posted
Looking over Return of the Jedi again, I took note of how poorly thought out the Emperor's scheme really was. Even with surprise and superior weaponry on his side, there's still a thousand and one ways it all could have gone wrong, apart from how it all actually did come apart (but of course, when you're a supremely confident evil overlord, these things usually don't seem to come up). Among those I could see:
-there's certainly no guarantee that "the fleet would be lost" in an Imperial victory. Unless they were completely surrounded, Akbar could easily have hyperjetted everyone he could to a secure location--maybe twice if he could, leading the Imperial Navy on yet another expensive cross-galaxy chase
-likewise, victory wouldn't mean much on Endor; the rebels could simply melt into the woods and start a strong guerilla campaign that would take months, perhaps years to eradicate. Turning the Death Star's laser on the moon would also be counterproductive, as it would induce even more star systems into the Rebellion once word got out
-and on that, it's no given the Death Star's laser would have worked in the first place. Given that it's a government product clearly being rushed to completion, the chance of faulty engineering by the contractors, perhaps even some skimming of money by them at the Empire's expense, would have to be considered. For all we know, the laser might have backfired if it had been fired again, destroying the station in the process, or the shields could have gone down at a critical moment
-plus, you can never count on the blind loyalty of the troops available. Suppose a commander on the ground or on the station had decided to go over to the Rebels. He could have ordered the shields taken down and passed it off as an accident should Imperial officials order an inquiry after the fact. Or suppose the Death Star staff, seeing the Rebels coming, had panicked and decided they could forestall any fatal attack by handing the Emperor over to them and getting a big reward for it. I don't think his powers would have been strong enough to hold off several squads of troopers at once, particularly after Vader had his change of heart. Which is why he would have been better off watching the battle in a far more secure location
-and then there's the knowledge that it would only take one major mistake by one idiot of a commander (and when your official governing policy is to give high offices only to white male humanoids, there's bound to be loads of idiots about) to turn everything against you. Suppose while the shield generator doors had been open, some overeager AT-ST commander had fired early and damaged key components of the shield. They could have lost right then and there.
-and, if the Rebels had realized earlier the whole thing was a ruse, they could well have changed their whole plans without the Empire knowing, attacking some less fortified star system. This would then necessitate more Imperial spending to chase after them there, and the way things seem to have been going, the Galaxy's populace would not stand for the likely high prolonged taxes this would entail chasing the Rebels to a new location.
So all in all, that it would be a no-win situation for them was pretty much guaranteed one way or another. And that is why good always wins in the end, because evil's too dumb to cover all the bases they need to.
Anyone ever catch any other flaws in the plan I might have missed?
Posts: 2561 | From: Pennsylvania | Registered: Aug 2004 | Site Updates: 0
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As luke says to him "Your over-confidence is your weakness"...
My own pet theory about Lucas (and all talent, for that matter) is that when they are working their way up, people will not hesitate to criticise their work. Lucas spent literally years turning out dodgy screenplays for A New Hope before he got to the one we know and love.
Once he was the "Emperor", not many people would have had the nerve to criticise and so there wouldn't have been so much loving care going into the plot. And, in some ways you can see the decline in the original trilogy.
Once we get round to the new trilogy, we're back (IMHO) to the underdeveloped plots similar to early ANH screenplays.
Lucas, like all of us, needs some honest input sometimes, not just "Wow man, thats great"
-Just my $0.02
Posts: 1026 | From: The '80s | Registered: Feb 2000 | Site Updates: 407
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posted
"The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as Taken from the 'Journal of the Whills': Saga I - Star Wars".
Catchy, no?
Theoretically, the Imperial fleet that was gathered near the Death Star could've followed the Alliance if they tried to leave. Also, the defeat that takes place on Endoor was really only temporary; the Ewoks were never meant to take out the soldiers - just distract them (which they did) although this is never made clear in the film .
Having said that, basically, you're right.
I also agree with you, Nick: Ever since Phantom Menace I've been saying that the sheer number of drafts Star Wars went through and the huge amount of help Lucas got, meant that the films success couldn't be wholly attributed to him. Or, to put it another way - Star Wars was a monumental fluke bolstered to astronomical success with groundbreaking effects.
Posts: 3383 | From: England | Registered: May 2003 | Site Updates: 21
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