I know a smear campaign when I see one, and if you ask me, the Empire gets a bad rap!
What exactly is so “evil” about the Galactic Empire, and how bad could life under the regime have really been? Luke was very willing to join the academy, and I’m pretty sure the only accredited space colleges taught a Imperially approved curriculum. He had a change of heart when his relatives were killed, but they were harboring fugitives, and the law is the law.
What did the Empire do that was so wrong? I don’t remember seeing any oppression. I don’t recall seeing any tyranny. Cloud City seemed like a nice enough place to live until an infamous terrorist leader dragged them into the fight. And what do you really know about Alderaan? Have you ever been there? They claimed to be peaceful, but so do a lot of despotic regimes, and next thing you know their tanks are rolling across your border in the name of expansion.
Yes, the Empire built a giant laser platform, and I grant you “Death Star” wasn’t the most people-friendly name they could have chosen. But while it may not have creative a sense of fuzzy warmth and happiness while orbiting above, what it did create was jobs! Y’know… what a person does for decent day’s pay. Unlike slavery. Which was present on Tatooine. Which the “righteous” Old Republic did nothing about. Too bad the sands under the twin suns weren’t rich in dilithium or whatever the Millennium Falcon ran on, because since moisture farming presents very little in the way of economic vitality to exploit, they civil rights of the Tatooinese rate lower than those of an Ewok.
Still, generations have grown up accepting the “evil” of the Empire at face value, on the sole authority of a documented racist. Right-wingers do tend to whine about an alleged imposition on their freedoms when they don’t get their way.
Less we all forget, the Empire was an duly-elected government, and “good” worlds like Naboo are right there in the record as having voted affirmative on the ballot. Yes, Palpatine gave some less-than-factful speeches, but what politician hasn’t? And as yes perhaps the war between the Republic and Separatists was a manufactured affair, but the industrial-military complex is bigger than all of us. So maybe before you go casting aspersions on the sociopolitical workings of a galaxy a long time ago and far, far away, maybe you need to take a closer look at galaxy not so long ago and closer to home.