Why an empire?

[AdmiralToguroAni]

This thought occurred to me. The Emperor was around 50-60 years old. I'm going to say 55 in Phantom Menace and 65-70 (forgot how long the Ep.2-3 gap was) in Episode II when he becomes the emperor. Even if I'm off by 10 years, it doesnt really matter. My question is, why would Palpatine want to build an empire? Here are my thoughts:

 

He's so smart that he's able to orchestrate the war, and hold an Empire for 20 years. The whole thing seems to well planned for the purpose of sitting on a throne saying "Overlord! Overlord! OVERLORD!!!!" He had to have had a reason to do it.

 

He uses his apprentices, teaching them only what they need to serve him, then discarding them. This seems to say that he doesn't want to strengthen the Sith, but that he uses his Sith powers and apprentices as a means to some other end.

 

Does he believe that the universe would benefit under one ruler with almighty power? That under an empire, the universe would be more secure, and overall, a better place? Perhaps, but we don't get the impression that he's trying to make the galaxy a better place from his time in the senate.

 

Is he xenophobic and the Empire is a means to quash/suppress alien races? Again, possibly. However, most of the mention of the Empire's xenophobia stems from the Expanded Universe, likely drawing from the fact that all of the Imperial Officers were white male humans. However, The Prequel trilogy refutes this by having Palpy have an alien apprentice and his senate aids were all alien.

 

In the expanded universe, we discover Palpatine has clones all over the place. By using the EU we can conclude that he intended to rule forever. In the movies alone, however, its pretty obvious that Palpy doesnt have long to live in ROTJ. His second in command is his apprentice, and I doubt Vader could be a bureacrat. So, why do you think he started the empire?

[Evaders99]

The Empire was anti-alien. It's policies deliberately set aliens as second-rate citizens. There were things like alien exclusion acts, alien interment camps, and outright slavery.

 

Palpatine himself wasn't anti-alien. But he used this to prop up his Empire by making aliens the enemy. He essentially created the CIS to be all aliens, so he could start the war against them. The Senate became human dominated, the military was exclusively human. Few ever reached high ranks.. those like Thrawn were promoted by Palpatine's word.

 

If you've read Revenge of the Sith, the novel, this is exactly what he promises Count Dooku... a human-run galaxy. Ultimately he believes that is what would give the galaxy order... unfortunately he believed that Sidious intended to give him leadership in this human Empire, wasn't to be the case.

[Guest Scathane]

Moreover, I think it's taking it a bit far to say that the ultimate goal of the sith is peace...

 

Welcome to our community HerrGeneral...

[HerrGeneral]

I am yet to read the novel, although I have heard good things about it. But, this is EU after all and if not mentioned in any films or by Lucas it is debatable. However, I don't doubt their was anti-alien personnel in the empire's service.

 

As for Palps wanting peace, I believe so. Only his version of it. For example, take Hitler (whom I believe Palps and his Empire/Reich is based upon, the similarities are scary!) when he came to power he wanted peace and order. However, this was at the cost of discriminating against those who he saw as the enemy: Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals ect.

[Guest Scathane]

With regard to the racial issue, my lack of knowledge prevents me from arguing any further. Wikipedia has a nice entry on it, though...

 

On to the peace argument, then... I don't think that Palpatine sought any balance whatsoever, I think he was rather pursuing ultimate power, dominance and control from a purely egotistical motivation...

[AdmiralToguroAni]

If we go by that like of canon, then I believe the G-Canon Empire (thats just the movies, right?) isnt anti-alien. HerrGeneral makes some good points about that.

 

Sure the novelization has Palpatine promising Dooku a human-run galaxy, but the novelization and the movie have different events in them: Windu letting the lightning harmlessly course through him in the book vs. blocking it with his saber in the movie. The evidence from the movies doesn't suggest a human empire.

 

The EU, however, has a lot of stuff about it. I tend to include the EU in my view of star wars because I love SotE and Dark Empire, but these books weren't produced by Lucas. Thats why they have good writing.

[HerrGeneral]

I like most EU. The Republic and Empire Series by Dark Horse Comics I count as cannon. I have no real problem with EU, Only when it contradicts the films, or is way to far stretched.....even for Star Wars.

[AdmiralToguroAni]

I go with the whole Parallel universe idea. The movies are one thing, and the EU has the events in the movies, and then some. I'm just sad that Bevel Lemelisk isn't deemed worthy to have designed the Death Star. That honor goes to some grasshoppers.

[Darth_spartacus]

YES i was extremely disapointed when they credited the death star to the Geonosians... But i just wanted to make refrence to Palpy promising an anti-alien empire to count dooku... In Zahns Vision of the Future i beleive it was either Voss Parck or Mara Jade spoke of the fact that Palpy would promise his subordinates what they wanted in order to blind them to his own ambitions i.e. He promised Thrawn: an empire of stability... Vader: power....

[HerrGeneral]

YES i was extremely disapointed when they credited the death star to the Geonosians... But i just wanted to make refrence to Palpy promising an anti-alien empire to count dooku... In Zahns Vision of the Future i beleive it was either Voss Parck or Mara Jade spoke of the fact that Palpy would promise his subordinates what they wanted in order to blind them to his own ambitions i.e. He promised Thrawn: an empire of stability... Vader: power....

 

 

This is believable.