Don’t forget you also have angry locals who would love to get their hands on the stormtroopers that had been tormenting them for years now that the empire could no longer protect you . So why not just leave before the angry mobs start knocking down the gates to your now pointless little outpost
@@user-Jay178 too bad that there’s not really gonna be much focus on that era now that the High Republic is getting attention. I would like to see that happen in some shape or form
I disagree with the saying that the Stormtroopers are nothing but cannon fodders for the Empire. Sure, after the deaths of Palpatine and Vader, they're being treated as such by those in the high command. But when those two were alive, the Stormtroopers were very dangerous and very competent troopers with good armors and good aims. It's just that when they encountered the people with the plot armors, the people with the plot armors happened to always have the high grounds. As for the reasons why the Stormtroopers would desert the Empire, here's a number of reasons from me: 1 No more wages for them after the deaths of Palpatine and Vader. 2 Mistreatments and abuses by the Moffs. 3 The Third Republic is winning the war and gaining a lot of territories. 4 The Stormtroopers are the faces of the Empire, so they will be despised and harmed by the civilians who hated the Empire for sure. 5 The Moffs and the other imperial military leaders are always wanted to come out on top and show no regards about the lives of their men.
I'd say anakin would've turned to the dark side sooner. From all the torture and shit. Grevious would've just been hanging in a cell. All one needs to do to capture Grevious is to just remove his limbs and hang him on the wall. He'd make a nice ornament in a prison cell
I wish we had seen more Imperial troops deserting in the sequels. We got a hint of it with Finn then it is never touched again. Such a waste, both for the actor and the lore overall
@@jakealter5504 True, but it never affects any other characters apart from Finn. For example, a great way it could have been included would have been in Episode 8. Instead of going to find the hacker to access the ship, they need to find other troops that have defected, or Poe gets contacted by troops on the ship wanting to defect because they heard Poe helped Finn. Even in episode 9, the other defectors they meet only really talk to Finn
Fin was such a wasted charater. Like he was just Comedic relief in the end and that is just sad. Itd,have been great to watch him adjust into a non 1st order life style. Or maybe struggle with killing his fellow troopers, people he grew up with and trained with. (And you know... Fellow kidnapped and brainwashed children)
I’m a firm believer, that quite a few of the remaining Stormtrooper units would of withdrawn to the outer rim. There they could set up Private Military Companies, utilising their military skill sets for any potential clients. I’m sure many of them would rather enjoy conducting offensive ops against the so called “New Republic”
You may have touched on this, but I think the Empire's biggest failing was that it didn't create a sense of nationality or unity among its constituents. People need a reason to fight, kill, and die for, and this is usually best served by a national identity of some kind. Some nations, like China and Japan, draw upon their long histories and unique cultures, whereas others, like the United States, draw upon their ideological dreams and values to give people a sense of common purpose. You're going to have a far more motivated people if they believe that they are fighting and working for something greater, something bigger than themselves. The Galactic Empire really failed in trying to achieve this. The massive military buildup made every world feel like it was under foreign occupation, with so many resources going into the war machine, and stormtroopers and Imperial officers everywhere, but who are they fighting? What's the point? The Clone Wars are over, the Separatists are dead. There's really no big bad for the Empire to fight anything, no "other" for people to fear, no boogeyman for the Empire to use as an excuse for its behavior. So what's the point? People are willing to lose some rights and freedoms if they have good reason for it. Also, the fact that the Empire used slaves instantly created an out-group, made it easy for the Rebels to make their fight a righteous cause, something that sentient beings, human or otherwise, could rally behind. The Empire made it too easy for the Rebel Alliance to form a united front, made it very easy for the Rebels to make freedom their rallying cry. You ask a Rebel why s/he fights and they'll say "we're fighting for freedom". But what stake do the Stormtroopers have in the Empire's existence? A paycheck and maybe some perks but not much else. The Moffs and Imperial Officers? Same thing. It's similar to the Russians in Afghanistan. The Russians were largely fighting for pay, while the Afghans were fighting to expel a foreign occupier. Not too hard to see which side automatically has higher morale, and whose going to fight harder when the going gets tough.
That armor anonymity thing would never fly irl. The years long gap in your employment history would be a glaring red flag to anybody who takes even a quick glance at your file
Star Wars Rethink: Imperial Civil War (before Palpatine's death, either before the rebellion or early in it). Maybe Vader is responsible and trying to take his master's place, or maybe Palpatine does something to turn Tarkin against him, or maybe the Moffs turn on him, or maybe there's a massive Stormtrooper mutiny because Palpatine decided to severely cut their pay or stop paying them or some other stupid Sith-like thing he does. Whatever the exact reason and those behind it, Palpatine has to fight enemies from within that aren't the Rebel Alliance.
Had obi wan killed maul quite a few things would have been entirly different. There is a high chance without Kira or the crimson dawn that solo would have taken place. Ahsoka would have needed a new reason to go to mandatore and without the exsistance of maul on the planet high chance the republic wouldn’t push for breaking war treaty’s. Let’s assume the events of order 66 take place having ahsoka forced to fight against clones. With no distractions to stop the clones like maul it is entirely possible they may have killed ahsoka. Not only that but since maul hasn’t been involved the rebels never met maul and as such kanan never goes thru his biggest trial. Nor does Sabine get the dark saber as by mandalorian law it now lies to obi wan who let’s assume buries it with satine. Even if he doesn’t there is an extremely low chance that dark saver would fall into sabines hands due to her being shunned. Then we have to look at the criminal side of the galaxy mauls syndicates break up leaving the Crimelords to commit to there own buisness which likely would throw the empire into another small war as maul believed they must seize what powers they can but most crime lords believe in seizing everything. I love this theory and would love to further discuss the problems you have with it or things you think could be added or different
@@jakestark2483 I think that Obi-Wan killing Maul out of anger could have turned him to the dark side, which could alter the Clone Wars on a small scale, since Palpatine was playing both sides. I’m not sure if Kenobi would be redeemed or plunge further into the dark side. It would also be interesting seeing the Death Watch reunited under Kenobi, which they may fight with him in the Clone Wars if he stayed loyal to the Republic.
@@LegoWorldWar2StopMotion I doubt obi wan would have fallen to the dark side rather taken a step fall. Which could lead to the dark side. Everything else stands true but obi wan could turn to the dark side I did leave that out
I mean yeah with the emperor died and that they were not getting payed anymore and were risking their lives for nothing and were left behind from operation cinder while the first order rebuild itself in the unknown regions.
Kinda makes you wonder what the death troopers did once the empire fell. Personally I would have kept some of my armor but upgraded it and actually gave it a paint. Then I would take up bounty hunting.
Whole lotta Troopers like Mayfeld saw what the Empire would do to even it's most loyal citizens. That'll break even the most loyal of soldiers, adleast the sane ones.
I feel like after the Battle of Endor Stromtroopers deserted in the tens of thousands they either joined the New Republic or formed mercenary or a Thrid option take some credits,a few weapons,personal belongings,steal an Imperial shuttle and escape the sinking ship that was the Empire and buy an apartment on some remote planet in the Outer Rim and in reality who was going to stop them the Imperial High Command was fighting amongst themselves
My mum in the final days of The Reich was forced to give civilian clothes of my dad to a hidden SS-man. I am not sure, but I guess in the USA are SS and Stortroopers the same? They were also trying to jump the ship, but almost all had a tattoe with blood group, so it was quite hard. To me are the Star Wars movies an American myth about World War II.
To some degree A MYTH ABOUT 20TH and Early 21st CENTURY. It contains Vietnam, Manhattan project, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Theosophy, Patton, Beat Generation, Flower Power, Thelema, Hermetism, Fraternitas Saturni and pieces of various sources.
Your right except for one thing. The stormtroopers of the empire were for the most part ruthlessly loyal, and extremely good fighters. A large majority of the stormtrooper corp stayed on even after the galactic civil war, and the more common rank and file army troopers were more likely the ones to desert. Otherwise, spot on.
Between you and me I can tell you why these desertions happened early in the game for those who had enough information within the Empire to be in the know, massive comment so bear with me 1. Broken promises The Empire promised to uplift and financially back not just Coruscant on but everyone this promise was a white lie for lack of a better statement, rather than paying for one Coruscant under the Empire The Empire citizens would be paying for dozens of them... only worlds that were imperative to the Imperial War Machine were given attention and not all of it was good attention, with the systems that were either in the Imperial Echo chamber or simply the most loyal getting the best deals while ones that needed convincing were seldom convinced with peace and love as promised, and instead individuals of power had individuals who cared about them held at gunpoint and individuals who spoke out against the empire or refused multiple eminent domain trades most of which unreasonable to them due to how low were usually charged and confirm to guilty of crimes they didn't were usually charged and confirmed guilty of crimes they didn't commit... despite the empires promise to also Purge corruption. To many who joined the Empire to furfill promises.... the fact that the higher-ups, their colleagues, and even in some cases their training was fighting them every step of the way would probably be enough for some Stormtroopers and even Specialists from other Departments of the Empire to hit f*** it and sign on with the Rebellion even early on. 2. Sham justice system The Republics legal system with the exception of those in military roles was a traditional trial by jury, under the Empire everybody was transferred to tribunal style trials that were usually only reserved for military assets, while this accelerated the trial process this also ensured that if a government official needed to do something and you stood in their way by say holding on to a family farm and turning down every eminent domain sale attempt, all they had to do was charge you with something absurd but could also be proven in the event someone like thrawn got a hold of your case... this is seen in Star Wars Rebels multiple times, with the farmer that is Ezra's friend and the bar. although on the Empire's defense concerning the bar the owner of the establishment could easily become a convicted spy. But that's not the point the Empire's legal system was effectively small claims court style judging for murder if you're lucky you got a proper Tribunal, usually you never did... add corrupt motivation and a need to silence the opposition and you had a recipe for disaster with no check on it whatsoever. 3. Live propaganda in some dystopian science fiction there is the theoretical scenario where on perfectly peaceful worlds that need indoctrinated into the dystopian government's ideology you commit a military unit or a bunch of federal agents to do a live fire exercise in a civilian area with one side masquerading as the enemy that you are at war with, within Legends at least the Empire has done this a million times. And no I am not exaggerating... 4. Wasted Investments while within Legends if we consider Star Wars Rebels an extension of Legends, we know that there were backups of the tie Defender program that they actually were able to assemble new makes of that fighter starting at the Battle of Hoth, several trillions of credits minimum of the empire were mismanaged into slush funds or projects that hold no use tactically whatsoever.... projects such as the Death Star which actually have three additional ways to destroy it other than the exhaust port (though the exhaust Port is surprisingly the safest and the least realistic for anybody other than a Jedi to pull off in a way that would save the target) a failed attempt of the Revival of the Fett clone project, attempts to create clones of the emperor when a body double would do, and lastly the ludicrous contingency of destroying all of your strong points simply as payback for failing to keep you alive as emperor.... if it were not for the fact that the Empire's economy was reminiscent of the People's Republic of China (as in their ability to manipulate their currency is god tier.) With the battles fought the Empire would have gone bankrupt long before the Battle of Endor, with the Battle of Hoth being a desperate effort to show Bankers and investors the benefits of loyalty and the cost of reinvesting. even the armor is a joke because anything reminiscent of a modern firearm is the only thing the stormtrooper armor can protect against reliably more common weapons such as blasters blunt instruments and even Spears render the armor useless 5. Past was quality, present is quantity the empire was trading down from the Clone Wars era Republic and even the separatists jurisdiction in some cases in spite of the crippling taxes poverty and failing infrastructure that both governments had.... at least for the masses and even though the Disney rewrites belittles the rebellions legitimacy... donning the green fatigues and having a shield generator that just might not work, is better than armor that barely works at all and only offers me protection against rare weapons and haters anyway... the empire while the helmet of the stormtrooper armor was the most advanced piece of hardware available to the standard Imperial Soldier any visibility benefits the helmet would offer are rendered useless by the fact the helmet constantly breaks down and few within the Empire are actually certified to do maintenance... leading to on job injuries and even expert Marksman missing their marks in combat situations where they need to hit them even to take suspects in alive, and despite the average Imperials kit being more expensive than the average Rebels.... the stormtrooper armor was over-engineered and for that it is an epic fail in combating the enemy that Stormtroopers are commonly sent to fight. it didn't help that it was also made in bulk either or in true military fashion by the lowest bidder which in some cases was even slave labor. the Rebellion on the other hand either used Clone War era Surplus or blasters that were a little bit more expensive than what the Empire had to work with or time to fix manufacturing bugs in Imperial gear that was captured in the field. anywho hopefully this can be a basis for a future video you're probably never going to see this but I'm thankful for your content and I wish you the best
The Empire was so morally bankrupt I could see Stormtroopers deserting after witnessing some particularly ugly incident. Like say Darth Vader slaughtering a bunch of wounded soldiers and children.
I wonder what happened to stormtroopers who defected to the new Republic. Like where they accepted into the NR army or where they just straight up rejected
This is one of the things I prefer the Legend's version over. Legends Stormtrooper Corps were fanatics and didn't have a single traitor in their entire history.
@@ericpowell4350 Even Leia admitted as much that, even though the Rebels has a lot of army and navy defectors, they never had a hope of getting a Stormtrooper to defect because their loyalty was beyond fanatical, "Stormtrooper ideology is terrifying in it's thoroughness. They can't be reasoned with, which means they can't be deprogrammed."- Leia Organa in the Imperial Handbook. So it wasn't just good Imperial Propaganda. The Rebels even had to accept the Stormtroopers were never going to stop fighting until they were wiped out entirely. They would never defect.
@@randomcenturion7264 You're likely right on that front and would explain why in Legends Palpatine actually kept giving a crap about the Empire. Though I do like the idea that Palpatine simply destroyed his own Empire because he couldn't stand the idea of someone ruling the Empire that wasn't him. Just saying, the stormtroopers just didn't all have the same dedication as shown in Legends.
@@jacobberg373 I admit, I do like the idea of Palps being salty and having his own Galactic Nero Decree, but I feel my Stormy-Bois have gotten a real rough ride since the departure from Legends. Between that "Can't aim" dead meme being used in canon and robbing them of their intimidation to demoting them to infantry, when that's the job of the Imperial Army (seriously, those guys NEED more screentime) instead of the knife's edge of an Imperial assault that they should be.
A possible real world example would probably be the Germans during WW2. During time when Germany was getting beat by the allies left and right, some were probably thinking of deserting. I know that General Viktor Von Paulus was promoted to Field Marshal and he would have to commit suicide, instead he surrendered to the Russians.
@Devin Davis yes and no, the germans did infact have a desertion problem, especially in 1945. the germans executed some 35 000 soldiers for desertion in 1945 in flying courts. and another 15-25 000 in proper court marshals (compare this to 18 in ww1). and thats before we consider german penal battalions, some 27 000 men were sent to Bewährungsbataillons after being caught deserting or attempting to desert. overall over a 100 000 germans are believed to have deserted in ww2. edit: or about 1% of all german soldiers, which is pretty high considering POWs are not counted (and i think they should be)
@Devin Davis sorry about the name mix up. It's been a while since I heard Paulus' full name. You know how documentaries are always using the last names only.
Palpatine made those scientists were sent off into the Unknown Regions or dead before anyone else got their hands on them. He still had plans for revenge to undertake after all and they would still be useful for the future
Star Wars Rethink: Tarkin is emperor during the Galactic Civil War. Let's say Palpatine dies shortly before the rebellion starts, maybe he has a heart attack or stroke, maybe he gets caught in a catastrophic accident or natural disaster, or maybe Vader or some inquisitor or whatever kills him but fails to replace him, or maybe someone else assassinates him. Whatever the reason, Tarkin is in charge shortly before the Galactic Civil War starts, and he has to deal with the rebellion. How might the Galactic Civil War go with Tarkin on top instead of Palpatine, does he win or does the war more or less go the way it did before, or does it somehow go even worse more quickly for the Galactic Empire than in the original timeline?
@@thorpeaaron1110 I should probably clarify what I meant. The video itself you mentioned had Tarkin take charge during the war, what I'm asking is how differently might it have gone if he took charge before the war, from the very start at or shortly before 2 BBY. What might Tarkin do differently in strategy that Palpatine had not?
Tried for War Crimes including Mass Genocide against the Jedi and the planet of Alderaan. Life Imprisonment or immediate execution, sorry not everyone is as forgiving
@@jacobberg373 But I think during his trial Luke would come to his father's defense and tell them that the now redeemed Anakin Skywalker was manipulated by the emperor and that is what caused his horrible actions during the Empire's reign.They would probably still imprison him for about two years then we would eventually be released on bail
New Rethink Videos Please Lore Guy: What if the empire mass produced Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite Star Fighter program? What if the Rebellion stole and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite star fighters against the empire? What if the Republic had and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite throughout the clone wars? What if the Separatists had and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite during the clone wars? What if the First + Final Orders used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite star fighter? What if the Resistance used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite against the first + final orders? What if Order 66 was a complete success? = What if all the Jedi were completely purged during order 66, without any survivors? What if the death star never destroyed Alderaan? What if the empire used Thrawn’s strategy? What if the clone army of the grand army of the republic was much larger? = in the hundreds of millions or billions? What if the Mandalorians joined the war on the republic’s side against the CIS? What if clone wars went on much longer than it did? = 6 to 10 years or so? What if the clone army was far more advance? = had better armour + equipment, technology and weapons? What if Thrawn won at Lothal? What if Anakin Skywalker redeemed in return of the Jedi lived/survived? What if the First Order used a Clone army too? What if the First Order used Tie Defender Elites? What if the First Order used Dark Troopers? What if the First Order was more sensible in its strategies? What operation Cinder never happened? = the empire decides not to do this stupid plan of Sidious? What if the Zillo beast survived? What if the 332nd division sided with Ahsoka and Rex, and survived? = And fought off the inhibitor chip? What if the clone army turned on Sidious after order 66? = during the reorganization of the first galactic empire? What if the empire never decided to build the death stars? What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the era of the empire? What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the post empire period? What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the sequel trilogy? What if the Rebel Alliance had Starhawks during the whole galactic civil war period? What if the empire won at Jakku? What if the empire decided to make peace with the rebellion? What if the rebellion decided to surrender and make peace with the empire? What if the empire decided to build its ships’ bridges deep inside the hull instead of the outside for practicality? What if the empire had resurgent class star destroyers during its era? What if the republic had and used imperial class star destroyers during the clone wars era? What if the republic had and used resurgent class star destroyers during the clone wars era? What if the new republic never disbanded right after the galactic civil war and kept its forces active for possible future threats? What if Boba Fett joined the rebel alliance? What if the outer rim sieges during the clone wars failed for the republic? What if Sidious never reorganized the republic in the galactic empire? = kept the republic intact after the clone wars as a democracy? What if the Unknown regions were much easier to access for the rest of the galaxy to explore and settle? What if the Tie Hunter was mass produced by the empire? What if the Empire mass produced the Tie Phantom?
North Korea has around 57 military members per 1000 citizens, so 5.7% of the population actively serving. Eritrea has around 4.5%. How do you think does the Empire compare?
Heresy to bring up another fiction but if battletech has shown me anything. a chaotic galaxy has always a need for people willing to kill their fellow being for a paycheck. Post Endor i imagine that alot of PMC rose up and many entities (The New Republic included) would just hire these men and women. most armed with what was top of the line imperial gear and training. Saving the need to train and outfit ones own. I see alot of mercs in repainted stormtrooper armor as well, it's good armor after all so long as your not taking on Teddybears.
Yeah I think it was pretty smart I would have done the same in their case I mean the Empire gone Emperor Dead yea seems like a pretty good idea to leave heck I might just take one Star Destroyer make it my home along with the rest of the soldiers and crew Explore the rest of the galaxy Colonize an unknown planet make it into our home have a chance of a new really
I deserted because Im not fighting for a falling side that doesn’t even pay me so I shot my commanding officer stole the credits and me and my younger brother got the hell out of there
What was the point though with the emperor dead and the Empire about to lose the war what was the point of fighting anymore plus they weren't getting paid
@@thorpeaaron1110 For some folks it's not about the money, it's about the principle of fighting for your government to the last man(not that I agree with such sentiments).
I thought the imperial army was the canon fodder and the storm troopers we’re like the Marines you kind of sending mixed feelings your mate you said that the storm troopers were elite forces And had a lot more training so I wouldn’t think that the storm troopers were canon fodder
This doesn’t sound like what stormtroopers would do there are multiple example of stormtroopers being total frantic such as the battle of jaku stormtroopers kept fighting for months on end even after the peace treaty was signed I get why imperial army trooper left they weren’t trained to be total fanatic of the empire but stormtroopers were
I hate the new lore of the scorched earth strategy. Just a dumb reason to have the Empire disappear overnight so the terrible First Order can be the new threat. It's hard to make sense lore-wise and logically. Ooo the Emperor is bad, he's going to do bad things. So lame. Good video as always though.
"Simply put, At the end of the day, Basically, Generally speaking, Realistically" Please! Just speak like a normal person! You use these phrases so many times in every video I wince in pain just hearing you say them out loud.
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Hey what's up the the cracking during your videos
Don’t forget you also have angry locals who would love to get their hands on the stormtroopers that had been tormenting them for years now that the empire could no longer protect you . So why not just leave before the angry mobs start knocking down the gates to your now pointless little outpost
Finn leading a first order/stormtrooper rebellion was a missed opportunity.
My exact thought after seeing how cool that image was :D
@@LoreGuy I mean It could still happen in post TROS as there could be first order holdouts in the known galaxy and unkown regions.
@@user-Jay178 too bad that there’s not really gonna be much focus on that era now that the High Republic is getting attention.
I would like to see that happen in some shape or form
I made a scenario on that actually.
@@neofulcrum5013 oh? Do tell!!!!
I disagree with the saying that the Stormtroopers are nothing but cannon fodders for the Empire. Sure, after the deaths of Palpatine and Vader, they're being treated as such by those in the high command. But when those two were alive, the Stormtroopers were very dangerous and very competent troopers with good armors and good aims. It's just that when they encountered the people with the plot armors, the people with the plot armors happened to always have the high grounds. As for the reasons why the Stormtroopers would desert the Empire, here's a number of reasons from me:
1 No more wages for them after the deaths of Palpatine and Vader.
2 Mistreatments and abuses by the Moffs.
3 The Third Republic is winning the war and gaining a lot of territories.
4 The Stormtroopers are the faces of the Empire, so they will be despised and harmed by the civilians who hated the Empire for sure.
5 The Moffs and the other imperial military leaders are always wanted to come out on top and show no regards about the lives of their men.
Star Wars rethink: Anakin and Grievous remain captured for the rest of the Clone Wars
Both Anakin and Grevious were both skilled warriors and they would eventually escape captivity
I'd say anakin would've turned to the dark side sooner. From all the torture and shit. Grevious would've just been hanging in a cell. All one needs to do to capture Grevious is to just remove his limbs and hang him on the wall. He'd make a nice ornament in a prison cell
@@Ar_Tank Just gets placed in Kenobis cruiser to be hello there’d to death
I wish we had seen more Imperial troops deserting in the sequels. We got a hint of it with Finn then it is never touched again. Such a waste, both for the actor and the lore overall
We did see that others did it in the rise of skywalker but we don’t actually see them do it
Battlefront II with Versio and her husband
@@jakealter5504 True, but it never affects any other characters apart from Finn. For example, a great way it could have been included would have been in Episode 8. Instead of going to find the hacker to access the ship, they need to find other troops that have defected, or Poe gets contacted by troops on the ship wanting to defect because they heard Poe helped Finn. Even in episode 9, the other defectors they meet only really talk to Finn
@@SomethingThatRhymes I know, I wish that they showed others defecting
Fin was such a wasted charater. Like he was just Comedic relief in the end and that is just sad. Itd,have been great to watch him adjust into a non 1st order life style. Or maybe struggle with killing his fellow troopers, people he grew up with and trained with. (And you know... Fellow kidnapped and brainwashed children)
I can just imagine some ex-stormtroopers getting together to form a mercenary company or security team.
An Imperial squad leader's last words to his troops: "Wait what are you doing with that blaster?"
Gets stunned and then turned in
@@gmailquinn Probably killed
I’m a firm believer, that quite a few of the remaining Stormtrooper units would of withdrawn to the outer rim. There they could set up Private Military Companies, utilising their military skill sets for any potential clients. I’m sure many of them would rather enjoy conducting offensive ops against the so called “New Republic”
You may have touched on this, but I think the Empire's biggest failing was that it didn't create a sense of nationality or unity among its constituents. People need a reason to fight, kill, and die for, and this is usually best served by a national identity of some kind. Some nations, like China and Japan, draw upon their long histories and unique cultures, whereas others, like the United States, draw upon their ideological dreams and values to give people a sense of common purpose. You're going to have a far more motivated people if they believe that they are fighting and working for something greater, something bigger than themselves.
The Galactic Empire really failed in trying to achieve this. The massive military buildup made every world feel like it was under foreign occupation, with so many resources going into the war machine, and stormtroopers and Imperial officers everywhere, but who are they fighting? What's the point? The Clone Wars are over, the Separatists are dead. There's really no big bad for the Empire to fight anything, no "other" for people to fear, no boogeyman for the Empire to use as an excuse for its behavior. So what's the point? People are willing to lose some rights and freedoms if they have good reason for it.
Also, the fact that the Empire used slaves instantly created an out-group, made it easy for the Rebels to make their fight a righteous cause, something that sentient beings, human or otherwise, could rally behind. The Empire made it too easy for the Rebel Alliance to form a united front, made it very easy for the Rebels to make freedom their rallying cry. You ask a Rebel why s/he fights and they'll say "we're fighting for freedom".
But what stake do the Stormtroopers have in the Empire's existence? A paycheck and maybe some perks but not much else. The Moffs and Imperial Officers? Same thing. It's similar to the Russians in Afghanistan. The Russians were largely fighting for pay, while the Afghans were fighting to expel a foreign occupier. Not too hard to see which side automatically has higher morale, and whose going to fight harder when the going gets tough.
It is like the end of WW2. Most troopers that were not fanatic could see which way the wind was blowing and did feel like dying for a lost cause.
The only difference is that this Hitler didn't decide to die or didn't stop plotting for ultimate power.
That armor anonymity thing would never fly irl. The years long gap in your employment history would be a glaring red flag to anybody who takes even a quick glance at your file
Star Wars Rethink: Imperial Civil War (before Palpatine's death, either before the rebellion or early in it). Maybe Vader is responsible and trying to take his master's place, or maybe Palpatine does something to turn Tarkin against him, or maybe the Moffs turn on him, or maybe there's a massive Stormtrooper mutiny because Palpatine decided to severely cut their pay or stop paying them or some other stupid Sith-like thing he does. Whatever the exact reason and those behind it, Palpatine has to fight enemies from within that aren't the Rebel Alliance.
I like this one.
Work is work.
I am now imagining a detachment of storm troopers hijacking a frigate, cruiser, or even star destroyer as their self declared severance pay 😆.
Deserting was in their best interest really.
True most of them would have died in the Empire's massive frontal attack against New Republic froces during the Battle of Jakku
What if the first order/final order used clones star wars:rethink
Some just simply gave up they saw that they will lose and decided to quit while they still can they lost hope if you will
Many stormtroopers deserted the imperial military to be mercenaries or enforcers for criminal syndicates.
Star Wars rethink: Obi-Wan kills Maul on Mandalore after Satine’s death
Had obi wan killed maul quite a few things would have been entirly different. There is a high chance without Kira or the crimson dawn that solo would have taken place. Ahsoka would have needed a new reason to go to mandatore and without the exsistance of maul on the planet high chance the republic wouldn’t push for breaking war treaty’s. Let’s assume the events of order 66 take place having ahsoka forced to fight against clones. With no distractions to stop the clones like maul it is entirely possible they may have killed ahsoka. Not only that but since maul hasn’t been involved the rebels never met maul and as such kanan never goes thru his biggest trial. Nor does Sabine get the dark saber as by mandalorian law it now lies to obi wan who let’s assume buries it with satine. Even if he doesn’t there is an extremely low chance that dark saver would fall into sabines hands due to her being shunned. Then we have to look at the criminal side of the galaxy mauls syndicates break up leaving the Crimelords to commit to there own buisness which likely would throw the empire into another small war as maul believed they must seize what powers they can but most crime lords believe in seizing everything. I love this theory and would love to further discuss the problems you have with it or things you think could be added or different
@@jakestark2483 I think that Obi-Wan killing Maul out of anger could have turned him to the dark side, which could alter the Clone Wars on a small scale, since Palpatine was playing both sides. I’m not sure if Kenobi would be redeemed or plunge further into the dark side. It would also be interesting seeing the Death Watch reunited under Kenobi, which they may fight with him in the Clone Wars if he stayed loyal to the Republic.
@@LegoWorldWar2StopMotion I doubt obi wan would have fallen to the dark side rather taken a step fall. Which could lead to the dark side. Everything else stands true but obi wan could turn to the dark side I did leave that out
I mean yeah with the emperor died and that they were not getting payed anymore and were risking their lives for nothing and were left behind from operation cinder while the first order rebuild itself in the unknown regions.
Kinda makes you wonder what the death troopers did once the empire fell. Personally I would have kept some of my armor but upgraded it and actually gave it a paint. Then I would take up bounty hunting.
Whole lotta Troopers like Mayfeld saw what the Empire would do to even it's most loyal citizens. That'll break even the most loyal of soldiers, adleast the sane ones.
I feel like after the Battle of Endor Stromtroopers deserted in the tens of thousands they either joined the New Republic or formed mercenary or a Thrid option take some credits,a few weapons,personal belongings,steal an Imperial shuttle and escape the sinking ship that was the Empire and buy an apartment on some remote planet in the Outer Rim and in reality who was going to stop them the Imperial High Command was fighting amongst themselves
My mum in the final days of The Reich was forced to give civilian clothes of my dad to a hidden SS-man. I am not sure, but I guess in the USA are SS and Stortroopers the same? They were also trying to jump the ship, but almost all had a tattoe with blood group, so it was quite hard. To me are the Star Wars movies an American myth about World War II.
To some degree A MYTH ABOUT 20TH and Early 21st CENTURY. It contains Vietnam, Manhattan project, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Theosophy, Patton, Beat Generation, Flower Power, Thelema, Hermetism, Fraternitas Saturni and pieces of various sources.
Your right except for one thing. The stormtroopers of the empire were for the most part ruthlessly loyal, and extremely good fighters. A large majority of the stormtrooper corp stayed on even after the galactic civil war, and the more common rank and file army troopers were more likely the ones to desert. Otherwise, spot on.
Between you and me I can tell you why these desertions happened early in the game for those who had enough information within the Empire to be in the know, massive comment so bear with me
1. Broken promises
The Empire promised to uplift and financially back not just Coruscant on but everyone this promise was a white lie for lack of a better statement, rather than paying for one Coruscant under the Empire The Empire citizens would be paying for dozens of them... only worlds that were imperative to the Imperial War Machine were given attention and not all of it was good attention, with the systems that were either in the Imperial Echo chamber or simply the most loyal getting the best deals while ones that needed convincing were seldom convinced with peace and love as promised, and instead individuals of power had individuals who cared about them held at gunpoint and individuals who spoke out against the empire or refused multiple eminent domain trades most of which unreasonable to them due to how low were usually charged and confirm to guilty of crimes they didn't were usually charged and confirmed guilty of crimes they didn't commit... despite the empires promise to also Purge corruption. To many who joined the Empire to furfill promises.... the fact that the higher-ups, their colleagues, and even in some cases their training was fighting them every step of the way would probably be enough for some Stormtroopers and even Specialists from other Departments of the Empire to hit f*** it and sign on with the Rebellion even early on.
2. Sham justice system
The Republics legal system with the exception of those in military roles was a traditional trial by jury, under the Empire everybody was transferred to tribunal style trials that were usually only reserved for military assets, while this accelerated the trial process this also ensured that if a government official needed to do something and you stood in their way by say holding on to a family farm and turning down every eminent domain sale attempt, all they had to do was charge you with something absurd but could also be proven in the event someone like thrawn got a hold of your case... this is seen in Star Wars Rebels multiple times, with the farmer that is Ezra's friend and the bar. although on the Empire's defense concerning the bar the owner of the establishment could easily become a convicted spy. But that's not the point the Empire's legal system was effectively small claims court style judging for murder if you're lucky you got a proper Tribunal, usually you never did... add corrupt motivation and a need to silence the opposition and you had a recipe for disaster with no check on it whatsoever.
3. Live propaganda
in some dystopian science fiction there is the theoretical scenario where on perfectly peaceful worlds that need indoctrinated into the dystopian government's ideology you commit a military unit or a bunch of federal agents to do a live fire exercise in a civilian area with one side masquerading as the enemy that you are at war with, within Legends at least the Empire has done this a million times. And no I am not exaggerating...
4. Wasted Investments
while within Legends if we consider Star Wars Rebels an extension of Legends, we know that there were backups of the tie Defender program that they actually were able to assemble new makes of that fighter starting at the Battle of Hoth, several trillions of credits minimum of the empire were mismanaged into slush funds or projects that hold no use tactically whatsoever.... projects such as the Death Star which actually have three additional ways to destroy it other than the exhaust port (though the exhaust Port is surprisingly the safest and the least realistic for anybody other than a Jedi to pull off in a way that would save the target) a failed attempt of the Revival of the Fett clone project, attempts to create clones of the emperor when a body double would do, and lastly the ludicrous contingency of destroying all of your strong points simply as payback for failing to keep you alive as emperor.... if it were not for the fact that the Empire's economy was reminiscent of the People's Republic of China (as in their ability to manipulate their currency is god tier.) With the battles fought the Empire would have gone bankrupt long before the Battle of Endor, with the Battle of Hoth being a desperate effort to show Bankers and investors the benefits of loyalty and the cost of reinvesting. even the armor is a joke because anything reminiscent of a modern firearm is the only thing the stormtrooper armor can protect against reliably more common weapons such as blasters blunt instruments and even Spears render the armor useless
5. Past was quality, present is quantity
the empire was trading down from the Clone Wars era Republic and even the separatists jurisdiction in some cases in spite of the crippling taxes poverty and failing infrastructure that both governments had.... at least for the masses and even though the Disney rewrites belittles the rebellions legitimacy... donning the green fatigues and having a shield generator that just might not work, is better than armor that barely works at all and only offers me protection against rare weapons and haters anyway... the empire while the helmet of the stormtrooper armor was the most advanced piece of hardware available to the standard Imperial Soldier any visibility benefits the helmet would offer are rendered useless by the fact the helmet constantly breaks down and few within the Empire are actually certified to do maintenance... leading to on job injuries and even expert Marksman missing their marks in combat situations where they need to hit them even to take suspects in alive, and despite the average Imperials kit being more expensive than the average Rebels.... the stormtrooper armor was over-engineered and for that it is an epic fail in combating the enemy that Stormtroopers are commonly sent to fight. it didn't help that it was also made in bulk either or in true military fashion by the lowest bidder which in some cases was even slave labor. the Rebellion on the other hand either used Clone War era Surplus or blasters that were a little bit more expensive than what the Empire had to work with or time to fix manufacturing bugs in Imperial gear that was captured in the field.
anywho hopefully this can be a basis for a future video you're probably never going to see this but I'm thankful for your content and I wish you the best
I love your videos keep up the good work
The Empire was so morally bankrupt I could see Stormtroopers deserting after witnessing some particularly ugly incident.
Like say Darth Vader slaughtering a bunch of wounded soldiers and children.
Or blowing up a planet with 2 billion people on it.
@@dwnkaomwn3953 That actually did piss off a lot of the galaxy.
@@GUMMRUCHK And that was the first step leading to the Empire's inevitable downfall.
@@dwnkaomwn3953 Funny thing is the Emperor didn't order it Tarkin did it on his own had he survived I think the Emperor would have punished him.
@@GUMMRUCHK Actually, no. No one made that kind of decision without the Emperor's blessing. Palatine gave The Tarkin Doctrine his full support.
Great job kid! 👍🏼
I wonder what happened to stormtroopers who defected to the new Republic. Like where they accepted into the NR army or where they just straight up rejected
This is one of the things I prefer the Legend's version over. Legends Stormtrooper Corps were fanatics and didn't have a single traitor in their entire history.
Not a "single traitor"? Sounds like Empirial propaganda.
@@ericpowell4350 This time it wasn't. In Legends, that's how dedicated they were.
@@ericpowell4350 Even Leia admitted as much that, even though the Rebels has a lot of army and navy defectors, they never had a hope of getting a Stormtrooper to defect because their loyalty was beyond fanatical,
"Stormtrooper ideology is terrifying in it's thoroughness. They can't be reasoned with, which means they can't be deprogrammed."- Leia Organa in the Imperial Handbook.
So it wasn't just good Imperial Propaganda. The Rebels even had to accept the Stormtroopers were never going to stop fighting until they were wiped out entirely. They would never defect.
@@randomcenturion7264 You're likely right on that front and would explain why in Legends Palpatine actually kept giving a crap about the Empire. Though I do like the idea that Palpatine simply destroyed his own Empire because he couldn't stand the idea of someone ruling the Empire that wasn't him. Just saying, the stormtroopers just didn't all have the same dedication as shown in Legends.
@@jacobberg373 I admit, I do like the idea of Palps being salty and having his own Galactic Nero Decree, but I feel my Stormy-Bois have gotten a real rough ride since the departure from Legends. Between that "Can't aim" dead meme being used in canon and robbing them of their intimidation to demoting them to infantry, when that's the job of the Imperial Army (seriously, those guys NEED more screentime) instead of the knife's edge of an Imperial assault that they should be.
A possible real world example would probably be the Germans during WW2. During time when Germany was getting beat by the allies left and right, some were probably thinking of deserting. I know that General Viktor Von Paulus was promoted to Field Marshal and he would have to commit suicide, instead he surrendered to the Russians.
@Devin Davis yes and no, the germans did infact have a desertion problem, especially in 1945. the germans executed some 35 000 soldiers for desertion in 1945 in flying courts. and another 15-25 000 in proper court marshals (compare this to 18 in ww1). and thats before we consider german penal battalions, some 27 000 men were sent to Bewährungsbataillons after being caught deserting or attempting to desert. overall over a 100 000 germans are believed to have deserted in ww2. edit: or about 1% of all german soldiers, which is pretty high considering POWs are not counted (and i think they should be)
@Devin Davis sorry about the name mix up. It's been a while since I heard Paulus' full name. You know how documentaries are always using the last names only.
I wonder if there was a New Republic version of Operation Paperclip from WWII?
Palpatine made those scientists were sent off into the Unknown Regions or dead before anyone else got their hands on them. He still had plans for revenge to undertake after all and they would still be useful for the future
24 months ago 😢
What if maul vision came true and anakin came to mandalore and he killed anakin
Can you please do some old republic some kotor stuff would love to see some for a change
Star Wars Rethink: Tarkin is emperor during the Galactic Civil War. Let's say Palpatine dies shortly before the rebellion starts, maybe he has a heart attack or stroke, maybe he gets caught in a catastrophic accident or natural disaster, or maybe Vader or some inquisitor or whatever kills him but fails to replace him, or maybe someone else assassinates him. Whatever the reason, Tarkin is in charge shortly before the Galactic Civil War starts, and he has to deal with the rebellion. How might the Galactic Civil War go with Tarkin on top instead of Palpatine, does he win or does the war more or less go the way it did before, or does it somehow go even worse more quickly for the Galactic Empire than in the original timeline?
He already did a video on that
th-cam.com/video/y5uY6GDImyU/w-d-xo.html
@@thorpeaaron1110 I should probably clarify what I meant. The video itself you mentioned had Tarkin take charge during the war, what I'm asking is how differently might it have gone if he took charge before the war, from the very start at or shortly before 2 BBY. What might Tarkin do differently in strategy that Palpatine had not?
Hopefully Gary the stormtrooper got out fine.
What if Darth Vader survived the Battle of Endor:Star Wars Rethink
Tried for War Crimes including Mass Genocide against the Jedi and the planet of Alderaan. Life Imprisonment or immediate execution, sorry not everyone is as forgiving
@@jacobberg373 But I think during his trial Luke would come to his father's defense and tell them that the now redeemed Anakin Skywalker was manipulated by the emperor and that is what caused his horrible actions during the Empire's reign.They would probably still imprison him for about two years then we would eventually be released on bail
@@jacobberg373 Luke would tell the jury about when Vader betrayed and killed the emperor
I was just trying to eat my lunch, until I got shot for no reason ?
New Rethink Videos Please Lore Guy:
What if the empire mass produced Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite Star Fighter program?
What if the Rebellion stole and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite star fighters against the empire?
What if the Republic had and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite throughout the clone wars?
What if the Separatists had and used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite during the clone wars?
What if the First + Final Orders used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite star fighter?
What if the Resistance used Thrawn's Tie Defender Elite against the first + final orders?
What if Order 66 was a complete success? = What if all the Jedi were completely purged during order 66, without any survivors?
What if the death star never destroyed Alderaan?
What if the empire used Thrawn’s strategy?
What if the clone army of the grand army of the republic was much larger? = in the hundreds of millions or billions?
What if the Mandalorians joined the war on the republic’s side against the CIS?
What if clone wars went on much longer than it did? = 6 to 10 years or so?
What if the clone army was far more advance? = had better armour + equipment, technology and weapons?
What if Thrawn won at Lothal?
What if Anakin Skywalker redeemed in return of the Jedi lived/survived?
What if the First Order used a Clone army too?
What if the First Order used Tie Defender Elites?
What if the First Order used Dark Troopers?
What if the First Order was more sensible in its strategies?
What operation Cinder never happened? = the empire decides not to do this stupid plan of Sidious?
What if the Zillo beast survived?
What if the 332nd division sided with Ahsoka and Rex, and survived? = And fought off the inhibitor chip?
What if the clone army turned on Sidious after order 66? = during the reorganization of the first galactic empire?
What if the empire never decided to build the death stars?
What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the era of the empire?
What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the post empire period?
What if the Yuuzhan Vong invaded during the sequel trilogy?
What if the Rebel Alliance had Starhawks during the whole galactic civil war period?
What if the empire won at Jakku?
What if the empire decided to make peace with the rebellion?
What if the rebellion decided to surrender and make peace with the empire?
What if the empire decided to build its ships’ bridges deep inside the hull instead of the outside for practicality?
What if the empire had resurgent class star destroyers during its era?
What if the republic had and used imperial class star destroyers during the clone wars era?
What if the republic had and used resurgent class star destroyers during the clone wars era?
What if the new republic never disbanded right after the galactic civil war and kept its forces active for possible future threats?
What if Boba Fett joined the rebel alliance?
What if the outer rim sieges during the clone wars failed for the republic?
What if Sidious never reorganized the republic in the galactic empire? = kept the republic intact after the clone wars as a democracy?
What if the Unknown regions were much easier to access for the rest of the galaxy to explore and settle?
What if the Tie Hunter was mass produced by the empire?
What if the Empire mass produced the Tie Phantom?
You definitely have a faucet of ideas aren't you? Good for you and never stop use that imagination of your, its a gift
North Korea has around 57 military members per 1000 citizens, so 5.7% of the population actively serving. Eritrea has around 4.5%. How do you think does the Empire compare?
All hail the empire
Death to the Empire
@@thorpeaaron1110 deal with it long live the empire
@@jaredmills6074 The Empire is dead
Human power!
Heresy to bring up another fiction but if battletech has shown me anything. a chaotic galaxy has always a need for people willing to kill their fellow being for a paycheck. Post Endor i imagine that alot of PMC rose up and many entities (The New Republic included) would just hire these men and women. most armed with what was top of the line imperial gear and training. Saving the need to train and outfit ones own. I see alot of mercs in repainted stormtrooper armor as well, it's good armor after all so long as your not taking on Teddybears.
Did extroopers get to keep their retirement accounts?
Probably not
The left cus the destroyd aldearan and after palpatine died the didnt want to stay but still long live The empire
Yeah I think it was pretty smart I would have done the same in their case I mean the Empire gone Emperor Dead yea seems like a pretty good idea to leave heck I might just take one Star Destroyer make it my home along with the rest of the soldiers and crew Explore the rest of the galaxy Colonize an unknown planet make it into our home have a chance of a new really
I mean to life my baddddd
I deserted because Im not fighting for a falling side that doesn’t even pay me so I shot my commanding officer stole the credits and me and my younger brother got the hell out of there
what about soldiers not getting paid.
It's 'complicit', no 'n'
Because they are not idiots.
The Empire army mostly deserved because it was hopeless they should have stayed.
What was the point though with the emperor dead and the Empire about to lose the war what was the point of fighting anymore plus they weren't getting paid
@@thorpeaaron1110 For some folks it's not about the money, it's about the principle of fighting for your government to the last man(not that I agree with such sentiments).
@@dwnkaomwn3953 Me too if was a Stromtrooper Post-Endor I would desert
I thought the imperial army was the canon fodder and the storm troopers we’re like the Marines you kind of sending mixed feelings your mate you said that the storm troopers were elite forces And had a lot more training so I wouldn’t think that the storm troopers were canon fodder
By the time of the Battle of Endor, the entire Imperial Army had been replaced by stormtroopers. So, a downgrade in quality is expected
@@jacobberg373 Oh OK I get it now
This doesn’t sound like what stormtroopers would do there are multiple example of stormtroopers being total frantic such as the battle of jaku stormtroopers kept fighting for months on end even after the peace treaty was signed I get why imperial army trooper left they weren’t trained to be total fanatic of the empire but stormtroopers were
But after the emperor's death during the Battle of Endor many Stormtroopers saw the writing on the wall for the Empire
@@thorpeaaron1110 yeah even so stormtroopers were trained to die fighting to the very end they were some of the most fanatic people in the empire
@@ruaridh21sinclair21 But what was the point the emperor is gone and the Empire is crumbling before their eyes
@@thorpeaaron1110 Loyalty. Some still believe that worth dying for.
@@dwnkaomwn3953 Some did others had the sense to jump ship
I hate the new lore of the scorched earth strategy. Just a dumb reason to have the Empire disappear overnight so the terrible First Order can be the new threat. It's hard to make sense lore-wise and logically. Ooo the Emperor is bad, he's going to do bad things. So lame. Good video as always though.
So you all gonna ignore star wars LORE ??
"Simply put, At the end of the day, Basically, Generally speaking, Realistically"
Please! Just speak like a normal person! You use these phrases so many times in every video I wince in pain just hearing you say them out loud.