Star Wars The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall

Author:Chris Kempshall
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: DK
Published: 2024-07-09T00:00:00+00:00

The Use of Violence

As has been noted in previous chapters, the Empire operated on a system of gradual escalation in the face of resistance or possible rebellion. While many of the steps on this process also included violence—the arrest and incarceration of suspected dissidents and their families for example—there were also levels above these that included the widespread and indiscriminate use of lethal force. There are numerous notable examples of the Empire using violence on civilian populations, but it is useful to highlight those which can be considered as warnings or retributions and those which were simply a routine, if horrifying, decision taken by Imperial officials.

The planet Lothal saw several examples of this violence while under Imperial rule. Darth Vader ordered a refugee camp, nicknamed “Tarkintown” to be burned with no records remaining as to how many refugees were casualties.3 This was, supposedly, designed to bring the local rebel cell out of hiding, but given Darth Vader’s already noted predisposition to violence, there were likely less destructive ways to achieve the same thing. Grand Admiral Thrawn also brought his own Star Destroyer into Lothal’s atmosphere and carried out a bombardment of civilian areas to force that same rebel group to surrender. Again, despite the planet’s subsequent liberation, it is unclear how severe the civilian casualties were. The intended audience for both attacks on Lothal were the civilians living, and rebels operating, in the same system. The Empire had effectively already locked the planet down to avoid the insurrection there spreading, so there was no way that details of the events could spread off-world, either to serve as a threat to others or inspiration for similarly rebellious factions elsewhere.

In contrast, following the theft of Imperial payroll on Aldhani, the Empire deployed a Star Destroyer to the system to begin a process of retributory violence against the population, intending to send a wider message to the galaxy. The inhabitants of the world had already been subject to years of Imperial controls designed to suppress and disrupt their way of life. According to reports found within the ISB archives, Imperial forces on the planet were actively involved in the forcible relocation of native groups to make way for Imperial infrastructure.4 These efforts were later extended to undermine native religious festivals and celebrations as well. The Imperial investigation into the payroll heist led to the planet Ferrix, where a funeral in one of the cities became an anti-Imperial demonstration and then subsequently a riot. In response, Imperial stormtroopers and army personnel opened fire on the crowd causing mass civilian fatalities. These cases serve as representative examples of activity that was routinely carried out under the Empire on planets across the galaxy but, predominantly, beyond the Core. What is important to note, however, is that while Lothal, Aldhani, and Ferrix experienced repression, these were predominantly human worlds. The Empire exhibited markedly less restraint in subjugating non-humans.

Following the end of the Clone Wars, the newly formed Galactic Empire attempted to secure its position and power in the short term with noted acts of violence.

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