Ep #24: The Imperial Conundrum

Most Star Wars fans love the Empire to one degree or another. They’re orderly, professional, and have the best fashion sense in the Galaxy. But is our love for them misplaced? Are we so enamored with Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and their subordinates that we forget they were based on real life fascist regimes? Why do we love villains anyway if they’re so awful? To discuss this challenging topic, we spoke with Dr. Andrea Letamendi of Lattes with Leia and Tyler Westhause of the Star Wars Podcast Alliance, two ardent Imperial fans. We discuss the extent to which we should take the fascist parallels seriously, why we all love the bad guys, and how the Empire can teach us about historical authoritarian regimes. You can find Dr. Letamendi and Tyler on Twitter @ArkhamAsylumDoc @twesthause You can email the show at [email protected] Tweet and follow us @BeltwayBanthas Or connect with us on Facebook! Connect with the hosts on Twitter @Stephen_Kent89 @SwaraSalih1