Okay, so that was click baity, sorry. the Empire did tons wrong. Alderaan (autocorrected to Alfa tan which is a great band name) being blown up was pretty bad, killing all the Jedi too (especially the younglings), but, when you think about it the Jedi were kinda problematic anyways. You have an armed organization of fanatical zealots that demonstrate an aptitude for controlling the thoughts of others operating as diplomats, soldiers and spies for an ostensibly democratic government (but still, the younglings, right?). Anyways, I digress.

The Empire did a lot of terrible things and we can all agree that they were, at least, a little genocidal. My point here is not that the Empire was what anyone would call ‘good’, but rather that the situation is actually really complicated. Because, you know what else they did? Provided total galactic stability under their iron rule. Some folks even think (if you take Expanded Universe canon) that The Empire’s motivations may have been further reaching, creating super weapons and a massive military for the Yuuzhan Vong. I think a central theme of the new trilogy of Star Wars is that the galaxy is having a period of unrest. This is understandable but I think the problem probably wouldn’t be with Imperial Remnant, or even The First Order so much as the Mon Calamari.  Do you seriously think that the only organized space navy capable of going toe to toe with the empire after spending countless lives and treasure is going to just hand over their new territorial holdings to a contentious and nascent New Republic? I’m not sure I would in their shoes. No doubt, upon the arrival of the first diplomatic envoys from the new republic to Mon Cala, Akbar would see their ships on his long range sensors and drop his iconic line.

I’m not saying the rebellion wasn’t good, either, or that the Empire didn’t need to fall. Just that it’s complicated and generally folks all want a piece of that pie when it’s out of the oven. Let’s see a Star Wars episode where they deal with this, c’mon Disney, I dare you.

Stay tuned for more writing from the WorldCraft Club as we explore worldbuilding and the crafting of fictional settings to inspire your creativity.

We’re happy to host guest blogs on here whenever we can, it gives James a break and let’s other people contribute their ideas. Let us know if you have a worldbuilding concept or strategy to get off your chest, we’d love to hear it.