ST The Empire in the ST

I hope we see some "imperial stuff" in the teaser.

 

Was it MSW that reported in the past few months that the "Empire" is not the Empire we knew but more made up of factions scattered throughout the galaxy in forms like insurgent groups? Maybe I'm mistaken but I believe that's what's been described.

I believe that's the only way having the Empire could work. Forget historical contexts but rather go with what works best with SW and the fantasy it is. An underground group that is "taken over" by a new Sith, maybe eventually leading to an alliance between the two factions fighting against the Sith later on.

 

It makes more sense for the Empire, even as it exists in the sequel trilogy, to be one functioning entity. It's easier for your average fan/moviegoer to follow.

Be it the fellow with the red saber, or some Moffs, admirals and generals, someone is leading them. There probably are pocket movements, but only because their territory is most likely split up around the galaxy. (IE: Imperial forces in the outer rim are cut off from Imperial forces in the core, but they still function as one.)

 

Well. Stormtroopers, Tie-Fighters. Looks like the EMPIRE to me. Again maybe not as strong as the one before but the Empire is definitely back in the sequel trilogy.

 

There's a long timeframe between the Battle of Endor and now. If you think about it, the Clone wars, reformation from Republic to Empire and subsequent civil war with notable battles like Yavin, Hoth and many others, until Endor, also took place within 30 years. There is so much that could have happened to the Empire. But contrary to them, the Rebels threw everything they had in that fight, while the Empire still was firmly in control over their territory, just in a state of chaos. It could have adopted many forms of leadership & government to cope with infighting, while the Rebellion still saw them as illegitimate and basically stayed pretty much the same, only even more militaristic and keen on using this chaos to their advantage. I'd be surprised if the Rebels aren't a larger force by now at the very least.

If the Empire is still called the actual "Galactic Empire", you can't really think of one without an actual emperor. One who, again, may be self proclaimed and not necessarily backed by everyone, and with aspiring Moffs, advisors, royal guards, inquisitors and intelligence officers ready to fill up the power vacuum that wouldn't be surprising . By this time, it is likely that whatever it is the galaxy wide government has been stabilized for a little while now, only with sweeping changes. I do expect the current Empire's leadership not to be as much in the drivers seat as Palpatine ever was, and if there is a resurgent Sith duo out there, they will likely try to go for this opportunity and take it over. If there is a Remnant, much like the Mandalorian clans, they'll be reunited under one banner...

I do hope they take some time to explain how these events have shaped both sides and how the galaxy itself reacted to this. For all we know the Rebels might not even be the rebels anymore but rather their self established Republic filling up a portion of it. I'll be looking for the opening crawl for a update how the war has been going. They really don't have to make a grand show of politics, just enough to give people an idea how they fared. And make correct, realistic adjustments. Presenting the Empire the exact same way is underestimating it's fans and even casual people. If you think just a little you know the Battle of Endor was another setback, but really not enough to get rid of them for good, even if the ending of ROTJ made it seem that way...

I don't expect the Alliance and the Empire to be the only parties involved, though. There was enough chaos for underworld organizations like Black Sun & Hutts, even Mandalorians to make their own moves in some way. Much like the Roman Empire had more and more trouble keeping barbarians at bay at it's last few decades. (The history of which may have a lot of similiarities)

 

I wonder if it's still the Galactic Empire or something smaller like the Imperial Remnant.

 

I can imagine a political battle between Leia and the new Emperor.

 

Just in terms of basic worldbuilding the galactic situation shouldn't be identical to where it was thirty years before. In the PT the heroes fought for the long-established Republic against well funded business leaders attempting to secede from the central government. In the OT the heroes fought for an outmatched rebellion out to overthrow the established Empire and replace it with the Republic. In the ST they need to give us a different setting. I think that a new and insecure Republic trying to defend itself against the insurgency of a more chaotic and fragmented Empire would be interesting. It's not something we've seen before in Star Wars. If they do have a single united Empire it risks becoming too similar to just an inverted OT situation.

 

Maybe. Without the EU Legends material to inform us, it's hard to say but my original understanding is that Palpatine pretty much centralized power around himself so much so that when he died, he's more or less take the Empire with him. In the absence of a strong figurehead to succeed him, I question how long the Empire could maintain its control over a huge swath of planets. Palpatine's rule only technically lasted, what, 23 years total? Not a whole lot of time when you think about it. B

 

Having the Empire as one united force that compares to what it was in the OT would (a) be lazy storytelling, (b) negate anything accomplished by ROTJ, (c) would seem to me to be ridiculous after 30 years, (d) would show no progress in storytelling, and (e) would make it seem repetitive and as if the Empire would and could never be defeated so there would be no point in continuing.

As far as comparisons to history: there are as many cases where Empires completely collapsed as there are cases where they continued. This that argument pretty much cancels itself out. Besides, we're talking about fantasy and not reality.

Now, having the residual Empire act as the new "Rebels" to the mighty "Republic" who is now seen as an Empire in itself? That's different. Having the remnants of the Empire eventually join the Republic to finally defeat the Sith once and for all? That's also enticing.

 

I am stumped... When casting was announced I was sure MVS would be an imperial commander like Tarkin...or a sith lord -he just looks right for both parts! But apparently he is neither. So then i thought maybe Serkis would be a character similar to Tarkin -negative.

So will we have anyone playing imperials???

 

GC seems to be plausibly connected with them. And we still don't know who MVS is playing yet. He could be an Imperial officer. I'd be a little disappointed but it would be possible.

 

This is what I have always assumed. Palpatine WAS the Empire. Without him or Darth Vader, who would step up to carry on the legacy and why would they do it?

As we see from the new trailer it looks like the Empire will be alive and well 30 years after Return of the Jedi. What state it will be in I don't know, but somebody had to have stepped up to the plate.

 

I think he decentralized power more than centralized it, by giving the regional governors control over their systems and taking the power from the Senate. In the absence of a strong leader and the fear that Vader could command that would quickly dissolve, which I think is more or less what you're saying. However one truth about decentralized governments is that they're a lot harder to eradicate completely. Local rulers are essentially kings of their own territories so you have to conquer each one in turn, and that could take time. There would also be various alliances between warlords to counter the threat of the Rebellion. Maybe even a council of sorts strangely similar to the old Senate where representatives of the various warlords could meet up to discuss matters of importance to all. Either way I could imagine the Rebels taking quite a long time to completely conquer every last fragment of the Empire. Gotta admit I always thought the six or seven years it took the Empire to become a joke in the old EU was a bit too rapid a turnaround. Thirty seems a bit too long, but I can at least see why that's more likely than the alternative.

 

Keep in mind that Vader was a five-star general, not a Vice Emperor. Mas Amedda (if he was still around during ROTJ) would be Vice Emperor. After the Battle of Endor, Amedda no doubt took over the Empire. If Westmoreland died with JFK, Johnson still would have become President.

 

Actual, the SW:TCW shows this centralization around the finale episodes of season five, with Ashoka's trial. The things are also talked about in the Tarkin novel.

The empire itself is very much capable of finding their replacements, the grand plan is in motion, with or without the emperor, the things he set in motion wouldn't just stop because he is gone, people will still follow their superiors, whom very much believe in order over chaos. Not to mention the things SW:rebels are starting to hint at with their buildup, showing a very efficient and structured imperial command, one capable of doing things on their own. Add onto the fact that Tarkin also confirms Plagueis as Sidious's master and that they planned this for a long time, makes it more plausible that the organisation behind the imperial military is well-developed with spies and informants to keep things ruling.

Also, I think we need to factor in the loss the rebel alliance took to their fleet while engaging the Death Star & imperial fleet cutting off their escape route.

All in all, I think the empire just got more rough on their approach to dealing with "sparks of rebellion", terror was always their weapon to keep people in-check, without the Death Star, they would need to resort to other terror-acts to keep the local public under control. The galaxy is huge, 30 years of war is nothing in such a setting.

 

ArchStanton1862 I would say yes and no the Emperor decentralized territories. He certainly gave the regional governors more direct military control. That is in Star Wars. But so is the idea of the Death Star, which was the Empire's way of keeping everyone in line. It's like extending some freedom but saying "oh yeah but don't step over the line or we blow you to smithereens". It's like giving them a carrot and a huge stick.
I imagine the regional governors continue to pay tribute to the Emperor while running their own little duchys or fiefdoms as they see fit.

 

The new Emperor definitely won't be a Sith lord. Dark Jedi at best, but I think he's just going to be another corrupt politician.

 

That's more or less what I meant. He decentralized his control to the regional governors but kept them in line through fear of him and Vader (and the Death Stars once they were completed). Without him or a Death Star toting baddie like Tarkin around to scare the moffs into submission they would likely splinter.

 

That would be refreshing actually.

 

I am betting the current emperor is MVS who happens to be an old Imperial Warlord. My guess is he will die by the end of Episode VII and Serkis/Driver will take control of the Imperial Forces and use them for their own purposes...

 

I could much more easily see him as a warlord than an officer. He's just too old. And he'd be good at bringing a bit of pathos to even an unsympathetic old politician. It'd also answer one of my biggest questions about the Imperials which is how the awakening Sith are connected to them. Because so far I haven't seen any connection (fine with me) but seizing the Empire at the end would give it a reason to exist. It would also end the possibility of a detente which may be a major advantage or a major problem depending.

 

It's quite possible Max Von Sydow could be the new emperor.

 

Oh no. I'm not sure I like where this is headed...

 

You have to admit, it would pay homage to Flash Gordan very nicely