CloseInsider posted: A non-pacifist, aggressive state? A state not recognizing leadership? The Empire could have done more in the Outer Rim than blowing up a peaceful planet.
BobaMatt posted:Or at least so long as there's a threat to stability that the supporters of the Empire can see as potentially worse than the Empire itself?
BobaMatt posted:My point was that the government can't run at top efficiency if everyone hates him and is willing to fight. If everyone hates him and is willing to be a pacifist about it, no problem, but I'm sure he'd rather not pay for new Star Destroyers, if it can be avoided. Unless Palpatine was merely insane.
Charlemagne19 posted:[quote=CloseInsider] A non-pacifist, aggressive state? A state not recognizing leadership? If the Empire destroys the non-pacifist planets, who would they fight. By destroying Alderaan and Caamas, the Empire effectively destroys any chance that opposition to the Empire will not be militant. They will successfully radicalize the entirety of the galaxy's dissidents to violence as a means of fighting.
Charlemagne19 posted:It's not crazy or EVIL for its own sake. But its a man rationally getting benefits for murder.
BobaMatt posted: Absolutely. I just disagree with the assertion that the only way for the Empire to work is for the inhabitants of the Empire to all hate Palpatine and wish to demonstrate that anger violently, somehow. It doesn't seem to be efficient.
Charlemagne19 posted:BobaMatt posted: Absolutely. I just disagree with the assertion that the only way for the Empire to work is for the inhabitants of the Empire to all hate Palpatine and wish to demonstrate that anger violently, somehow. It doesn't seem to be efficient. Actually, my point is that even if they did, so long as Palpatine had them under control and feeding his need for life energy or other projects then it doesn't MATTER whether they hate him or not. I do, however, believe that if Palpatine had the chance to make an idyllic peaceful state of loyal Imperial citizenry then he would not do it because that would make the Empire into something valueless to what he requires.
Jedimarine posted:Carnage04 posted: The Empire's treatment of the Noghri. Totally agree. But you're right, peoples opinion of evil are very different. Personally, I find the more abusive and manipulative corruptions of life to be more "evil" then the killing, even on a planetary scale. Imagine how many souls over the years have suffered "entechment"...they didn't die, just were forcibly and by all accounts brutally extracted from their bodies and served as "slave" consciousnesses in machines...death would be prayed for. Another to add would be Vong-forming...especially in the prolonged stages when it literally transformed intelligent beings with thoughts into mindless beasts of burden and fodder. The alchemic experiments on the Sith species...the Massassi. Heck...let's not forget the Krytos Virus...it lead to death, but certainly not gently. Another prolonged death...The Night Cloak...I think that one get's dismissed because we didn't really get to see it in effect...but used to it's full extent...awful and just "overly" cruel in it's "inefficiency".
Carnage04 posted: The Empire's treatment of the Noghri.
BobaMatt posted: And my point is that they could be peaceful out of fear and hate him quietly. My disagreement was with your statement that the Empire needs unilateral militant opposition to function and so blows up dissenting pacifists, because that's not an efficient way to hold on to control.
MercenaryAce posted: To Charles: Well, who says they need a REAL enemy? If they can control the media entirely, then it would be easy to make up some fictional group, say your fighting it, and then give out fat paychecks to your buddies.