This just seems odd to me...

[Seanz0rz]

Ok when you first watch A new hope, and luke and obi-wan are talkin about the empire and everythin, it kinda felt to me like the empire had been there for ever and a day. Thats just the impression I got when i watched ANH for the first time.

But then you finally see ROTS and the twins are born right at the end, and you realize The Empire really only Existed for about 18-20 years before Luke blew up the death star for the first time. Then i'd say maybe two or three more years (maybe im wrong, it might be more...or less) before luke duels Vader in ROTJ and the Empires done. Short lived reign dont ya think.

[darth_wyld]

Well, I'm from Germany, 20 years are enough for an evil empire to seem to last a thousand years...

[Seanz0rz]

I would have to agree with you there. Id say living under opressive rule feels much longer than seeing it from an outsider perspective.

And id then have to say props to George for writing the story in such away that it even went as far as convincing us that the empire had been there much longer that it actually had just from the dialog and the way the characters reacted and felt towards the Emipre.

[Xain Arke]

remember that from lukes perspective, the Empire has existed his whole life before ANH and continues to exist right up to the end of ROTJ, that is quite a long time for one military government to rule [hell, it's even a long time for a civilian government to rule] and in that amount of time a large amount of damage to civilisation can be caused.

some good real world examples of this are the balkans, somalia, and similar places that have had civil war for a decade or less..and are utterly wrecked.

as darth_wyld said

20 years are enough for an evil empire to seem to last a thousand years...

Xain

[Seanz0rz]

Rock on with the historical analogy

[darth_wyld]

Well, it's rather a Godwin, but woh cares

[Ubiqtorate]

darth_wyld, (or any of our other German friends), when people who lived through the Nazi regime speak of it, do they similarly speak as if it had "been there for ever and a day"? You've already said that "20 years are enough for an evil empire to seem to last a thousand years", but did it seem that way at the time to those who were there, as well?

[Marty-Wan]

Technically the Empire started at the end of ROS however it truly began a year or two after TPM as the Supreme Chancellor began to take more control and manipulate things his wy. I would say that the governing style of the Empire began with the Clone Wars. Let us not forget that in the original trilogy the Empire was still taking shape. Think back to ANH it was only then did the Emperor dissolve the senate, we can infer that the same senate we saw in the first 3 episodes was still in service up until the start of ANH.

[darth_wyld]

Ubiquorate : Well, to be honest, I never talked to my grandparents about that view of the thing. And sadly all of them are dead now so I have no certain sources right now. Eyewitnesses of that time sadly get rarer and rarer...

[boccelounge]

Originally posted by Seanz0rz
Rock on with the historical analogy

Yeah, I second that! The responses so far have been excellent, IMHO.

Originally posted by Marty-Wan
Technically the Empire started at the end of ROS however it truly began a year or two after TPM as the Supreme Chancellor began to take more control and manipulate things his wy...

And I agree with this bit too-- was going to mention as much. I think the "dark times" Ben refers to in Ep4 can arguably be said to start, oh, 15-20 years previously. The characters didn't quite realize they were living in "dark times" (i.e., that their Galactic Ruler was a Sith Lord) during most of the Prequel movies, but from Ben's POV in Ep4, he'd have known this.

[hatten_jc]

Originally posted by Seanz0rz
Ok when you first watch A new hope, and luke and obi-wan are talkin about the empire and everythin, it kinda felt to me like the empire had been there for ever and a day. Thats just the impression I got when i watched ANH for the first time.

But then you finally see ROTS and the twins are born right at the end, and you realize The Empire really only Existed for about 18-20 years before Luke blew up the death star for the first time. Then i'd say maybe two or three more years (maybe im wrong, it might be more...or less) before luke duels Vader in ROTJ and the Empires done. Short lived reign dont ya think.

That is actuly not that unusual if you looking true history many so call
evil empire (Also some good empires) have a tendency to be like a Fire-cracer they go up and light up the darkness and then fade away leving only a dark memory behind.

Often those empires have ONE thing that keeps them glued toghter that is a charismatich leader that with a voice of silver OR a strategic tatich brillians forged a king dome.
After the Leader is dead the empire come crasing down like a house of cards.


Just remember true history.
Alexander The great. His great Empire died after he did.
Djingis Khaan. did not survive long after his son.
Adolf Hitler. Boom crash and no more


the Empera in Star wars where like that a man with a silver toung in manipulate others to follow him and with the force to back him up by controlling others manipulate their anger or needs and lojalty.

With out Palpatin as the empera it came crashing down.

But one must ask oneself this the hole rule of th empire where extremly centralices build competly around Palpatin and his powerfull ability to controll others.
Why is that ?

Is it becuse Palpatin knew that HE might not survive eternaly and refused to let ANYBDOY inherent his empire.
HE rather watched the hole empire come crassing down sending the hole Galaxy in to entenel civil war then see another leader take over HIS thron.

And that is a potential idea.
What IF the Empire Manage to cruss the Rebel Allaiance completly NOBODY hade the guts to stand up agienst HIM.
Then somehow Palpatin died Vader died and civil war the broke out as admirals and generals Moffs decided to become the new ruler.


Give me a game idea...

The AGE OF war campain in a galaxy on the brink of selfdestruct a new hope is born a leader is calling for arms joining old rebels pilots and Empire stormtroppers to stop the war and bring piece to the galaxy.

[Ubiqtorate]

I spent a couple of years in Russia, and saw a lot of the same things in the echoes of the Soviet Union. Now, that was around for a little over 80 years, so it was even that much more entrenched than some 20-year empires, but it's certainly the case there that it seems like it could have been around forever. Of course, that could be because for most people, the Soviet Union was all they ever knew.

Interestingly enough, though, my experiences in post-Soviet Russia have impacted my Star Wars roleplaying, much as I'd expect anyone with experience in Germany to be affected by Germany's history. That's especially true in the way fallen Imperial heroes are viewed in the New Republic. (A woman in Russia once said to me, "In my day, we had one god, and that was Stalin." She meant it, too.) Many of the old ways, especially the Jedi, are not trusted by those who were brainwashed not to trust them...

Anyway, I don't mean to ramble, but I just wanted to point out that it's interesting to see how perspectives on history can affect even our roleplaying.

[Pel]

That's very true. In many cases the legacy of a regime lives on long after the system itself is deposed. In SW terms the general mistrust of the Jedi culminated in NJO when half the galaxy was ready to hand them over to the Vong.

Once one is indoctrinated into hating the "other" it is very difficult to reverse that behavior. It appeals to many aspects of human psyche.

[Fingon]

One thing I realized after watching the Origional Trilogy is how terrible and heart breaking it must be for people who lived during the time of the Republic to see what had happened, especially for Obi-Wan. They had this wonderious system and, as flawed as it may have been, the tyrrany of the Empire must seem truely awful.

I find the scene with Obi-Wan talking about Anakin and the Clone Wars very powerful; he traveled the galaxy, fought for the repbulic, and got to see the Jedi order crumble and Palpatine instigate himself as Emperor. And that he could have killed Anakin... I really don't like how Obi-Wan leaves him in Episode III.

[Tonyx]

Fingon hit it on the nail. You know, that scene was always a little odd to me, but now that I have seen what Obi-Wan came from, I no longer feel that way. I see the feeling coming out in what Obi-Wan was saying. He had seen so much, and I can imagine that it hurt him some to see what had happened to the galaxy. Goes to show was a tyranny can do to a person.