There are moments in the movies when certain things don’t make a lot of sense, and pitting a superior force against a smaller group or force usually comes up, on paper, as a sure win for the bigger, more aggressive force. But when talking about Star Wars, one has to realize that the Rebel Alliance believed that they were on the side of good, of freedom and that their cause was noble. In many ways, that would be correct, since the Empire was ruthless and would do anything to gain the obedience of one world after another, even if it meant destroying one world to set an example. The Rebels didn’t often go that far, but when it came to gaining information and protecting themselves they would lie, cheat, steal, and kill whenever it was necessary. Practically speaking, no matter how evil they were seen, the Empire was always stronger than the Rebel Alliance, which is why their downfall was hard to imagine initially. Here are five ways that the Empire was stronger than the Rebel Alliance.
5. They had the numbers.
There’s a reason why stormtroopers are considered dispensable, and it’s because there are so many of them. People across multiple worlds and systems were signing on to serve in the Empire, and many were either compelled to do so or forced. The thing about the Empire’s vast numbers however is that they tended to weed out quite a few troopers throughout their reign, so one can imagine that for all the troopers that were killed over the years the Empire could have inhabited a planet with just troopers. But for many of those that joined the Empire, it was a career in a galaxy that meant security and the chance to belong to something.
4. Heavy-handed, decisive strikes kept worlds afraid and reluctant to act.
The Empire was never shy when it came to hitting a planet and hitting it hard to make an example. Entire races and species were targeted at times to make the point that the Empire wasn’t messing around. Order 66 was just one example of how ruthless the Empire could be, since targeting military targets on various worlds is one thing, but going after Force-users is another. The initial sweep that was the Purge was the Empire’s way of showing that no one was immune to their judgment, not even the Jedi. The Force Awakens even showed how the First Order took this idea to heart when it destroyed multiple worlds at the same time.
3. They had enforcers such as Darth Vader and the Inquisitors.
Darth Vader was a one-man wrecking crew since his mastery of the Force, his combat techniques, and the experience that he’d had as Anakin Skywalker all came into play when he was set upon a target. There weren’t a lot of enemies that could trouble Vader for long, and most of those were a minor nuisance that lasted until he found a way to counter and then destroy them. The Inquisitors were more like Sith-wannabes but against the average and lesser fighters they were highly effective, meaning that they were kind of like advanced shock troopers that took on the jobs that Vader didn’t take.
2. They had access to more advanced technology.
The Rebels weren’t exactly working with the worst equipment, but there were plenty of times when they didn’t have enough of what they needed and had to keep patching things up since they had used or damaged goods that they had to make work. The Empire didn’t often have this issue since they had the resources and thus had access to the latest technology and the most devastating weapons that were there to be taken. Some could say that it wasn’t fair, but then again, war is rarely fair since it’s a matter of who has the bigger stick, and who knows how to use it with the greatest efficiency. Faulting the Empire for having the best weaponry would be ridiculous since their technological superiority did make the Empire a little too arrogant when dealing with the Rebels.
1. There’s much less in-fighting within the Empire.
This is fairly accurate since if there was an issue within the ranks, the dissenter or the troublemaker would be taken care of quickly and without pause. Many people indeed defected from the Empire once they witnessed the atrocities that had been committed, but when it came to how the Empire ran, there weren’t a lot of issues within the ranks. Anyone that did manage to step out of line didn’t last long. To be fair, the Empire had more to worry about when it came to spies and defectors than anyone causing trouble among their fellow troopers and officers. And yet, despite all this, arrogance and ignorance took the Empire down.
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