The Illuminerdi Presents Rage Cage: Is the Empire From Star Wars Inherently Evil?

In the second episode of Rage Cage, The Illuminerdi debates if the Empire from Star Wars ever be anything other than inherently evil?

The second episode of Rage Cage, the championship league of nerdy debate, is coming to The Illuminerdi’s Youtube channel. Bridging subjects across all of pop culture, Rage Cage pits two passionate members of the Illuminerdi against each other in a quick-paced debate. Two contestants enter, two contestants leave – but with one as the intellectual superior, as chosen by you.

In this episode, Illuminerdi members Brandon Zachary and Samuel Locke face off over whether or not the Galactic Empire in Star Wars is inherently evil.

WELCOME TO… THE RAGE CAGE!

The Rage Cage is the newest show to come from the minds of the Illuminerdi. The series will feature new debates every week, as we use the cage to determine who’s the better nerd. While the competitors aren’t being loaded into the actual Rage Cage yet (for social distancing purposes), these arguments are getting too intense to wait any longer. Each fight will be decided by fellow geeks everywhere, letting the Illuminerdi know who they think had the best points on social media – and why they know their side is right. So, let’s look at The Galactic Empire.

The Galactic Empire is the governmental body of the galaxy in Star Wars. First introduced in A New Hope, the Empire is an autocracy turned authoritarian regime with Emperor Palpatine serving as its leader. The Empire was created by Palpatine, who was formerly the Republic’s Supreme Chancellor following the Clone Wars – which are depicted in Attack of The Clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Revenge of the Sith.

Clearly the Sith leaders of the Empire Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are bad guys using the dark side of the force to take power and control of the galaxy. They have no problem killing anyone and anything in their way including entire planets. But is the entire Empire like that?

WAS THE EMPIRE FROM STAR WARS REALLY EVIL?

Until the Empire was established, the Galactic Republic was in charge. The Republic was not completely innocent, full of corrupt politicians more interested in power and money than keep the galaxy safe. They were also easily manipulated by the Sith Lords, making it even more clear that even those who were not part of the Sith’s plot were either corrupt or ineffective.

The Separatist Confederacy of Independent Systems fought against the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars and while some of them were part of the Sith Lord’s scheme others were simply tired of the corrupt bureaucracy of the Republic. Their inability to see the truth in Palpatine lead to war and chaos throughout the galaxy that was only stopped once the Empire came to power.

The Republic and Jedi were wiped out by Palpatine’s plots, but how effective were they really before that? With how easily Palpatine was able to overthrow both organizations all while keeping his plans a secret one must assume the bloated political mess no longer had the ability to lead and protect the people.

While to most fans the Empire is synonymous with the villains of the Star Wars franchise you can’t necessarily say everyone in the Empire or that the Empire as a whole is evil. Plenty of peaceful people live within the Empire and even work for the Empire to some degree.

While the Rebel Alliance is constantly seen fighting against the Empire in Star Wars: Rebels (as well as the original trilogy) they are the minority. While to they might be the stars of the franchise to the rest of the Galaxy, they are a small number of fighters in the grand scheme of things.

This means that the majority of the individuals living under Empire rule are not rising up and fighting against the Government. Star Wars has even featured characters that prefer the Empire if for no other reason than they stopped the violence and chaos that swept across the galaxy during the Clone Wars.

There is no question that Palpatine’s plans were evil as were Darth Vader’s actions in service to the Emperor. Palpatine not only wanted control over the galaxy, but to gain abilities long lost to the old Sith Lords. In order to this he lied, manipulated, and ordered mass murder. But was Palpatine the Empire or was the Empire more than just the Sith?

You have to ask yourself is the Empire as a whole inherently evil poisoned by the Sith Lords who created and rule? Or is the Empire simply a government body full of all different kinds of people across the galaxy trying to maintain order after war and crime lead to death and chaos under the previous regime?

After the episode, cast your vote do you think the Galactic Empire is evil? Make sure to check out the upcoming episode and vote for whoever deserves to be the v winner of the Rage Cage! Make sure to like, comment, subscribe, and keep your eyes open for the next creation from The Illuminerdi.

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