Star Wars: Episode VII: The Nerd Rage Awakens

[Corran Horn]

I'd rather see the Empire done away with entirely. The Galactic Empire itself only existed for 20-odd years anyway, so why would it still be a thing more than 20 years later? As a political institution it was centered around Palpatine personally, and I do not see it surviving past him, unless Leia or Mon Mothma took over as an Empress and kept the power structure intact.

Palpatine may have been the 'glue' that held the Empire together, but it was still such a vast, galaxy-spanning organization that I doubt it simply vanished immediately after Palps' death. An organization that huge is going to take time to die.

Yeah for years I had a problem with as well, but oncve you understand that it is a fantasy it's easier to live with the sudden end of the Empire in ROTJ. And in what movie does it state how big the Empire was anyway?

Presumably the Republic straight-out became the Empire - and that's an awful lot of Senators for it to be small.

 

[InklingStar]

I'd rather see the Empire done away with entirely. The Galactic Empire itself only existed for 20-odd years anyway, so why would it still be a thing more than 20 years later? As a political institution it was centered around Palpatine personally, and I do not see it surviving past him, unless Leia or Mon Mothma took over as an Empress and kept the power structure intact.

Palpatine may have been the 'glue' that held the Empire together, but it was still such a vast, galaxy-spanning organization that I doubt it simply vanished immediately after Palps' death. An organization that huge is going to take time to die.

What I keep coming back to is that the Empire was not a foreign invader that destroyed the Republic - it was the Republic, evolved to a different level. The Rebellion was not a civil war, in my view, but a "rebellion" to restore the Republic to how it was before Palpatine took over. Think of, say, Nazi Germany. Hitler gained power legally through the political system of the Weimar Republic and then transformed it into his Reich. Once Hitler was dead, his Reich was dead too. New leaders took over, and Germany became a republic again. Throughout each change, though, Germany was always Germany.

That's how I see it in Star Wars, though others may disagree. There was always a single entity - Republic ---> Empire ---> New Republic. Any Imperial governors or moffs who held out against the leadership of the New Republic were themselves traitors and rebels.

 

[fireproof78]

I'd rather see the Empire done away with entirely. The Galactic Empire itself only existed for 20-odd years anyway, so why would it still be a thing more than 20 years later? As a political institution it was centered around Palpatine personally, and I do not see it surviving past him, unless Leia or Mon Mothma took over as an Empress and kept the power structure intact.

Palpatine may have been the 'glue' that held the Empire together, but it was still such a vast, galaxy-spanning organization that I doubt it simply vanished immediately after Palps' death. An organization that huge is going to take time to die.

What I keep coming back to is that the Empire was not a foreign invader that destroyed the Republic - it was the Republic, evolved to a different level. The Rebellion was not a civil war, in my view, but a "rebellion" to restore the Republic to how it was before Palpatine took over. Think of, say, Nazi Germany. Hitler gained power legally through the political system of the Weimar Republic and then transformed it into his Reich. Once Hitler was dead, his Reich was dead too. New leaders took over, and Germany became a republic again. Throughout each change, though, Germany was always Germany.

That's how I see it in Star Wars, though others may disagree. There was always a single entity - Republic ---> Empire ---> New Republic. Any Imperial governors or moffs who held out against the leadership of the New Republic were themselves traitors and rebels.

Rome would be another could reference point. The New Republic could be the fallout if Octavius, instead of slaughtering the assassins Julius Ceaser worked to restore the Senate's power and the state of the republic before Ceaser's reign.

Also, power vacuums are not something that go unfilled for long. With all the moffs and regional governors (who held "direct control" of local systems, according to Tarkin). So, those governors might reform and align themselves together to form their own Imperial system.

 

[Ithekro]

The Galactic Empire consists of the Galactic Republic, the defeated Confederacy of Independant Systems, usually called the "Seperatists", worlds they expanded to with their military over the nearly two decades before the destruction the Death Star, and worlds controlled by the former corperations like the Trade Federation, These are nationalized into the Empire, or granted territory within the allied Corperate Sector.

The Galactic Republic had territory across the majority of the Galaxy and into at least one of its satellite galaxies. Some worlds were outside the Republic, though no outside its reach. Tatooine was controlled by the Hutts who were politically outside the Republic, but the planet was within Republic space if it can be reached easily from Naboo by a crippled ship. The war brought the Hutts within the Republics sphere a bit and the aftermath leads the Empire to put garrisons about everyplace the can, even if it is only a squad of stormtroopers and a customs office. The New Order will get everywhere it can reach.

Recall that the Republic in one form or another was around for 1,000 generations with the Jedi being present. So the Republic, in one form of another has been around for around 35,000 years, and it is still around when Palpatine falls. It is just a matter of who is in power and how many systems side with them.

 

[DWF]

Palpatine may have been the 'glue' that held the Empire together, but it was still such a vast, galaxy-spanning organization that I doubt it simply vanished immediately after Palps' death. An organization that huge is going to take time to die.

Yeah for years I had a problem with as well, but oncve you understand that it is a fantasy it's easier to live with the sudden end of the Empire in ROTJ. And in what movie does it state how big the Empire was anyway?

Presumably the Republic straight-out became the Empire - and that's an awful lot of Senators for it to be small.

I didn't say it as small and aparently the Empire could function without the senate.

 

[Mr Light]

He's openly called Darth Vader, and everybody knows the history of the Sith and the Republic wars. The public thinks the Emperor is a regular ole joe though and this is confirmed in the new canon; in the Dark Lords of the Sith novel the Emperor kills any bystanders who see him using his powers.

 

[cooleddie74]

The Emperor uses himself as a symbol and a victim of "the Jedi uprising" to generate support and public sympathy for his newly-expanded and dictatorial powers and to smooth over the rough edges of his transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. The Clone Wars have also just ended with a Republic victory so much of the galactic population is just glad that more than three years of warfare and decades of political corruption have finally come to their conclusions.

Palpatine never told his subjects he was a Dark Lord of the Sith, nor did he have to. To many of them he was a beloved figure who'd brought peace to a galaxy in turmoil and established order after many years of accelerating political corruption. Only those closest to the Emperor knew he was much more than just a gifted and cunning politician.

 

[Rincewiend]

Weeellllll now...

http://io9.com/the-new-in-canon-star-wars-comic-just-did-something-co-1708709628

Marvel’s main Star Wars comic is set just after the destruction of the first Death Star, and the events of A New Hope. So apparently while Han Solo was running Luke and Obi-Wan to Alderaan, he was a married man the entire time. And unless he’s going to get some kind of divorce — which seems like it would be difficult, given that he’d have to file paperwork with the Empire to legal dissolve his union, and he’s a wanted man and all — maybe he was married during Empire Strikes Back, too?!

Of course, there are a few ways this could go. Sana could be crazy and/or mistaken. The marriage may not have been formalized yet, so technically Han isn’t cheating on his spouse when he’s flirting with Leia. Or Sana could die in the near future, leaving Han a widower to make out with any princess he sees fit.

 

[Corran Horn]

Heh - why not just use Salla Zend?

 

[Doctorwhovian]

Yeah, it practically is an update on her. Even some similarities in costume: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Salla_Zend

Maybe it's one of those Koribann/Moriband things.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Maybe they have to pay royalties to Veitch for using her (since it was a 90s DH book)? Or maybe Jason Aaron wants to appear to be original and not appear to be using other people's work or characters.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Heh - why not just use Salla Zend?

Perhaps they didn't want to pay royalties to whoever created the character?

[Edit] What he said above.

 

[Saga]

maybe Corellians have multiple wives.

i know someone is gonna say, but in the old EU...

the old EU is dead.

 

[Corran Horn]

Heh - why not just use Salla Zend?

Perhaps they didn't want to pay royalties to whoever created the character?

[Edit] What he said above.

I think I'd seen that SW and ST particularly didn't work that way because of the novel/comic contracts regarding tie-in work - that possibly that only came into play for television/films.

I imagine Christopher will pop-up to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

And in what movie does it state how big the Empire was anyway?

True enough. In ROTS we see the fall of the Jedi, and we see Anakin become Vader, but we never actually see the Empire form.

And by the time ANH rolls around, we hear about how the Emperor has finally dissolved the Senate. Was he still just pretending to be Chancellor Palpatine that whole time? Did the galaxy know that he was a Sith Lord?

We saw the Empire form in ROTS when Palpatine revealed his scarred face to the Senate. He reformed the Republic into the Empire and became Emperor Palpatine.

Yeah, there's clearly a line in the film: "The Republic will be re-organized into the first Galactic Empire". Anakin and Palpatine also refer to the "new empire".


Palpatine is also referred to as the Emperor by Obi-Wan and Yoda, at least. Although for some reason during the Mustafar fight they start referring to him as Chancellor again. Bit of a goof there I think.

There's also deleted scenes in ROTS that refer to Palpatine establishing the Moffs.

Plus looking at The Clone Wars it seems like he was doing a lot of the ground work laying during the war, so at the point he was probably just changing the names and getting around to offing the Jedi, before starting up the Death Star project.

 

[Unicron]

The Emperor uses himself as a symbol and a victim of "the Jedi uprising" to generate support and public sympathy for his newly-expanded and dictatorial powers and to smooth over the rough edges of his transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. The Clone Wars have also just ended with a Republic victory so much of the galactic population is just glad that more than three years of warfare and decades of political corruption have finally come to their conclusions.

Palpatine never told his subjects he was a Dark Lord of the Sith, nor did he have to. To many of them he was a beloved figure who'd brought peace to a galaxy in turmoil and established order after many years of accelerating political corruption. Only those closest to the Emperor knew he was much more than just a gifted and cunning politician.

You know, I've often wondered about this. We're accustomed to seeing the Jedi as good guys because they're framed that way, but I sometimes have felt we never got a clear picture on how the Order was perceived by the common people. I know Palpatine had propaganda set up to portray some of the slain Jedi as abusing their powers and needing to be put down for that reason, but it's not often we get more perspective.

 

[Mr Light]

Sigh. G**damn social media completely spoiled me on that twist before I could read the comic.

 

[fireproof78]

The Emperor uses himself as a symbol and a victim of "the Jedi uprising" to generate support and public sympathy for his newly-expanded and dictatorial powers and to smooth over the rough edges of his transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. The Clone Wars have also just ended with a Republic victory so much of the galactic population is just glad that more than three years of warfare and decades of political corruption have finally come to their conclusions.

Palpatine never told his subjects he was a Dark Lord of the Sith, nor did he have to. To many of them he was a beloved figure who'd brought peace to a galaxy in turmoil and established order after many years of accelerating political corruption. Only those closest to the Emperor knew he was much more than just a gifted and cunning politician.

You know, I've often wondered about this. We're accustomed to seeing the Jedi as good guys because they're framed that way, but I sometimes have felt we never got a clear picture on how the Order was perceived by the common people. I know Palpatine had propaganda set up to portray some of the slain Jedi as abusing their powers and needing to be put down for that reason, but it's not often we get more perspective.

I honestly would like to see this, especially since there is an interesting juxtaposition between the PT and the OT. In the OT, Han is dismissive of the Jedi as though they are just a legend (which certainly would be the result of Imperial propaganda) when they were a part of a government that rule the galaxy only 30 years ago

Seriously? Did the Empire so neatly decimate all stories of the Jedi that everyone went *shrug* Guess I just imagined that.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The Emperor uses himself as a symbol and a victim of "the Jedi uprising" to generate support and public sympathy for his newly-expanded and dictatorial powers and to smooth over the rough edges of his transformation of the Republic into the Galactic Empire. The Clone Wars have also just ended with a Republic victory so much of the galactic population is just glad that more than three years of warfare and decades of political corruption have finally come to their conclusions.

Palpatine never told his subjects he was a Dark Lord of the Sith, nor did he have to. To many of them he was a beloved figure who'd brought peace to a galaxy in turmoil and established order after many years of accelerating political corruption. Only those closest to the Emperor knew he was much more than just a gifted and cunning politician.

You know, I've often wondered about this. We're accustomed to seeing the Jedi as good guys because they're framed that way, but I sometimes have felt we never got a clear picture on how the Order was perceived by the common people. I know Palpatine had propaganda set up to portray some of the slain Jedi as abusing their powers and needing to be put down for that reason, but it's not often we get more perspective.

I honestly would like to see this, especially since there is an interesting juxtaposition between the PT and the OT. In the OT, Han is dismissive of the Jedi as though they are just a legend (which certainly would be the result of Imperial propaganda) when they were a part of a government that rule the galaxy only 30 years ago

Seriously? Did the Empire so neatly decimate all stories of the Jedi that everyone went *shrug* Guess I just imagined that.

Which certainly would be the result of Imperial propaganda?!? No, I don't think so. There's nothing in the OT that necessitates Imperial propaganda being either the direct or indirect source of Han's skepticism in the Force. In fact, Han claims direct experience, in having flown from one end of the galaxy to the other, and having never seen anything to make him believe in the Force. Granted, it's possible that he was influenced by Imperial propaganda, but that possibility alone does not make his attitude "certainly" the result of it. On the other hand, no doubt Imperial propaganda did generally have the effect of making at least some people skeptical in the Jedi and the Force.

 

[Ithekro]

The Clone Wars likley tainted the older views of the Jedi in the Republic. The Chancellor could have been making sure that the spin was making it look like it was the Jedi's war. It was their fault it was going on. They started it. Add to this a decade, then two decades of the same lies being told again and again.

Add to that most people in the galaxy, would never have seen a Jedi. There were 10,000 Jedi at the start of the war. There are millions of planets in the Republic, with quadrillions or more beings. The likelihood any one of them saw a Jedi is slim outside a holo-production or newsfeed.

Though I wonder about the tales of Skywalker and Kenobi. They were supposely the high point of the Jedi during the war and useful for propaganda purposes (to keep people invested in the war effort).