Was the Empire really that bad?

Originally posted by Gideon
And patently false.

With deepest respect to Sirs Ushgarak and REX, I have never got the impression that the Galactic Empire and its employees and loyalists were wholly evil. As George Lucas and other characters reiterate as a mantra, "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." So the idea that the Empire is absolutely evil is, in itself, an evil and false idea.

I dont believe Palpatine, or the Sith, are evil, or even entirely self serving. In Dark Lord: TRODV, near the end, Palpatine says that someone needs to rule without any ethical or moral guidelines for the good of the people. He saw himself as fit enough to take that responsibility. He probably saw himself as a necessary evil.

Tarkin? He followed his golden rule: Rule through fear of force, not force itself. He was just trying to get control of the people and stop the rebellion, which were terrorists. They weren't exactly the angels in white the OT has made them out to be. They hid within the civillian population, killed imperials simply for being imperials, and the like. much like real terrorists. Sure, their command was pretty good, mostly, but they weren't at all morally clean.

Originally posted by Null ARC Avis
I dont believe Palpatine, or the Sith, are evil, or even entirely self serving. In Dark Lord: TRODV, near the end, Palpatine says that someone needs to rule without any ethical or moral guidelines for the good of the people. He saw himself as fit enough to take that responsibility. He probably saw himself as a necessary evil.

Tarkin? He followed his golden rule: Rule through fear of force, not force itself. He was just trying to get control of the people and stop the rebellion, which were terrorists. They weren't exactly the angels in white the OT has made them out to be. They hid within the civillian population, killed imperials simply for being imperials, and the like. much like real terrorists. Sure, their command was pretty good, mostly, but they weren't at all morally clean.

But the thing that makes the Rebellion the "GOOD GUYS| is that they were strveing for the GOOD of the Galaxy but in the RIGHT way the Empire was striveing for the GOOD of the Galaxy in the WRONG way the way THEY thought was right not what the REST of the Galaxy thought was right...such as Slavery...What had the wookiees done to them? but no they enslaved them for labor..they destroyed Alderaan tell me please tell me what good does it serve to destroy an ENTIRE planet just for a show of force and a interrogation tactic...The Empire had a good Order Structure but they were going about it the WRONG way thats what makes them Evil. Dont forget either that an Imperial walking down the street would gun down a Rebel just as a Quick as the Rebel would the Storm Trooper.

well if you were walking down the street and saw a member of Al-Quaida, you wouldn't stop and ask him why he was doing what he was doing, you would kill him on the spot.

Originally posted by Null ARC Avis

I dont believe Palpatine, or the Sith, are evil, or even entirely self serving.

Eh?

The dark side of the Force is unnatural (George Lucas has stated that the 'true' side of the Force is the light side) and all who adhere to it do so for selfish reasons. While allegiance to a government may not be absolutely amoral, allegiance to the dark side does. No matter for what reason -- the dark side always ends with its users going down a path for power and nothing more. As far as Palpatine himself is concerned, the Force itself couldn't tolerate the man. He orchestrated the two galactic-spanning wars to establish his unprecedented state of power, toppled an ancient order and the government it served for no other purpose than because he felt he deserved its leadership. His ultimate intentions were no less than the incorporation of the universe into his consciousness; apoethesis.

Palpatine was a monster. The monster.