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Completely open-ended question. No SJW jokes. Was Sheev's iron fist rule really all that bad for the common, non-idealist person? How was the economy? Security? These are things most prioritize before political ideals.

The Empire was pretty forwardly racist/specist against non-humans. Iirc, it was more difficult for aliens to make it in the world than humans. As for economy or security though, on a large scale, it doesn't seem like it was bad. The Empire may have misused some of its funds, but it had a lot of money regardless, and until the Rebellion, security for imperial citizens wasn't a problem, at least not on a large scale. Which isn't including any dick moves the imperial military itself may have pulled.

I'd say it was overall more effective than the Republic was, and speaking objectively, the Empire wasn't really "evil", since morality and ethics are pretty subjective. The only thing that really might make the Empire evil is its leadership, the Sith, which are pretty much stereotypical evil people.

It's probably comparable to Stalinist Russia in how it might have been good with respects to economy and security (well, I actually don't know but I assume so) but it was incredibly repressive and authoritarian.

Well the biggest problem is that in both Canon and Legends, Palpatine's ultimate goal was to become some sort of God and absorb the universe.

Well I mean the Empire could just come in on your home planet and start enforcing its rule upon it, with a Moff being incharge of an entire sector while a Governor runs the planet or system. Granted if the planet already supports the Empire, they usually just leave the planetary government alone unless it conflicts with the Empire's ideals and all that, then they'll step in. But the Empire will take resources from the planet if it suits the Empire.

Slavery being another thing.

Granted it wasn't all bad, Piett started out in the Outer Rim where his sector of it was completely secure, an impressive feat given the Outer Rim isn't exactly nice and generally uncontrollable.

Just about all the worlds the Empire controlled had Imperial Army bases where they trained the local forces and supplemented the defense forces in case of an invasion. So that's another + given that even the Imperial Army is highly rigorous and well trained.

Still I mean you had to watch what you say or do, if you didn't ruffle anyone's feathers, speak out against the Empire, harbor fugitives/Rebel sympathizers, any contraband, etc then you really had no fear of the Empire. If you're told to do something, then they expect you to do it however, otherwise you'll end up in prison or just get executed.

Security and Economy wise it wasn't bad, in fact security wise it was better than the Republic was.

The empire was, in a word, horrible. Many among the ranks of the empire were openly racist against aliens to the point where it was something like the fourties for the blacks. I remember that they burned Kashykk to the ground twice and took wookie slaves both times. There are dozens of examples of them not only letting slavery slip, but actively endorsing it.

They constantly enforced their rule by way of force rather than negotiation. Remember what happened to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru? That sh*t was happening all over the place. Soldiers of the empire regularly got away with murder. Not only that, but they actively dealt with crimelords.

They put leadership in the hands of completely corrupt officials in the form of the Moffs. Remember how Tarkin blew up a planet full of pacifists and regularly believed in invading places that didn't follow everything that they said to the letter? He wasn't just some random Moff either. He was the guy that many Moffs looked up to.

The empire was a god awful abomination where peace went to die. My only regret is that the few good people that worked for the empire had to die with it when it went up in flames.

Originally posted by The Ellimist
Well the biggest problem is that in both Canon and Legends, Palpatine's ultimate goal was to become some sort of God and absorb the universe.

Didn't he try to turn the universe into a dark side nexus rather than absorb it?

The economy was going pretty good... on Alderaan.

The Empire liquidated the planet.

The Death Star ensured it remained... cash solvent.

Too bad the Death Star took a whole day to recharge. It must've been pretty taxing to destroy Alderaan.

Alderaan was actually abandoned. Destroying it kept the squatters from moving in and lowering neighboring galactic property values.

Originally posted by SunRazer
The Empire liquidated the planet.

The way the Republic is portrayed in the EU makes the Empire seem just as valid for the people in comparison; Order over Chaos and all that but with freedom comes chaos a lot of the time so I think thats the main factor in deciding which you think was good or bad... Are you the type that would sacrifice certain freedoms for peace and safety?

Originally posted by relentless1
The way the Republic is portrayed in the EU makes the Empire seem just as valid for the people in comparison; Order over Chaos and all that but with freedom comes chaos a lot of the time so I think thats the main factor in deciding which you think was good or bad... Are you the type that would sacrifice certain freedoms for peace and safety?

Interestingly enough, that's exactly what's said about the Empire, certain freedoms had to be given up for security.



Of course with all the things the Empire did, they were still pretty bad.

If the empire wouldn't be ruled by a decripit man; things would have been even better.

Among slavery, racism, letting stormtroopers get away with atrocities, restrictive control of people's lives, destruction of property upon will, buying out people and companies they didn't agree with, and lack of regard for the life of the people, there was Project StarScream, a series of unconcentual experiments on the populace which was done to create an army of supersoldiers including a living planet which ate people (D'Vourn), reanimated dead, a plague virus, a machine which brought about your greatest fears, and an army of living weapons which killed all in their path. And of course, there was the death star. The empire ruled through fear, making their subjects subordinate to their will. That's just what palpatine wanted, control. And he wasn't going to use it for anything, he just wanted to feel powerful.