We can all agree that nothing is black or white. The best protagonists and antagonists in the movies are complex. They have the dark and the light side, fighting for dominance.
This is something we also see in the Rebels.
The Rebellion or Alliance is a group of individuals who defied Imperial rule after the fall of the Republic. Many famous protagonists in Star Wars, like Princess Leia, were a part of the Rebellion.
For all that, as the franchise grew, many fans started questioning whether the Rebels were the good guys.
Some will say that the Empire committed crimes only because the Rebels broke the rules. Others will defend the insurgents and bring up their love for democracy.
Good guys or hidden villains? Let’s settle this argument once and for all.
Ways That the Rebels Were Good
First, the Alliance to Restore the Republic was also known as the Rebellion. It was formed by Bail Prestor Organa and Mon Mothma. Both politicians are notable protagonists in this saga.
From the beginning, they opposed the Galactic Empire. They also had Rebel cells and connections all over the world. The Rebellion’s main goal was always to restore the Republic and bring peace to the galaxy.
The Rebels remain the central protagonists in the saga. Indeed, they have issues, and they make mistakes. For all that, they have a noble goal that primarily affects how they behave.
They save people and even planets, try to stop the Empire, and bring balance to the Force!
Fighting for Democracy
As I have mentioned, the main goal of the Rebellion was to bring democracy back. The galaxy has already witnessed that nothing good comes from a single ruler. Whether it was because the Emperor was evil or the Empire was a faulty governmental system is already not up to me.
For all that, democracy seems to be one of the best governmental systems available. It allows people to express their opinions and regulate their planets. It also minimises oppression and would enable the Rebellion to eradicate slavery.
The main goal of the Rebellion is its best feature.
Helping People in Need
Unlike the Empire, the Rebels were willing to help people in need. When the Republic fell, many individuals, including politicians and the Jedi, were targeted by the Empire.
Thousands of Jedi were killed during the infamous Order 66. The others were forced to hide. They were tracked, tortured, hunted, and shown off as trophies.
This is where the Rebellion comes into play!
In the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show, we got to see a glimpse of the Hidden Path. The Path was an underground network that worked to shelter Jedi and other Force sensitives from the Galactic Empire. It had several hidden locations across the galaxy during the Great Jedi Purge. As such, the network smuggled the Jedi to safety. They helped to find homes, get new identities, and start over.
It is not a stretch to assume that the Jedi were not the only ones who received help from the Rebels!
We also know that the Empire had a particular dislike of non-humans. All the aliens were mainly mistreated, or their planets were infiltrated. However, the Rebels were not much better! For all that, they still made an effort and tried to decrease oppression and racism towards non-human species.
Opposing Slavery
I cannot help but bring up slavery, which increased exponentially when the Empire rose.
True, slavery still existed even when the Republic was at its best. We all know the story of Anakin Skywalker and his traumatic childhood. For all that, the Empire enslaved not only thousands of people but several planets.
They infiltrated worlds and subjugated the local population. The Imperial troops forced them to work until their death. These enslaved people didn’t do anything wrong. They were not a part of the Rebellion or any other opposing group. They just happened to live on a planet with valuable resources.
Slaves were used for mining or removing valuable resources from their planet. When no resources were left, the Empire would leave them to die.
From this perspective, the Rebels were correct in opposing the Empire. They at least had some concerns over individuals.
The Empire was only concerned with humans who had money and power. The rest was left to suffer. I’m not saying that the Rebellion cared about everyone in the galaxy. For all that, they at least made an effort to view people beyond their function.
Not to mention that the Rebellion advocated for human rights!
Views on Propaganda
Any group that fights for a singular goal requires propaganda. This is how the world works, and it doesn’t matter whether you live in the galaxy far, far away, or in our modern world.
Both the Empire and the Rebellion used propaganda. For all that, the Rebellion never allowed themselves to overuse HoloNet.
The Rebels were keen to inspire their followers. They also relied on many techniques that didn’t revolve around fear. The Rebellion alliance didn’t use weapons or threats to scout new members. Even though there undeniably was an element of manipulation, it was not as brutal as the one developed by the Empire.
The Empire used HoloNet (the Star Wars version of the Internet and social media) to promote its political propaganda. The former was primarily focused on xenophobia (alien species) and hatred towards “Rebel scums.”
At least the Rebellion didn’t fall so low!
The Light Side of the Force
I will not get into much detail by comparing the Force’s Dark and Light sides. No matter how grey both sides can be, Emperor Palpatine is still not a good person. He is a Sith Lord with no motivations other than greed, the need for power, and wealth.
This fact alone puts the Rebellion much higher than the Empire (at least for me)!
I blame the Jedi for many errors. They are also partially responsible for the Republic’s fall and Darth Vader‘s creation.
That said, Palpatine as a singular ruler of the galaxy, is the worst thing that has ever happened in the franchise. Even Darth Vader himself could have been a much better ruler.
At least Anakin was not inherently evil!
Emperor Palpatine, on the other hand, symbolises everything that was wrong with the Empire. The existing system on its own could have been a salvation for the galaxy. For all that, its ruler single-handedly ruined every chance for the universe to exist in peace.
I would choose anyone from the Rebellion over the Emperor!
Besides, the Rebellion was full of inspiring protagonists. Luke Skywalker, a notable Lightsider, supported the Rebellion. He might have been new to the political agendas, yet he was hardly foolish.
Considering the Force, the Rebellion was also doing some good!
Ways That the Rebels Were Evil
No good deed goes unpunished, as they say. The Rebels were no saints and borderline grey in many ways.
Failed Governmental System
One of the significant errors that Rebels can be criticised for concerns their views on the political system. Before the fall of the Republic, the whole galaxy was operated by the Galactic Senate.
The prequels focused explicitly on political affairs and how they affected peace in the universe!
It is pretty clear from the prequels that the Galactic Senate hardly did anything good for the galaxy. The politicians only meddled in their affairs and even allowed Palpatine to take over.
The Senate was corrupt and useless!
The Rebels might value the importance of democracy. For all that, democracy doesn’t mean that a bunch of corrupt politicians should operate the whole galaxy. The Federation bullied millions of citizens and thousands of planets.
Even Mandalore suffered because of the actions carried out by the Galactic Senate.
Not much has changed after the fall of the Republic. Even Princess Leia herself was dissatisfied with the new Galactic Senate.
Although “new” is an overstatement…
Sacrifices and Expectation
Everyone knows that war cannot be won without sacrifices. Not all of them are necessarily evil. For all that, Rebels can be just as cruel as the Empire.
Rogue One is a perfect example of my previous statement. This film proved that the Rebels would do anything to achieve their goal. They killed one of their informants without care. Apart from that, the Rebels organised their version of a terrorist attack.
If not for the Rebels’ idealism, they could have easily been confused with the actual Empire!
The Death Star mission in the original trilogy is also up for debate. I realise that the Rebellion had little to no options. For all that, they were willing to sacrifice every single fighter and thousands of people located on the Death Star.
The value of human life seemed to be ignored by the Empire and the Rebellion alike!
It’s not only that the Rebels were willing to sacrifice people. I have an issue with their expectations. Self-sacrifice for the Rebellion is not only encouraged but almost expected. Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor are primary examples.
Hypocrisy
As I have said, the Rebels were planning to bring back the Republic. For all that, they never had a proper plan in motion.
Every time the Rebels appear on the screen, they are planning another attack on the Imperial troops. They always wanted to destroy another Death Star or find ways to infiltrate the Order. It seems like they have forgotten their primary goal. The Rebels were more interested in killing their enemies than saving people from oppression and slavery.
At least the Empire didn’t cover its true intentions!
The Rebels also criticise the Empire for favouring the human species over aliens.
What do we see from the Rebels? Chewbacca and Nien Nunb were rare exceptions amongst multiple humans.
Another part of their hypocrisy was also their policy. The Rebellion seems to follow a classic: “If you’re not with us, you are against us.”
Doesn’t this remind you of the Empire?
All new minds and ideas were quickly viewed as an act of Rebellion. Ironically so, considering the rebellious nature of the Alliance itself.
Personal Vendettas
All the politicians and rulers have to put their feelings aside when deciding the fates of their people and whole planets.
Sadly, it is not the case with the Rebels. Many notable members of the Rebellion had personal agendas regarding the Empire. Here Princess Leia instantly comes to mind as we all know what happened to Alderaan.
Princess Leia considered this planet her home. Her adoptive parents, Breha and Bail Organa, also resided on Alderaan. For all that, their happiness was short-lived. The planet was destroyed to showcase the strength of the Death Star and torture Princess Leia into submission.
This certainly means that Leia Organa’s thoughts on the Empire are biased!
Yet, she is put in charge of operations time and time again. Thus, it would be extremely challenging to tell whether her actions were politically justified or it was a personal affair.
The same can be said about every single member of the Rebellion. True, this also signifies all the evil done by the Empire. For all that, it makes the Rebels biased.
Terrorism
I would love to skip this point. For all that, this discussion cannot be complete without addressing the terrorism argument.
People online are divided when it comes to this topic. Some actually believe that the Empire was trying to rebuild the galaxy. I can partially get behind this argument, but only if we ignore Emperor Palpatine pulling the strings. As I have said before, the Empire could have worked as a system. It had a solid potential to be a much-needed break from the Galactic Senate.
That said, Palpatine single-handedly stops me from agreeing with this opinion!
Still, can we consider the Rebellion to be a terrorist group?
A terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence to pursue political affairs. As much as I don’t want to admit this, Rebellion partially fits into this definition.
I want to make one thing clear. I don’t support the Empire or justify its actions. For all that, from a particular perspective, the Rebels did act as terrorists against the Empire.
If you were a lawful citizen peacefully residing somewhere on Coruscant, you would have little to no issues with the Empire. Then, the Rebels would show up and blow a TIE starfighter right near your house.
In our world, this would have been considered an act of terrorism. No wonder the Rebellion was not as supported as you would expect. Indeed, some parts can be attributed to successful imperial propaganda. For all that, the rest was utterly the Alliance’s fault.
Final Verdict
Let’s wrap up everything we have learned today. The Rebels in the Star Wars franchise are in no way perfect. They are subject to errors and faults. Besides, the Rebels were practically engaged in war with the Empire. Sadly, you cannot win a war without certain sacrifices.
When comparing the Empire and the Rebels, one is undoubtedly better than the other. With all of their issues and errors, Rebels can still be considered protagonists. Their goal to bring democracy was noble and greatly admired. They fought against oppression, slavery, and many harmful ideals promoted by the Empire.
For all that, it doesn’t mean that everything they have done was paved with good intentions or well thought out.
The Rebellion advocated for the same Galactic Senate that allowed the Empire to rise. They also trusted the same group of politicians with selfish ideals and personal goals. The Alliance wanted to destroy the Empire, but they were unwilling to change themselves. Where does this leave us? The Rebels are not the villains of the saga. For all that, their failure to recognise personal issues and inability to grow blinded them. Thus, some of their actions can be seen as equally malicious as the Imperial ones.
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