enhanced when Kenobi "sacrificed" himself to Vader's lightsaber, and then reappearing several times as a "ghost") Luke having been indoctrinated into this insane cult, becomes a devout follower. So devout that he'd be willing to sacrifice millions of innocent lives to further his goals.

We might also see Kenobi in another light. Clearly he realized what would happen if Vader struck him down. He even admitted it outright in front of Vader "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could ever imagine." Vader fell right into Kenobi's power play. Kenobi now had a chance to activate his personal cloaking device, and escape to a secret location. The falling clothes are easy to explain, as Kenobi just had them rigged to fall apart at the push of a button, he was most likely wearing some lighter clothes underneath. Once clear of this problem of seeming mortal, he went about attempting to falsely make Luke believe that he was immortal, using a remote hologram projector, he repeatedly brought up an image of himself to make Luke think of him as a wise advisor who would live forever. The image of Kenobi as a Christ figure is also very powerful of a factor for Luke. We see that Kenobi is one of the true power figures in this galaxy.

Thus we can see the intrigues and evils of the rebellion and the jedi, and the truth about the Empire. The immense cover up by the victors, and the resulting situation.

XD, you should call North Korea, they could really make use of your propoganda skills.

Good point... funny to.. don't know if that was the intent. If it was... then you are a perfect example of a Core-Worlder according to Stackpole's "X-Wing Squadron: Rogue Squadron" series as Endor was explained as the Emperor's bid to reach out to the Rebels and the destruction of the "Planetary Mining Facility" was so that it would not fall into the Rebel's hands... since the first "Planetary Mining Facility" was taken by the rebels and used to blow up Alderaan.
Of course, even this assumption that the Death Star is evil and intended for world destruction is silly. If we look further into the matter, we might notice that the "Death Star" is really far more than a weapon. It's clearly a spaceborne humanitarian facility. The sheer distributive capacity for such a creation is incredible. The prescence of so many shuttles and storage areas, shows that really the "Death Star" is intended to support planets that are being hit by starvation and famine. With the facilities aboard the "Death Star" clean water could be provided to the people of disadvantaged planets, and safe haven for those stricken by diesease or political turmoil can also be sought by those attempting to reach the "Death Star." The clear readiness that was shown by the crew when the Millenium Falcon, a notorious drug smuggling ship, I might add, came nearby, to offer aid to what they assumed to be a freighter trying to reach the planet of Alderaan is portrayed as an attempt to cover up the just and righteous destruction of the traitor planet.The Empire should fire their PR man then... the station shouldv'e been called "Relief Station 1" or something harmless like that. Of course, the superlaser poses itself as a serious problem, why would a humanitarian platform have such tremendous firepower? The answer to this question is easy. In an Empire so vast as the one that Palpatine governs, there are most certainly going to be incidents where planets might collide, such as in the scenario that is postulated to be similar to the creation of the moon, when a Mars sized planet smacked into the Earth. The true purpose of this superlaser comes clearly as a manner in which to protect the populated world from the collision and therefore utter destruction with the non-populated world.Rather harsh... after all, the debris from the exploding world would still cause untold numbers of deaths. and should they miss... interesting thought tho.And of course, there's the instance when it appeared that the "Death Star" was approaching the rebel Yavin base to destroy it. How do we know that that was the intent of Grand Moff Tarkin? For all we know he might have been approaching the rebels to offer a compromise cease fire. After all, the rebel interceptors were the one's who fired first. But the story is never told that way. We're told to assume that harm was the goal, when further investigation reveals that it wasn't. Hell, the only reason that Tarkin never got his message of the cease-fire offer out was because the "Death Star" was on the opposite side of a large planet, which would have blocked the radio transmissions, and when the "Death Star" finally did round the planet, we should note that Tarkin even gave orders to transmit the offer, but the rebel pilot destroyed the "Death Star."the order was to fire... the main negotiator I suppose... As the rebels sent their interceptors, the Empire couldv'e sent a shuttle out... if they fired upon it, then the Empire could fight back and show the world the 'Evil' of the rebels... if the shuttle was escorted to Yavin, then they couldv'e done the ceace fire. Poor planing on their negoiator's part...Now it might be noted that this rebel pilot was Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, one of the most powerful of these elitist pig Jedi's. But Anakin saw the light of liberation for the masses, and stood with the secular humanist Palpatine to bring about a new order, a meritocracy where you can succeed no matter your parents. Luke, on the other hand was taken under the wing of another "Jedi" Ben Kenobi, far more likely his real name than the ludicrous bit of babble Obi-wan. Kenobi, clearly seeing that the only hope to counter the changes wrought by Palpatine brainwashed Luke into believing in this old and dilapitated system that he supported. Luke naturally took it up, almost worshiping Kenobi as a God figure, even in light of his previous goals to attend the Imperial Naval Academy. (This view of Kenobi as a God figure on Luke's part is only enhanced when Kenobi "sacrificed" himself to Vader's lightsaber, and then reappearing several times as a "ghost") Luke having been indoctrinated into this insane cult, becomes a devout follower. So devout that he'd be willing to sacrifice millions of innocent lives to further his goals.gotta admit... the killing of those cute jawas and the oppressive Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen didn't help Luke's perception of the world... and daddy shouldn't have cut of Luke's hand before revealing their relationship. they needed councilling... of course, the councilor was fired after trying to get Anakin on a anger management course...We might also see Kenobi in another light. Clearly he realized what would happen if Vader struck him down. He even admitted it outright in front of Vader "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could ever imagine." Vader fell right into Kenobi's power play. Kenobi now had a chance to activate his personal cloaking device, and escape to a secret location. The falling clothes are easy to explain, as Kenobi just had them rigged to fall apart at the push of a button, he was most likely wearing some lighter clothes underneath. Once clear of this problem of seeming mortal, he went about attempting to falsely make Luke believe that he was immortal, using a remote hologram projector, he repeatedly brought up an image of himself to make Luke think of him as a wise advisor who would live forever. The image of Kenobi as a Christ figure is also very powerful of a factor for Luke. We see that Kenobi is one of the true power figures in this galaxy.hmmm... good point... except how did Ben, an obviously old man, run through the laser fight to board the Falcon... and since Anakin appears next to Ben and Yoda at the end of 'Return of the Jedi' it can be speculated that Vader was posing as Palpatine's puppet but was actually an 'inside' man... after all, with Vader pulling some of the strings and being a member of the Jedi Cult, it would explain why a small band of rebels could grow so large. Think about it. He let Luke and co. down onto Endor. he also has a tie with C3PO and R2D2... so he could've informed the R2 unit about the Falcon's hyperdrive... He used Luke as a distraction to get within the Emperor's defenses to kill him... he let Yoda and Ben live (his two 'teachers'). and tried to protect Leia by placing her under his personal supervision at Bespin. Hmmm. now that's a thought.Thus we can see the intrigues and evils of the rebellion and the jedi, and the truth about the Empire. The immense cover up by the victors, and the resulting situation.KAAAAAHHHHHHHNNNNNNN!

oops. wrong series... my bad. :D

First off... very interesting, and a good read to boot. but some points.
actually, Change is good. I really cannot see BLOWING UP AN UNARMED PLANET to get 1 rebel base good. now had they sent forces down there to find the rebels... and 'liberate' the poor Alderrains... that would be different.But if Princess leia lives there then you can automatically assume that it is a rebel stronghold. Not to mention that it may take months or years to track down all the rebels that are operating there. Time the empire doesnt have because it has to deal with thousands of other Anarchists and terrorists who want freedom so that they can rule their own plantes as warlords with no-one to answer to.

I agree with this point... and...they also abandoned their duty. the Senetor (in secret... remember.) asked the Jedi to investigate and to start negotiations... however, when they returned to Coroscant, the Jedi did not report to the Senate... nor to the Senator... they concentrated on little Anakin. leaving poor Princess Amidala (who while being royalty, was in an Elected position.) to plead with the Senate for help on her own. the fact that the Senator did not ask the Two Jedi's to report also shows his lack of power.and their teaching does not promote thinking... remember, it took a child to tell Obi-wan that if the evidence pointed to a planet being there where there was none in the records... then someone 'altered' it. I thought about that the moment the pompous recored keeper put on the airs... and two... the Clones were ordered by another Jedi... and no one knew about it... not even the Jedi council knew about it. 'left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.' To his credit, Yoda did mention the "pompousness" of their Jedi order and wondered if what they were teaching/doing was still right.I believe it's the methods that they were using, not the fact that they wanted to separate, but how they were going about it. but that is my opinion.except for the enslaving of non-humans. The Jedi were certainly not great warrior but pompus pricks who pretty much did what they liked all the time and interefed in business that wasnt their own. If they cant keep their records intact then they shouldnt be protecting the galaxy.
[Empire Strikes Back])It could be argued that this was more to the fact that Luke was Vader's son and that Vader, in trying to save his son's life, would say anything to get his son onto his side... even lie. Besides, all governments want order... it's the method and the control of said order that people disagree onexcept that the disarming of Alderaan was known and done during the age of the Republic. (Again, Canon.) and while Luke's, Aunt and Uncle did harbor the droids, they did so unknowingly. had the stormtroopers explained the Droids background, who's to say that they would've turned em over... Vader knew he could have ended the whole war there if he killed Luke but because he naturally loved his son he let him go and gave him another chance. Fatherly love. I dont agree that all governents want order. Some want to protect capitalist interests or protect their positions. But order not really.

No due process, and you say they're good... don't let those arguing about the US lack of Due process for terrorists see this... :p They threatened Alderaan because it was Leia's home planet... they did know that Alderaan was peaceful, and Destroyed it as an example. Grand Moff Tarken explained that when Leia Named Dantoonie as the rebel base. and again, to find Alderaan Guilty because one of their royal (in name, not power) family was a rebel without investigation is like the US Nuking Afghanistan because the Taliban supported Osama Bin Lauden.Both sides are guilty with that. Ah but you didnt see if the Imperial Army gave Lukes parents a choice or not you only saw there home blown up afterwards. What if the Imperial Army asked them politely and then they refused?

Also, what Grand Moff mentioned was going on with the Senate... each planet had a representative that reported to each planet's government. It's like overthrowing the entire US governemt and declaring a 'New' system where each City will have a leader that will report to a State Moff... who in turn is answerable to the new Governemt. (Mayors, Govenors, Federal) same thing... different name. But it was corrupt and run by incompent officials. Palpatine dissolved the senate and replaced it with a more efficient one.

also I think the point Lucas is trying to portray is not good or evil but balance. Remember, Anakin was suppose to bring balance to the force... with the Jedi Council gone, only Yoda and Obi Wan to train Luke, I believe Luke is the final goal Lucas was trying to bring. In eps 1-3, we see the good being Pompus and Useless. in 4-6, the Empire is Malevolent and Overbearing ... Luke has the benefit of both visions... Old republic Teaching and living under the Empire. so he is able to strike that balance of the 'force' that both sides were missing. just like in today's terminology, a therocarcy may be good for it's people but bad for international relations. while a Government totally devoid of Religion can be immoral to it's people but really good for international relations. what is needed is a balance between the two.

The author can take the Empire... I'll take the New Republic... and hope they learn from those hard taught lessions.Lucas doenst know what he is trying to portray. He puts the good guys as people like Han Solo- a loser and a total prick and a thief. He wants to tell us that people who want order are 'bad' and that anarchism and warlord rule are good. The whole point of a Empire was to create a balance.
Not to mention Anakin has grown up an tatooine a planet ruled by warlords. criminals and violent factions. He suffered so much as a child and both him and his mother were slaves. Both he and Palpatine saw the same problems brewing in the Republic and they needed a way to stop it and bring order to the Galaxy.

Im not convinced of your argument and I still take the Empire

So under Imperial rule, a large group of regional potentates, each with access to a sizable army and star destroyers, runs local affairs. These governors owe their fealty to the Emperor. And once the Emperor is dead, the galaxy will be plunged into chaos.

In all of the time we spend observing the Rebel Alliance, we never hear of their governing strategy or their plans for a post-Imperial universe. All we see are plots and fighting. Their victory over the Empire doesn't liberate the galaxy--it turns the galaxy into Somalia writ large: dominated by local warlords who are answerable to no one.

i want to make a movie of 'the week after the death of the emperor'. you know, when rebel cells all over sweep in to take over the local media and police stations. and when they march 'collaborators' outside and shoot them. speeder bike bombings of military checkpoints, widespread assassinations, confiscation of imperial supporters' property, bands of rebels roaming the streets demanding to search everyone they meet, etc.

Interesting stand... valid, and still interesting.
But if Princess leia lives there then you can automatically assume that it is a rebel stronghold. Not to mention that it may take months or years to track down all the rebels that are operating there. Time the empire doesnt have because it has to deal with thousands of other Anarchists and terrorists who want freedom so that they can rule their own plantes as warlords with no-one to answer to.you are justifying the murder of Billions for the sake of Expediancy?
You also approve of Nuking Afghanistan because Osama Bin Lauden was living there with the blessing of the reigning Government?
You also think that Iraq should've been nuked because a madman who uses Oil-for-food money to pay families of Martyrs who kill Americans?
If the Empire has so much trouble with Anarchists and Terrorists... whom I would add would've been around during the time of the Old Republic to gain the resources to cause the Empire such trouble, then they are proving to be just as effective as the Old Republic. if by your statement of Alderaan is true, then Tatooie would've been first since it took at least 3 Capital ships to keep order on that planet... destroying that planet (a planet Vader was a slave on btw) would've sent word out to the rest that lawlessness wouldn't be tolorated, and freed up those military resources. The Jedi were certainly not great warrior but pompus pricks who pretty much did what they liked all the time and interefed in business that wasnt their own. If they cant keep their records intact then they shouldnt be protecting the galaxy.agreed. the "Old Republic Jedi's" were pompos idiots that couldn't see the Sith when it was right under their noses. Vader knew he could have ended the whole war there if he killed Luke but because he naturally loved his son he let him go and gave him another chance. Fatherly love. I dont agree that all governents want order. Some want to protect capitalist interests or protect their positions. But order not really.Order is Order. Name a Government that does not want order. and I'll show you an Anarchist state that will soon crumble from within. Perhaps you ment to say, a 'Government for the People?' Besides, if Luke was killed at any time, Leia would've been sent to receive instructions... who knows how many other Jedi 'masters' survived Vader's purging... Ah but you didnt see if the Imperial Army gave Lukes parents a choice or not you only saw there home blown up afterwards. What if the Imperial Army asked them politely and then they refused? I think not. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen seem like types that don't want trouble from any source... remember, they didn't want Luke going to the Acadamy... they were trying to raise him as a moisture farmer. Besides, a simple "the droids are not here, my nephew took them with him.. feel free to look around" wouldn't have caused their deaths. and two, if they refused, then arrest (which is still around by the presence of a brig and handcuffs) would've been the proper thing. thus Luke could've been tracked down and the droids retreived. But it was corrupt and run by incompent officials. Palpatine dissolved the senate and replaced it with a more efficient one.As Aunt Beru/Uncle Owen's cooperation or lack there of was not shown, neither was this "efficient' Government. Which, I might add, shows it's failing with the Rebels growing in number with each episode.Lucas doesn't know what he is trying to portray. He puts the good guys as people like Han Solo- a loser and a total prick and a thief. He wants to tell us that people who want order are 'bad' and that anarchism and warlord rule are good. The whole point of a Empire was to create a balance.
Not to mention Anakin has grown up an tatooine a planet ruled by warlords. criminals and violent factions. He suffered so much as a child and both him and his mother were slaves. Both he and Palpatine saw the same problems brewing in the Republic and they needed a way to stop it and bring order to the Galaxy.Han Solo, a loser, theif and Total Prick, changes his life around with the help of the rebels. in the beginning, he thought of no one else but himself and Chewbacca... but at the end, he showed concern for Lea, Lando and everyone else... putting their needs above his own. Can't see the Solo from Eps. 4 loaning the Falcon to anyone in Eps. 6. Two, no where in the Empire's vast and numberous scenes do you see any non-humans in their employ outside of 'Bounty Hunters.' meanwhile, the republic found it's strength in it's diversity. If the Empire cared about the natives, then I think the Ewoks would've been befriended by the Empire and thus not used by the rebels to help defeat the Empire. Three... Tatooie was still a wretched hive of scum and villanry... If Vader felt that strongly about it, there would've been a larger force and Mos Eisley would've been a far different place. also to keep such order at the same time destroying a planet for Expediancy runs contradictory since everyone would then see the Empire as 'Evil' and go running to the Rebels... efficent Government or not.

Keep the Empire... any Government who's home planet celebrates the violent overthrow of it's leader deserves to end.

I've already seen this one refuted at least 2 years ago. Interesting nonetheless.

would be interesting to see if something like this pops up after the sixth movie.