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How possible is Star Wars: How’s that empire work again?
This is part four of a four-part series of columns written to mark Star Wars’ 41st Anniversary. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Man, government in the Star Wars universe is confusing.
Until the late 1990s it was pretty simple. The oppressive Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor and his righthand cyborg Darth Vader, controlled the majority of the galaxy and it fought with the Rebel Alliance, which counted heroes Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo among its numbers.
Since the onset of “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” in 1999, we’ve been introduced to the concept of democratically-elected monarchs, a senate that apparently has to work within the parameters set by a bunch of vigilantes (aka Jedi) and then later, in “Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” we have a “resistance” that wages a war against the remnants of the Empire which the triumphant Republic signed a peace treaty with.
I’m still not sure if I got that right.
But anyway, we’re not talking about how confusing it is, we’re talking about “if it’s possible.” And this is in regards to a Galactic Empire or Galactic Republic.
First off, which of those is more likely?
