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Editorial: Hitler, Palpatine, And The Two Empires

Posted by Eric on January 25, 2011 at 11:00 AM CST

This post is part of ForceCast.Net's editorial series, where our listeners weigh in on Star Wars topics in-universe and in the real world.

Hitler, Palpatine, And The Two Empires
By Jack Gray



“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

- Edmund Burke



One of the most obvious, well recognized, and prominent parallels between the Star Wars universe and our own history is that of the rise of Nazi Germany and its connection to the transition of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. George Lucas has often spoken of these parallels, which he acknowledges having consciously established in the Star Wars saga, and as such Star Wars brilliantly documents the rise and fall of the Third Reich in a galactic and contemporary context. However, despite what we may know about the basic rise of the Third Reich, it is surprising that there are more parallels than may be initially obvious, separate from the basic “fall of a Republic, and rise of an Empire”; these ran from political manoeuvring and military tactics to religious influence. All of this is, of course, like most of Star Wars, established as a cautionary tale to ensure that we can prevent this same degeneration happening to our own society today.

Process of Democratic Destruction

One of the fundamental messages in Star Wars – especially in the Prequels – is the notion that democracies always destroy themselves from within before they are destroyed by exterior factors. For as long as there has been democratic civilisation, our very human nature has assured the continual rise and fall of democratic systems – this process, despite its malevolence, is a somewhat natural process that has been seen throughout all ages of human history. Whether it is the fall of the Roman Republic or the fall of the French Republics, more often than not our very attempt to create a free and liberalist society has always been ironically torn down by the human persistence to lean toward imperialistic tendencies. This law of human civilisation can be seen in a relatively contemporary context in the degeneration of the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, and as such Lucas draws heavily on Germany’s fall through the epic story arc about how the Galactic Republic destroys itself.

The first step is the placement of the dictator into the democratic arena. Hitler, just like Palpatine, begins his campaign with the apparent greatest intentions for his nation. Both men draw on crises within the state – the blockade of Naboo for Palpatine, and the economic crisis in Germany for Hitler – whilst simultaneously sowing the seeds of their own rise, carefully yet persistently manoeuvring themselves politically.

Eventually, through their charm and manipulation of events, both Palpatine and Hitler are appointed Chancellor of their respective states. However this appointment, as stated, is not without its manipulation. Neither of these politicians manages to grasp power without first setting in motion their plans of deceit. For Hitler this plan finds form in simple intimidation of political enemies, isolation of the Jews, and persistence to be granted the position of Chancellor, paired with the already planted public support for Hitler’s policies. Hitler provided the German people with everything they had yearned for since the end of World War 1: the stripping of German shame, a solution to German economic problems, and the emergence of the German state as a great power once again. For Palpatine, this manipulation is found in his “second persona” of Darth Sidious, who creates a crisis during which he will be thought of as a “saviour” from the current ruler Chancellor Valorum, who through the blockade of Naboo has lost the right to lead. Palpatine likewise offers the galactic populace everything for which they had been yearning for years, including an end to the corruption made bluntly evident by the confusion during the blockade of Naboo. Despite the differing nature of their plans to secure their first foothold of power, both nevertheless do use eerily similar methods of gathering support from the masses democratically, rather than implementing a takeover through a revolutionary coup. They both “plant” seeds which their respective peoples will see as evidence for their obvious need to be appointed ruler. For without the Nazi isolation of the Jews (identified as the cause of Germany’s troubles) and Palpatine’s overseeing the invasion of Naboo (while identifying corruption), neither would have had the true ability to rise as absolutely as they did.

Once in power, both dictators find (and create) crises which enable them to secure their power and to maintain their office. Both, because they wish to obtain power democratically, seek “Emergency Powers” which would allow for more power to be bestowed upon their office. Both dictators, maintaining their “good nature,” assure that the emergency powers would be temporary until their engineered crises “have passed.”

Hitler manipulated the fallout of the Reichstag building fire as an excuse for the Reichstag (German Parliament) to bestow upon him the majority of their power so he could “deal with the crisis” of Communists attempting a revolution. This would be known as the “Enabling Act.” Although it has never been proven without a doubt whether the Communists did in fact light the fire, or whether the Nazis framed them for the crime (or a combination of both), it is evident that the facts were nevertheless twisted to meet Hitler’s goal. This in turn gave Hitler the two-thirds majority he needed to suspend the German Constitution and declare himself dictator of the German nation, fully transforming a struggling Republic into a totalitarian Empire.

Likewise, Palpatine used the Separatist crisis, and the threat of a Separatist rebellion, to have the Galactic Senate bestow powers on him; this was a direct consequence of the “Military Creation Act.” Although it took more time, Palpatine slowly disintegrated the Republic Constitution, eventually also giving him the power to declare himself dictator of the galaxy. This “resting” power was eventually achieved through the fabricated threat of a “Jedi rebellion” that gave Palpatine an excuse to use his power.

If we are to consider that the Nazis did indeed have a hand in the Reichstag fire (which is the general consensus), it is obvious not only that the “Emergency Powers” lead to Palpatine’s and Hitler’s establishment of a dictatorship, but also that they show how both dictators created a crisis for which they blamed a political enemy in order to establish political and social unrest and panic. Hitler created a “Communist revolution” whilst Palpatine created a “Separatist rebellion” and a “Jedi rebellion” which would lead to the ultimate blinding of democracy.

Following their appointments both dictators declared that their new states would unite their people and that they would last for “one thousand years,” promising peace and stability. Both were met with cheers from the respective parliaments symbolizing the appointment of tyranny by a democracy and the ultimate triumph of imperialism. Once appointed, the dictators both still maintained the old legislative branch of the government, opting to use it as an illusion of a semi-democratic society – but in truth it was nothing more than a public facade which did little to hide the true nature of the state. Eventually, with war used as an excuse, the legislative systems were abolished, and the Reichstag and the Imperial Senate ceased to exist.

In summary, both Hitler and Palpatine were appointed Chancellor through political planning and maneuvering, and both of them used engineered crises to “force” their parliaments to give them “Emergency Powers.” This in turn allowed the democratic establishment of a dictatorship at the whim of one man. Democracy had been destroyed by itself.

Puppet Master of the Establishment

Hitler and Palpatine both seemed to have an exceptional ability to bring already established personnel from the previous government into their “fold.” By doing this, they hoped to influence the established government through the use of previously respected and venerated officials.

An example of this during Hitler’s rise was Konstantin von Neurath, who served in “Cabinet Hitler” from 1932 to 1938 as the Chancellor’s Foreign Minister. Unlike many other Nazi officials, von Neurath was already a distinguished official by the time of Hitler’s rise. In the years preceding the establishment of the Third Reich, he had served as ambassador to Rome, and had served the German nation in embassies and as a diplomat in London, the Ottoman Empire, and Copenhagen (even noting his distaste for Italian Fascism). Nevertheless, when he was appointed Hitler’s Foreign Minister, he was complacent and aided in Hitler’s schemes to disregard the Treaty of Versailles and German pre-war territorial expansion. As such, it is clear that von Neurath, though an already an established German diplomat, was used by Hitler for the furthering of the dictator’s goals, much like other Third Reich officials.

Similarities can be seen in Palpatine’s use of Mas Amedda in the The Clone Wars episode Pursuit of Peace, in which it is evident that he knows of Palpatine’s actions and motives despite being an established official who worked under the previous Chancellor. As such, this shows Palpatine’s ability to use the established ministers and officials for his own ends. An example from the EU is Sate Pestage, who is also complicit in Palpatine’s actions.

Removal of Political Enemies

The parallels, however, are not exclusive to political suspension and destruction of democracy. Both states were also forged out of social unrest and ideological principles, accelerating both Hitler and Palpatine to power. A fundamental aspect of this is the removal of the political enemy, through personal armies and government reform.

Palpatine’s declarations against the supposed (and fabricated) “Jedi rebellion” can be seen as the same political maneuver that Hitler used to segregate and remove political enemies who posed a threat to his leadership: the Communists and the Jews. Both systematic tyrannical segregations were swift and left few to oppose either regime, further cementing power for the dictators. However, both dictators waited until they were given a “political bullet” and had cemented their dictatorship until they fired on their enemies, preventing possible public repercussion.

For Hitler, because he had intrinsically linked the Jews and the Communists as one in the same, he was able to frame both with the same crimes. This is much like how Palpatine chose to forge the Separatists and the Jedi into one entity following the supposed “Jedi rebellion,” likewise also framing the two parties with the same crimes. However, despite this, both still chose two specific instances to act against these two respective enemies.

For Hitler, in the case of the Communists, the incident was the Reichstag fire, which he used to “frame” the Communists and as an excuse to expel them from German society. The case of the Jews is more complicated and more closely parallels the Jedi Purge in Star Wars. Firstly, Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat for the First World War, which not only gave him power over the masses (because he was “able to find the culprit”) but also gave the German people a group on whom they could unleash their anger whilst simultaneously feeling unified as one people. This “responsibility” for a war socially segregated the Jews from society and made them “outlaws” among their own people. Although this “responsibility for war” didn’t give Hitler the opportunity to ignite the Holocaust, it did ensure that the German people would distrust the Jews in public life, decimating any public defense they might have had. This is not unlike the public discontent at the Jedi established in The Clone Wars, with rumours supposedly being spread that the “Jedi initiated the Clone Wars” and that they have dealings with the Separatists.

Eventually, Palpatine evidently used the Jedi as a scapegoat for the Clone Wars, also providing him with power over the masses in the same vein as Hitler. The people of the Republic were not only offered a “criminal” responsible for the devastating Clone Wars, but also the ability to find unity against an “ultimate enemy” directly following a time of civil war. This also gave Palpatine, like Hitler, the majority support of the people. The fabricated “responsibility” that Palpatine bestowed upon the Jedi closely parallels the apparent complicity of the Jews in working “behind the scenes” of the First World War by having dealings with the enemy, all to benefit their own ends. Jedi secretly being in control of the Confederacy, Jews secretly being in control of the “enemy” – sounds familiar doesn’t it? Both dictators used the cultural “slump” and the uncertainty of national identity to direct the people’s discontent for public enemy number 1.

Eventually of course, with control over the masses, Hitler was given an excuse to begin the systematic destruction of the European Jewry following the assassination of a German-Swedish diplomat by a Jewish man. Hitler used this as evidence of the Jews launching a campaign against the German Reich, and in turn initiated “Night of the Broken Glass” as a repercussion for the assassination. Orchestrated under the direction of the SA (Hitler’s personal “army”), the German people attacked Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes; this would initiate the Holocaust. In the context of Star Wars, Palpatine used the Jedi’s attempted assassination of him as justification and evidence that the Jedi were attempting to overthrow the Senate, which turn allowed him to launch Operation Knightfall and Order 66. This was enforced by Palpatine’s own personal “army” in the form of the Grand Army of the Republic, which executed hundreds of Jedi; this initiated the Great Jedi Purge. Once both dictators had established this “enemy of the state” and had isolated that enemy, they could both use their “personal armies” to initiate their enemies’ ultimate removal though campaign and unrelenting plunder.

Once these initial actions had been unleashed and the “war” against their enemy began, both of the dictators’ devoted chief henchmen – Vader and Himmler – set about destroying the political enemy through military might. Himmler can also be compared to Vader in other ways. Both Himmler and Vader were their leaders’ “first henchmen” and both carried out their “final solutions.” Also, in the end, both Himmler and Vader turn against their leader (Vader more so than Himmler of course). In the end, both dictators managed to almost completely destroy their respective enemies through these supposed ideological and intolerant “wars.”

Furthermore, once their enemies had been routed, both dictators attempted to purge their military and political structures of their personal enemies with events such as the “Night of the Long Knives.”

In summary, Palpatine, Hitler, the Third Reich, and the Empire all set about destroying their political enemies in much the same way. Both essentially framed their enemies with fabricated actions through a secretive hidden agenda, ultimately igniting a single event that led to an ideological “campaign” against the enemy.

The Occult and the Sith

Another interesting yet widely unknown parallel – whether intentional on Lucas’s part or not – is the connections that can be drawn between the Occult, Nazi Germany, Palpatine, and the Sith. In a historical context, the Occult (which included Himmler and supposedly Hitler) consisted of what people of the Weimar Republic (inter-war Germany) would have perceived as unconventional ideologies. The Occult, to give background on the group, essentially believed in the superiority of the Aryan race over the lesser races (i.e. the Jewish people) and believed that the Germans were the embodiment of this “mystical” race.

Likewise, the Sith in the Star Wars universe are viewed by the majority of the galaxy as having unconventional ideologies, whilst also having the belief of their superiority. Just like the Occult, they opposed the official views of the state represented by the German Republic and the Jedi/Galactic Republic respectively. The Occult were also cast off into the shadows, only to rise when the opportunity presented itself, which is also a fundamental basis of what the Sith are in Star Wars. Plus, if Hitler was indeed an Occultist, then it can be viewed that both dictators’ religious views are officially enforced as the state’s law following their assumption of power. Thus the Sith and the Occult could be viewed as parallels between inter-war Germany and the Star Wars saga.

Unfounded Hope

One of the greatest failings of the world during Hitler’s rise (while not getting political) was the appeasement and faith of the democratic Western world that Hitler would not steer his country (and thus the world) into disaster (the Second World War) and the belief that he would show reason. Likewise, while it isn’t a direct parallel, the Jedi put unfounded faith in the belief that Palpatine would not steer the galaxy into tyranny, when it was surely apparent what was happening. It was abundantly apparent to both the Jedi and the Western Powers that significant political shifts were taking place, yet both held faith in an old system, a system which would evidently fail them.

Finally, of course, just like when the Western Allies attempted to steer the world away from war, the Jedi were met with a brutal and swift response when they attempted to save democracy, leading to years of tyrannical rule and oppression. In both cases, appeasement was also fuelled by the inability to see or accept the reality that malevolent forces were indeed at work, allowing further assumption of power by both Hitler and Palpatine and allowing them to further strengthen their foothold on power.

Getting the Enemy Close and Decisive Decision

Another minor but obvious parallel is the implementation of the strategy in which you draw your enemies close while hoping to encircle and entrap them, something of which both Hitler and Palpatine were extremely fond.

In order not to repeat the disastrous deadlock of the First World War, Hitler sought about defeating the French and British Expeditionary Force decisively in a swift Blitzkrieg campaign. Although the initial plan was to attack the French through neutral Belgium, as the Germans had done during the First World War, some of Hitler’s generals offered a second strategy – allow the French to believe the main attack will be through Belgium, draw them in, and then encircle them with a massive pincer movement directed at the French coast. Likewise, Palpatine in Return of the Jedi allowed the Rebels to be drawn in during the Battle of Endor, only to encircle them with the majority of his forces, hoping to eliminate them in a single decisive maneuver.

Both dictators, however, make the same fatal error at the imperative moment. Hitler and Palpatine ordered their forces to halt their advance just as they were prepared to make the killer strike. For Hitler, this halt of his advancing troops was made during the encircling of the British and French forces near Dunkirk; just as he had the opportunity to destroy his western enemies (and perhaps force a British surrender), he halted the German panzers. This enabled the British to enact the Evacuation of Dunkirk, which, by the time Hitler’s orders were lifted and the Germans arrived at Dunkirk, had allowed a significant portion of the BRF and the French forces to escape. It is estimated by historians that, if Hitler had not stopped his troops, he would have destroyed or captured almost the entirety of the British and French forces which would have likely knocked the Western Allies out of the war (and possibly prevented US intervention in Europe). Likewise, Palpatine ordered the Imperial Fleet to stop their advance once they were in attack position during the Battle of Endor. There can be no doubt that if the Imperial Star Destroyers had continued their advance, they would have been almost capable of crushing the Alliance Fleet, if not completely annihilating it.

Another example of this strategy is Hitler’s “belief” that somehow he would be able to entrap the Russians in Berlin and force “the opposite of Stalingrad” (where an entire German army was captured in 1943). Even though this was completely impossible strategically, the use of this strategy in theory is definitely obvious even during Hitler’s last days.

In a broader sense, this strategy can be attributed to Palpatine’s and Hitler’s general tactic of giving their enemies assurances of their good will, only to strike when their enemies’ confidence is high and their guard is lowered. The strategy also involves allowing your enemy to help you in your fight, only to attack when they have eliminated your other enemies and served their purpose. Hitler used this strategy by assuring the statesmen of the day, such as British politicians Neville Chamberlain and David Lloyd George and the Soviet Union, that he wanted nothing but peace. This allowed Hitler to gain their assistance in the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia and Poland respectively. Of course, when the situation and opportunity presented itself, Hitler turned against his false allies. Palpatine earned the support of – and then betrayed – not only the Jedi who helped him destroy Separatist forces and the CIS leaders who helped him plunge the galaxy into war, but also his own Sith Apprentices Darth Tyranus and Darth Maul, whom he destroyed once their purpose had concluded.

Corruption of a Symbol

Although slightly Expanded Universe, parallels can be drawn between the attempts by both Palpatine and Hitler to corrupt a symbol of peace as a means of promoting their message and ideology. According to the EU, the symbol used by the Galactic Empire was derived from a symbol used by the Bendu monks, which represented a non-confrontational nature. This symbol, originally used by the Galactic Republic, was likely used by Palpatine to assure the galaxy that his intent was a peaceful one, supposedly continuing the lineage of an improved Republic. Hitler likewise corrupted a symbol of peace used by many cultures in the form of the swastika. Among these cultures (including the Buddhist monks) the swastika was initially intended to represent wellbeing.

Evidently, however, once both regimes fell, the symbols had been corrupted and in turn represented the respective regimes. In terms of the swastika, it is obvious by the fact that it is outlawed in several countries that it has in fact lost its initial meaning. Similarly, the symbol of the Galactic Empire wasn’t re-appropriated by the Second Galactic Republic, likely meaning that it too fell into disuse because of the evil it represented.

Destruction from without/The Mistakes of a Dictator

In contrast to how democracies fall, both the Third Reich and the Galactic Empire’s demises are brought about by the enemy which they both thought all but extinguished – the Allied powers and the Republic loyalists respectively. By the time of 1941, Hitler, like Palpatine, believed that his enemies were all but extinguished and thought that it was only a matter of time before they consolidated their defeat and faded away forever. For Hitler, these “enemies” took the form of the Allied powers in Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth Nations, and the governments-in-exile of conquered countries. Hitler was incredibly frustrated at the unwillingness of his enemies to accept defeat and surrender. Events, however, did not allow for this idealist superiority to last, and with the declaration of war on the United States, the enemies which he had once believed inferior and unable to move onto the offensive in fact began to devour his empire. This of course in turn destroyed his great Reich. Likewise, Palpatine believed that his enemies – the Jedi and the Republic loyalists – were all but destroyed, and was undoubtedly frustrated by the fact that their complete defeat eluded him. Eventually, of course, as with Hitler, through various events the Alliance to Restore the Republic found its footing and eventually destroyed Palpatine’s Empire.

The Star Wars saga also shows how a dictator can destroy his Empire through poor judgement and the attempt and failure to swing a knock-out punch to his enemies. These parallels are seen in the real-world Operation Barbarossa, the declaration of war against the United States, and the plot of The Force Unleashed. Operation Barbarossa, although always planned, was launched before the closing of the Western front because of Hitler’s belief that the Soviet Union was the only reason that Britain would not surrender, and as such that if he destroyed Russia he would destroy that hope. Ultimately, this plan, although close to success, failed and reorganized the Allied powers, leading to Hitler’s downfall. Similarly, the declaration against the United States – in a hope to persuade the Japanese Empire to declare war against the Soviet Union – was another error in judgement by Hitler that ultimately heralded his downfall. In the Star Wars galaxy, Palpatine – believing that he needed to decisively destroy the only thing preventing complete galactic control – attempted to annihilate Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and his other enemies in one offensive (explored in the plot of The Force Unleashed). However, like Hitler’s plan, it only resulted in organizing Palpatine’s enemies against him, ultimately bringing about the destruction of the Galactic Empire.

Both Empires served their rule of brutality and intimidation over the course of many years, plundering and murdering throughout. However, in the end, both shared the same fate; both were destroyed by a war bred by the dictators themselves. These dictators ultimately found their personal fates during the battles that would fragment – and lead to the demise of – their Empires. All of this is testimony to the fact that they were both Empires of one man.

German Army References

Perhaps the most obvious “physical” connection between the Star Wars universe and Nazi Germany is the portrayal of the feared Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) through many of the costumes and names of the Galactic Empire.

The name “stormtroopers” for the Imperial troops, for example, portrays a clear connection to Hitler’s Stormtroopers of his own “personal army.” This name may also suggest that, just like Hitler’s Stormtroopers were his own “personal army,” the stormtroopers of Palpatine’s Galactic Empire are likewise completely loyal and obedient to the whim of the Emperor, and are perhaps in that way out of the typical command structure of a typical military, instead led absolutely by the Emperor. Expanded Universe material seems to support this, stating that stormtroopers were completely loyal to Palpatine, often sent throughout the Empire to ensure loyalty of other organizations.

Darth Vader’s helmet resembles a World War 2 German Stahlhelm helmet, which also further held significance with the World War 1 German helmet. This connection was no doubt included as a device which, when paired with the use of the German Blutfahne colours, symbolically represents evil to the audience through its connection with Nazi Germany.

Xenophobia, Slavery and Genocide

“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”
- Yoda, 32 BBY


Both the Galactic Empire and the Third Reich were intrinsically based on the superiority of one race over another. This led to extreme intolerance, racism, and xenophobia, which grew into genocide and slavery.

In the context of a galactic civilisation such as the Galactic Empire, sentient species go beyond the real-world reality that singularly consists of humanity. As such, with the Galactic Empire, xenophobia was extended to alien races and minorities such as Jedi and Jedi supporters, with the exception of a few humanoid species. The Empire made the case that these species were “Non-human” and inferior, and as such that they violated the Empire’s established “Human High Culture.” The minorities, they said, represented a threat to galactic stability. Human High Culture was established and justified under the belief that Humans had established galactic civilisation in the Galactic Republic and thus were the only race who were intelligent and productive. During the rule of the Nazis over Germany, all races of Human deemed “non-Aryan,” as well as minority groups, were considered inferior and thus had the potential to dilute and malevolently affect the genome of the Occultist “Aryan race.” Just like in the Imperial “Human High Culture” scenario, the Nazis believed that members of the Aryan Race were the founders of human civilization, were thus superior, and were thus the only beings worthy of existence. Both of these instances led to xenophobic tendencies from the respective states. It is also important to note that both the Empire and the Third Reich were exceptionally sexist, leaning toward patriarchal tendencies.

With xenophobia of course rises racism, which leads to drastic actions such as genocide and slavery. We are all far too aware of the Holocaust and the enslavement carried out by the Nazis throughout the course of their rule, which evidently saw over 6 million innocent people perish solely because of their ethnicity. These peoples ranged from Jews to Gypsies and from Frenchmen to Poles, systematically murdered and enslaved by the Third Reich. Processes of this isolation – and often eventual extermination – included the segregation of particular peoples into ethnic-based living areas (Ghettos, etc), removal of personal property, and transportation to camps. During their rule, the Nazis carried out many massacres – such as the Ardeatine massacre of Rome and the Malmedy massacre of American soldiers – and established various concentration and extermination camps, all the result of xenophobia and intolerance.

During the rule of the Galactic Empire, similar atrocities and actions were carried out due to xenophobia and the belief in Human High Culture. It was common for the Empire to coordinate massacres, move entire species to “ethnic neighborhoods” for segregation purposes, and move species in the Outer Rim to “extermination ships” for the obvious purpose of being murdered.

Another parallel between the Empire and the Reich is the establishment of organizations designed to carry forth the principles of Human High Culture and the superiority of the Aryan race respectively. For the Empire, such a group took form in the Sub-Adult Group which trained Imperial Youth in the principles of Human High Culture. By comparison, the Third Reich established the Hitler Youth to train the young people of Germany in the principles of the superiority of the Aryan Race.

Devoid of Structured Hierarchy

For all intents and purposes it would seem that both Adolf Hitler and Palpatine implemented the same unorthodox hierarchical system, which impeded the effectiveness of their state’s rule but ensured that they each always held absolute power. This involved both dictators establishing not a strict linear hierarchical system, but rather a system in which they held absolute control and where their subordinates didn’t have true power over one another because of the dictator’s authoritarian rule over all events.

In the case of Hitler, he often overlapped roles and gave certain officials the same responsibility. In certain situations – like when he asked for a solution to a problem – this would ensure that officials were always trying to do better than each other, always trying to win the praise of the Führer. While this would more often than not give Hitler an exceptional answer to his requests, it would also create distrust throughout the entire hierarchy beneath him, as all his subordinates tried to surpass and destroy one another and remain loyal to their leader. With Hitler having all the power, it ensured that anyone who sought power would be exceptionally loyal to him. This also created military confusion, with officers having to go through various people and avenues to accomplish their goals, all being overseen and controlled by the Führer to ensure that not one individual underneath him had enough power to threaten his rule.

With Palpatine, as described by George Lucas in the A New Hope Audio Commentary, the Empire likewise does not have a strict hierarchical system. Lucas noted that he purposely didn’t want to make a hierarchical system – the Emperor controlled everything, with everyone else distrusting each other below. This is illustrated during the Imperial conference room scene in A New Hope, when every Imperial official seems to be of equal footing and distrusting of their colleagues. Motti (“Are you ******* mad?”) talks back to Vader, Vader force chokes Motti, Tarkin tells Vader to “release him,” and all the while they seemingly don’t have any true hierarchical system in place. As with Hitler, this no doubt allows Palpatine to ensure that he has complete control at all times, securing his rule over the Empire.

Summary

In summary, it is clear that, whether fully intentional or not, George Lucas and various EU authors have provided us with a clear and concise contemporary retelling and echoing of the turbulent years of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. From politics to ideology, the Star Wars saga is no doubt a detailed, clear, and – in some instances – mirror image of an era in our history which should never be forgotten. For to forget would be to deny any of this happened...to forget would make what we learned irrelevant and wasted. The Third Reich gave us a new understanding of what human beings are capable of and what our societies are capable of. It was possible to happen, and it is possible for it to happen again. We must ensure a global catastrophe of this magnitude never happens again or we will have progressed none.

Interesting Facts

- Both the Third Reich and Galactic Empire were born as a result of a “global/galactic” war and fell as a result of the next “global/galactic” war.
- Both the Third Reich and the Galactic Empire fragmented after the fall of their leader, only to be reunified later (obviously with different post-reunification government types).
- Both Hitler and Palpatine died in the final battle before the fragmentation/collapse of their governments.
- Both of Hitler and Palpatine’s principle enemies had names beginning with ‘J’ and both with a total of 4 letters; the J-E-D-I and the J-E-W-S.
- Both Hitler and Palpatine survived an assassination attempt, although both were scarred in some form or another from it (Hitler’s injuries being minor).
- Both Hitler and Palpatine had mentors. Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s mentor, taught him the ways of the Dark Side, only to be killed by Palpatine. Hitler’s mentor, Dietrich Eckart taught him about the Nazi and Aryan/Occultist ideologies, only to die before Hitler rose to power. A second “mentor” supposedly was an “Occultist” who, when Hitler’s plans were failing, performed a ritual between himself, Hitler, and a specific tree route. It was said that everything from then on would go well for Hitler as long as the bond was not broken between the route, Hitler, and the occultist; however, if it was, everything would turn to ruin in 12 years. Surprisingly, just as Hitler was about to lose hope, he was quickly made Chancellor soon after. Afterward the occultist is murdered in one of Hitler’s Purges...12 years later the Third Reich falls. Hmmmm....


The views expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and do not represent the views of the ForceCast team. If you have questions or comments about these editorials, please email ForceCast Senior Web Editor Eric Geller. The author of this editorial can be contacted with specific feedback at jack_grayie_league@hotmail.com.

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