Saga The Galactic Empire based on Imperial Japan (vs Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia)

I was doing some research on the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", Japan's overall plan for imperial domination of South East Asia. The Galactic Empire has always had a "German Army" kinda feel to it, which is not surprising since Lucas based much of Star Wars off of World War II movies.

As I was doing my research (which revealed an Imperial Japan that was just as bad, if not worse, than Nazi Germany), I began to wonder what the Galactic Empire would be like more based off Imperial Japan. This isn't too out there, as Jedi, Sith and the Force were heavily based on the Samurai and Japanese culture.

So here it goes, in the form of a publication by COMPNOR about Palpatine's New Order.

IMPERIAL DIRECTIVE 228.134C
SUBJECT: PROPAGANDA REGARDING NEW ORDER
Imperial Star Destroyer Akagi, First Death Fleet (Known as "Sith Bukai"), Fleet-Admiral Thrawn Commanding

All Praise to the God-Emperor Palpatine, and may the infinite vitality of the kah'la blossom eternally fall over His New Order! Supreme Diamyo Wilhuff Tarkin has decreed that for our great crusade against corrupt, non-human domination of the galaxy to succeed, every Human must sacrifice everything and fight to the last. To fight the non-human monster with but teeth and fist is the true human fighting spirit!

This is holy war. For years humans have endured the hypocrisy of non-human races in the Republic: such as the Muuns, who own all the banks and are head of a Galaxy-wide conspiracy to financially subjugate the Republic. Or the barbaric wookies who contort themselves in skins and loincloths while worshipping tribal god-images.

Never forget our march toward victory: achievement of a Greater Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere where humans of all kinds can have the living space they need to prosper. If the Muuns look out solely for Muun interest, humans should be able to look out solely for human interest: why must humans concern themselves with the needs of other races when other races need show no such empathy for humanity?

God-Emperor Palpatine, all-knowning and perfect in every way, shall lead humanity to a bright and prosperous future and humans shall take their place in the galaxy as the "father to all other species." Only under the strong guiding hand of humanity can the other races ever achieve civilization. Never fail to give everything in your heart for the God-Emperor, and our human destiny to be father to the galaxy.

 

If this is a true representation of Japan during the period of your research, then it is quite revealing.

For me at least, hard to focus on the Star Wars element, although it doesn't sound like a plan designed for the longevity of the Empire, if all humans have to get involved in this fight.

 

I was honestly thinking of as a "different artistic approach" to the Galactic Empire's evil than what I would call a "Western" idea of evil, although there are clearly some crossovers. An Eastern idea of evil, vs the Rebels fairly Western views about democracy, was fortunately something not explored in 1977 (in the name of reconciliation after the worst war in human history).

Unfortunately, events like the Rape of Nanking, the enslavement in Korea, or their actions in Burma (where Japanese troops took the local's food supply to feed their draft animals), there is plenty of material for a Japan-inspired Galactic Empire.

One thing that really shocked me was how similar the rhetoric from Japanese officers was to Nazi German rhetoric. They talk about race wars and holy wars of extermination in very similar terms.

It's not too far a stretch of the imagination to take the perverted interpretation of the Samurai by Nippon fascists and make a few Sith Lords from the IJN/IJA Command staff.