OT: in a windy Salon article David Brin says,

[geoschmo]

It's always an intersting mental exercise thinking about a piece of popular fiction from the point of view of the "bad guys".

The noble Emporer Palpatine stuggles valiantly aginst the forces of chaos as he tries to maintain order in the galaxy after the downfall of the once mighty but ultimatly corrupt republic. His first goal is to renew the military's sense of honor and discipline after generations of inadaquate funding. Then he must attempt to restablish the rule of law in the sectors far from the galactic core at Corsucant. The Empire faces stiff challanges from without and within as the old power structure attempts to reassert itself with the help of a religious cult that gives mindless obedience to the superstitious mumbo jumbo of the "force". History shows that far from the gallant defenders of the poor and disadvantaged they are potrayed as in current popular fiction, the Jedi Knights were actually the secret police organization that the former republic used to keep the masses in fear and in line.

[ January 02, 2003, 14:04: Message edited by: geoschmo ]