[Thrawn isn't the first person to accuse Ezra of wordiness. Ezra makes a face at his screen.]
I'm mildly impressed, and surprised you weren't executed for that stunt. He must have been convinced of your usefulness.
I see why you think destroying the TIE defender program was a mistake. If the Emperor were actually reasonable, I guess it might have been. Not that I could have known that. I was going after the threat I had solid intel on. [But he has wondered - if he'd gone with Saw Gerrera, despite their differences, might they have unraveled the Death Star before it went operational? It's not his fault. But still, he wonders.]
But I think you have some mistakes in your understanding of the Emperor. Palpatine - Darth Sidious - is not trying to hold an empire together with the most skillful means he can acquire. Not really. He just wants the power of the hammer. I have been told by people who came from versions of the future, that the Empire will use it on Alderaan. The Death Star will nearly instantly be destroyed, after that - by another Jedi in training with the Rebels, incidentally. Despite the Death Star being a glass canon, the Emperor has another built.
By that point, I believe, too many people's trust in the idea of the Empire and wisdom of the Emperor will be shaken. The Empire fragments. And Vader kills Sidious for reasons that have nothing to do with politics. Although does also stem from forgetting fear is a terrible way to control people, in the long term, I guess.
It's really sad, because Sidious is clearly *capable* of skillfully manipulating people to his viewpoint. He orchestrated his legal election, and the entirety of the Clone Wars to keep amassing political power and good will.
But there's no satisfying his desire for power, I don't think. He wanted me to try to gain power over *time itself*. What is a nice Tie fighter, compared to that?
no subject
I'm mildly impressed, and surprised you weren't executed for that stunt. He must have been convinced of your usefulness.
I see why you think destroying the TIE defender program was a mistake. If the Emperor were actually reasonable, I guess it might have been. Not that I could have known that. I was going after the threat I had solid intel on. [But he has wondered - if he'd gone with Saw Gerrera, despite their differences, might they have unraveled the Death Star before it went operational? It's not his fault. But still, he wonders.]
But I think you have some mistakes in your understanding of the Emperor. Palpatine - Darth Sidious - is not trying to hold an empire together with the most skillful means he can acquire. Not really. He just wants the power of the hammer. I have been told by people who came from versions of the future, that the Empire will use it on Alderaan. The Death Star will nearly instantly be destroyed, after that - by another Jedi in training with the Rebels, incidentally. Despite the Death Star being a glass canon, the Emperor has another built.
By that point, I believe, too many people's trust in the idea of the Empire and wisdom of the Emperor will be shaken. The Empire fragments. And Vader kills Sidious for reasons that have nothing to do with politics. Although does also stem from forgetting fear is a terrible way to control people, in the long term, I guess.
It's really sad, because Sidious is clearly *capable* of skillfully manipulating people to his viewpoint. He orchestrated his legal election, and the entirety of the Clone Wars to keep amassing political power and good will.
But there's no satisfying his desire for power, I don't think. He wanted me to try to gain power over *time itself*. What is a nice Tie fighter, compared to that?