"Star Wars" is the great American myth, and is a classic story of good triumphing over evil. The heroic Rebel Alliance defeats the evil Galactic Empire. But as we know, history is written by the victors. Are the Rebels and the Jedi truly good? Are the Sith and Imperials truly evil? Allow me to play devil's advocate and present some evidence that the conflict may not be as black and white as you think.
(Note: For this article, I am not taking anything from the Expanded Universe into consideration. I am only looking at what Disney considers canon.)
The Rebel Alliance
The Destruction of the first Death Star
A common misconception among Star Wars fans is that the Imperial Stormtroopers are exclusively made up of clones. In reality, due to the accelerated aging of clone troopers and the massive death toll of the Clone Wars, the Stormtroopers are actually mostly composed of conscripted humans (in fact, in Episode IV, Luke Skywalker himself contemplates joining the Imperial Navy as a TIE pilot). Keeping this in mind, consider the Death Star. It is a moon-sized battle station that was manned by millions of Imperial personnel. Those personnel weren't necessarily totally evil; they could have been just looking for a means to scrape by and escape their mundane lives, just like Luke in the beginning of A New Hope. The destruction of the Death Star sealed the fates of millions of people.
The Destruction of the second Death Star
Anyone who is familiar with Clerks has heard this argument. Basically, the construction of the second Death Star required way more manpower than the Empire could expend, so they presumably had to hire millions of independent contractors, engineers, and laborers. When the Rebels launched an attack on the second Death Star in the middle of its construction, they took the lives of millions of innocent people.
The Rebels employ the help of known criminals
The Rebels happily employ the aid of infamous smuggler and Hutt-associate, Han Solo. Han was one of Jabba's most trusted smugglers, and typically dealt with glitterstim, a highly addictive and dangerous drug that helped cement Jabba's power.
The Galactic Empire
The Empire replaced the ineffective government of the Republic
The Republic was plagued by corrupt and inept politicians who bickered more than they governed. In The Phantom Menace, they fail to stop the Trade Federation's dispute with Naboo from becoming a full blown conflict due to excessive arguing. The Empire that replaced it came with a brutally effective government that passed laws swiftly and efficiently.
They eliminated the Jedi
The Jedi Order established themselves as the "peacekeepers" of the galaxy. Nobody elected them to this position, so to a Jedi, might equals right. The Jedi believed in the suppression of emotions among themselves (such as love and passion), and utilized techniques that overrode the free will of innocent people (Jedi Mind Tricks). In addition, the Jedi were instrumental in starting the Clone Wars, which led to a long, bloody, and pointless conflict.
They drove technology forwards
Under the Republic, galactic technology stagnated for many years. The ruling Jedi were perfectly content with using ancient technology. Under the Empire, new ships and technologies flourished, as well as massive engineering projects such as the Death Star.
Who's bad?
After viewing this information, did your opinions change? Is the Star Wars universe more than black and white? Let us know in the comments below!
