Imperials are People Too!

It’s a given that many fans of Star Wars will have an allegiance to the Republic and their favourite Rebels throughout the saga that we love so dearly. They’re the good guys, the characters we can relate to, the heroes we aspire to be and that is no bad thing. (closet Poe over here)!

However, lately the LucasFilm Story Group have been treating us to a side that we haven’t seen so much of in the canon so far — the perspectives and thoughts of the Imperials and their behemoth overlords the Galactic Empire.

We have had the brutal Lords of the Sith, an exploration of the dark side in Dark Disciple and a closer look at the wizened Tarkin. All of these paint the Imperials in a common light; dark and merciless, with no love for the common man, and a vicious pursuit of power.

Saying that, we have also seen another side in recent canon. Specifically within Star Wars Rebels and Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars*, I want to explore these a little further and argue that perhaps, not all the Imperials are that bad.

Star Wars Rebels recently gave us an absolute highlight of an episode in “The Honorable Ones,” where Zeb and Agent Kallus find themselves having to work together on a cold and barren moon. Over the course of the episode, we see them from trading blows, to forming what could only be argued as, a mutual respect. It was revealed why it was the Imperial wields a Lasat weapon — it is out of respect to the warrior he won it from and his actions are purely an act of duty to his greater command.

Kallus spoke of his first deployment and spoke of how “we all have things we won’t forget” — he recalled of how a Lasat (Zeb’s race) murdered many of his comrades in apparent cold blood. Zeb goes on to argue, that you cannot paint all with one brush, which can be flipped back in the Imperial’s favour too. Here-in lies the argument between duty and action, if you’re commanded to do something, then you must obey orders. When these two apparent enemies have their own common goal, they find it within themselves to work together and succeed.

This example is obviously very good character development from Dave Filoni and his team, but it shows that the Imperials have the same train of thought — they must do what they view is right. Sure, they’re a little keen on the old torture, but if you’ve you been brought up to know no-better, then what else can you do? Will Kallus come to the light? Well, he took a beacon of light away with him and I can see this reluctant friendship with Zeb growing throughout Star Wars Rebels.**

The second example I alluded to was Lost Stars, which gives us a thorough exposé into the lives of the Empire, on a day-to-day basis. We see life on the Death Star, the destruction of Alderaan, and even the battle of Jakku, from an Imperial perspective. This is essential reading for any Star Wars fan as Claudia Grey illuminates the emotion that a human goes through in Imperial colours. They’re no different to our Rebel friends. Ciena (one of the main characters) knows love and yearns for it with a Rebel, and yet, she is willing to die for the Empire that has taught her so much in order to carry out her duty.

These examples show that the evil we so often associate with Vader and Palpatine doesn’t run through the whole system. One of the great things about Star Wars is that we can relate to characters from both sides of the coin. I can speak personally and state, that Kallus’ current mental anguish is something I can empathise with and that’s refreshing, as there is light and dark in all of us.

Star Wars isn’t just a heroes journey, it explores a villain’s fall, the pursuit of justice, and the struggle of an ordinary civilian battling every day issues. This is why I love Star Wars, I get the action of the big characters, and the intimacy of many characters’ deepest inner thoughts — most of whom are just wanting to find their place in the galaxy far,  far away.

 

Take Care,

Matt

The Cantina Cast

The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!

* You’ll find a great discussion of this in Episode 3 of “Tarkin’s Top Shelf” with our very own Becca and Mark

**Agent Kallus in Rogue One on the Rebellion side anyone?