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 | The Empire ~ Good? Bad? Both? |
 When I watched Star Wars for the first time, I saw a clear message... Jedi - Good Guys, Empire - Bad Guys. From the movies, we see that there is a struggle against the Empire, a Galactic Civil War. The reason? To achieve freedom from oppression and domination.
But as I look more and more at the opinions of others, I find that some actually justify the Empire. What I see as black and white, others see as gray.
Some argue that the Empire was not an evil organization, but one of order... a necessary fixture in an otherwise out-of-control galaxy. They argue that the Empire was made up of hard working people looking to provide for their family while serving the needs of others. Some call the Death Star a government building that was destroyed by terrorists.
Now, people are free to interpret the Star Wars saga as they wish, but is the above interpretations realistic? Can one honestly say that the Empire was needed?
They seem to forget what the Empire replaced... peace and order. Sure, there was war and unrest right before the institution of the Empire, but it was an orchestration of a con man... a game that was rigged. Palpatine controlled both sides of the board. And when he was finished with his game, he murdered the main pieces on that board... Jedi and Separatist alike.
Those who defend the Empire often use the Clone Wars as an example of uncontrolled conflict under the watch of the Republic. But they seem to forget the thousand years of peace before that. Some do recall that fact, but don't care.
Which brings us to a main reason why some support the Empire... they hate the Jedi. They don't care what the Empire entails, as long as the "arrogant" Jedi were dead. I just don't get that sentiment. But, I will go into more detail about "Jedi vs. Sith" in a future blog in an effort to stick to the main point here.
My questions about this subject are...
Are the subjects of the Empire really helping the citizens of the Republic?
Was the Death Star really just a building that housed government officials?
Was the murder of the Jedi and Separatists justified?
Does the Saga make room for shades of gray?
Can the Alliance rightly be labeled as a terrorist organization?
Was the destruction of Alderaan a necessary act against terrorists?
I know how I would answer these questions. How would you answer them?
More opinions can be found here...
Bring back the Empire!! [TDE]
The Empire are actually the good guys! [TDE]
Which side do you like better? Rebel Alliance or The Empire [TDE]
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http://blogs.starwars.com/MasterOptician/7 |
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Padaweirdo
Weird Like My Father Before Me (Currently In Exile On Dagobah, Be Back Soon...?)
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date Posted: Dec 24, 2008 9:55 PM
Hey MO!
Ok, great discussion topics, let's see....
Not really sure what the first question is asking exactly...
The Death Star wasn't just a building that housed government officials, although that was a secondary purpose. But a station with the word "Death" in it's name is pretty obviously not something nice. It was also a weapon of mass destruction, capable of destroying entire planets.
Continued below...
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Padaweirdo
Weird Like My Father Before Me (Currently In Exile On Dagobah, Be Back Soon...?)
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date Posted: Dec 24, 2008 9:57 PM
The murder of Jedi and Separatists wasn't even close to justified. The entire Clone Wars were masterminded by Palpatine in his evil plan to take over the galaxy. Their lives meant nothing to him. And the Empire wasn't even a good replacement for the Republic. Excepting Palpatine's greed, there was no justifiable cause for replacing the Republic with an Empire.
The Saga is filled with shades of grey. It can be interpreted in any number of ways, but leaves plenty of room for shades of grey, just like real life. That's one of the best things about Star Wars, that no one is perfect, and no one (or almost no one) is completely evil. It is very realistic and true to life.
Continued below...
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Padaweirdo
Weird Like My Father Before Me (Currently In Exile On Dagobah, Be Back Soon...?)
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date Posted: Dec 24, 2008 9:58 PM
The Alliance could be labeled as a terrorist organization. From the point of view of the Empire, that's exactly what the Alliance is. They destroyed Imperial installations and Imperial property, trying to strike fear into the Empire in order to destroy it.
The destruction of Alderaan was the most terrible waste of life in the Saga. They had done nothing to deserve it, they hadn't prepared for it, and they didn't even see it coming. It could not be justified in any way. There was one "terrorist" from Alderaan, but that didn't mean that Alderaan was a rebel base or that it was worth destroying the entire planet.
That's what I have to say about it. I'm looking forward to see what others think...
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Darth_Hiram
A Journey into The Force
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date Posted: Dec 24, 2008 10:17 PM
Good to see you, MO!
Interesting questions you pose. The Empire is viewed as mostly evil .. due directly to Sidious being at the helm I think. Would anyone else in the GFFA have the guts and the patience to do what he did to acheive and keep power? Perhaps. But his machinations were what directly made the Empire what it was. He bred evil and encouraged it ... including the Death Star. It was a governement building ... but its purpose was purely for destruction.
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Darth_Hiram
A Journey into The Force
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date Posted: Dec 24, 2008 10:29 PM
As for the murder of Jedi and Separtists ... I don't think any murder is justified. To take another's life through one's own will is not right. In life and the GFFA, death should be left to fate, destiny, a higher power, and the Force, IMO.
I don't think the destruction of Alderaan was necessary. It was only a power play by Tarkin to flex the muscles of the Empire when he thought Leia was telling him the truth about Dantooine. He was trying to keep the upper hand in their game and killed millions of innocent people who may or may not have had anything to do with the conflict.
Good blog, MO!
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Gidrea Lightsky
The Galaxy According to Gidrea
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date Posted: Dec 25, 2008 7:18 AM
Some argue that the Empire was not an evil organization, but one of order... a necessary fixture in an otherwise out-of-control galaxy.
Hmmm, a similar description was used for the Nazis!
Yes, some people hate the Jedi, which I totally don't understand, since not only are they the heroes of the saga (LUKE!) they are totally cool!  But seriously, the Jedi were self-sacrificing, brave, loyal, dedicated, etc. Dedicated to peace and justice! Or as Mace Windu said, "we fight for civilziation!"
There are always those fans who prefer the "bad guys" and the Empire was definitely the bad guys, just as they resent the heroes. That's just how it is.
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DJ Maul: Got Feet?
DJ Maul's Dancin' Cantina Party
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date Posted: Dec 25, 2008 7:10 PM
its simple, really: the Empire DECEIVED its citizens; it preached Peace Through Force but in reality was enslaving entire races and lets not forget, DESTROYING entire planets.
Even if Alderaan was housing "rebel dissidents" against The Empire, did that JUSTIFY the destruction of the entire planet? of course not.
Palpatine didnt care about PEACE, he cared about POWER, and CONTROL by FEAR.
and thats wrong by any civilized standards.
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 11:52 AM
Hmmm... you raise some very interesting questions, that are very important to the saga as a whole. (I picture my responses getting very long, so I apologize now... )
They argue that the Empire was made up of hard working people looking to provide for their family while serving the needs of others
Usually I'm a very black and white person... I have one opinion on something and I usually don't waver. But when it comes to SW - and especially the Empire - this seems to stop.
CONT'D
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 11:52 AM
That being said, I don't think you can blame any of the people who worked for the Empire. Was every single German solider during WWII evil? No - they were just doing what they thought their country required of them at the time. And somehow I highly doubt that all the galaxy knew their empire was being ruled by a maniac Sith who didn't care about anyone but himself.
Also, people in the GFFA did see the Empire as a stop to war and corruption, because they didn't know who orchestrated the Clone Wars and why - there was no way they could understand!
So I don't really understand when people say that everyone in the Empire was evil...
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 11:58 AM
Was the Death Star really just a building that housed government officials?
Of course not! It was a blatant display of power from the Emperor used to instill fear in the citizens of the galaxy. But the citizens who signed up for the Empire didn't think one day, "Oh! I think I'll join the Empire so I can see them blow up a planet!". They were just thrust into a less-then-opportune situation (as was the whole galaxy).. heck, Han was a member of the Empire for a time, and the only thing LUKE wanted was to join the Empire (before they murdered his family and mentor, of course.  )
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 11:59 AM
Does the Saga make room for shades of gray?
I think one of the whole points of the Saga is to show that there are different sides to every story. Look at it this way - in 1983, people thought that Vader was evil and that's all there really was to it. But then the prequels came out and we had to forget everything we thought we knew - we had to re-evaluate the one-sided opinion we once held and move closer to the gray area.
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 12:03 PM
Can the Alliance rightly be labeled as a terrorist organization?
Terrorist Organization: a political movement that uses terror as a weapon to achieve its goals (dictionary.com)
Using this definition, it would be the Empire itself classified as a terrorist organization. However, the citizens of the Empire were so bombarded by the Emperor's propaganda that I'm sure they believed (a good majority of them, and to some extent) the Alliance was a threat to their society. Not everyone's planet was destroyed, mind you, and some people may not even have noticed the difference between the Republic and the Empire.
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 30, 2008 12:03 PM
Well, you've made me think a lot about this, MO! As usual, great blog, and as always I look forward to reading more! MTFBWY, A!
(and sorry for taking up so much space! =S)
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Caprimulgus Vociferus
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date Posted: Jun 01, 2009 2:31 AM
I always saw the Empire as the good guys. They're just trying to preserve order and peace. Some might say, "But look at the destruction of Alderaan!" Well, they were at war. They needed to make an example of those who are not loyal. They needed to inspire fear. What gave the Rebels the right to think that they can "change the galaxy"? So what if someone doesn't like the Empire? They should just get over it! What makes them any better than Jabba the Hutt's gang and other criminal organizations? What the Rebels did was just as illegal! They were hypocrites! "No, you can't just blow up a planet! It's morally wrong! Now, let's go destroy that space station that houses like a milion people or something like that! That's justified!"
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Caprimulgus Vociferus
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date Posted: Jun 01, 2009 2:31 AM
Very nice blog, by the way! 
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Master Optician
The Voice of Clarity
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date Posted: Jun 30, 2009 10:13 AM
They're just trying to preserve order and peace.
I think there was more to the Empire than that.
Very nice blog, by the way!
Thanks!
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