It would be easy to choose sides in the Star Wars universe, without examining the facts.
You could choose the Rebellion because of the fact that "Oh!! Luke Skywalker was a good fighter
pilot during the Battle of Yavin!", or "Han Solo came back to help his friend", but that wouldnt
support any argument. What really has bearing on whether one side wins or not, is their ability to
outsmart their opponent. In Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of
The Jedi, the universe was at stake. The Empire was desperate to dig their claws into the
Republican worlds, and the Republic (taking the form of the Rebellion for the universe's sake) was
determined to keep peace and justice in the galaxy by not letting the evil dictator the Emperor rule.
Here are some facts about the Star Wars saga, beginning with Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
1. When The Phantom Menace opens, two Jedi Knights are en route to negotiate with the Trade Federation, about the shipping to the planet of Naboo. An attempted murder extinguished all hopes of an agreement between the Trade Federation and the Republic.
When the Supreme Chancellor hears of the attempt, and the further plans of the Federation, he instructs the Jedi Knights to get the young Queen Amidala off-planet. They succeed, at the small price of their hyperdrive. A stop on the remote planet of Tatooine gets them a new hyperdrive motivator, and a new friend who helped them acquire it: a young boy named Anakin who is promising in the Force.
By the end of the film, the two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi the young Queen and her warriors are successful in stopping the invasion of the planet Naboo.
2. In the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope, the Tantive IV was being chased by an
Imperial Star Destroyer. The Empire had been imformed that the Tantive IV had intercepted a
transmission that was beaming the technical readouts of the Empire's ultimate weapon, the
DEATH STAR. It was Princess Leia's mission to bring the technical readouts to the Rebel base, to
destroy the Death Star before it did any serious damage.
By the end of Episode IV, the Death Star had been destroyed, but not without the victim of the
princess's home planet of Alderaan. The Rebellion had gained the assistance of two more patriots,
Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (with his sidekick Chewbacca the Wookiee).
3. Having destroyed the Death Star, the Rebels found a new hidden base on the Ice world of Hoth,
and struggled to stay hidden from the evil Lord Vader and his agents.
However, Darth Vader released probes into space and the new base was quickly found. Sensing
danger, an immediate ground evacuation was ordered, and the Rebels managed to escape with all
transports.
Throughout The Empire Strikes Back the Empire was constantly chasing the
Millennium Falcon, and disaster occured when the Empire finally caught up with them in
Cloud City.
4. In Return Of The Jedi, a mission was mounted to destroy the second Death Star, which
was not yet completed. This mission was crucial for a special reason: the Emperor was personally
overseeing the final stages of the consruction of this Death Star. The Rebels took on this task with
the intent of killing the Emperor while he was on board. Little did the newly appointed General
Calrissian know, that by the time they had infiltrated the superstructure, the Emperor was already
dead, soon to be followed by Darth Vader.
General Han Solo and his command crew had the difficult task of destroying the Shield Generator
which was protecting the Death Star. The shield had to be blown up if any attempt at an attack
was to be made.
Believing in freedom for all in the galaxy, the Rebellion was established to thwart the Empire's evil
ways. They fought their battles for everyone, wanting to maintain peace and justice in the galaxy.
Before the timeline of Episode IV, the Republic had the Jedi Knights on their side. The Jedi
Knights were warriors who used a mental ability called the Force to convey their power. All but
one of the Jedi Knights are deceased. The fate of the galaxy rests on Luke Skywalker, and his abilities. If not for him, several twists of
events would have happened. For instance, if not for him, Princess Leia would have been dead at
the hands of Grand Moff Tarkin on the first Death Star, or the plans may never have gotten to the
secret Rebel base.
The boys of the Rogue Squadron flying into battle at Yavin
Cutting his Jedi training short, Luke Skywalker rushed to save his friends from impending anguish and pain in Cloud City. When he arrived, much had already happened. His companion and one true friend, Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite to be delivered to awaiting filth on Tatooine. Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 and C-3PO were now in the hands of the Empire. Little to Luke's knowledge, his friends had escaped capture by the aid of Lando Calrissian, and were now leaving Cloud City when the fateful lightsaber fight began in the carbon freezing chamber.
In what was probably the most gripping moment in young Luke's life, he holds on for dear life as he learns the truth about his father, and the Dark Side of the Force.
"I'll never join you!!!"
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."
"He told me enough. He told me YOU killed him."
"No. I am your father."
"NO!!! THAT'S NOT TRUE!!! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
"Search your feelings, you know it to be true. Come with me."
His father, for whom he had love and respect for in his mind as a Rebel hero, turns out to be his worst enemy, the man who tried to hurt his friends, and the man who has inflicted so much pain and torture to the worlds within the galaxy...
Another thing that the Rebellion was good at was preparing for anything, especially in flight. Their flight suits included: thermatic gloves, flak vest, suit system controls, flares, stow pockets, emergency transmitter, insulated boots, comlink and protective eye lenses.
The evil GALACTIC EMPIRE, ruled by one man, Emperor Palpatine, has struck fear and hatred
all over the galaxy. Many worlds fought to join the Alliance and destroy the Emperor and all he stands for.
The Emperor was somewhat untouchable. If anyone had any problems with the way in which things were going,
Darth Vader was quick to set minds the other way. His dedication to the Emperor and the Dark Side of the Force is frightening. His lightsaber, dangling dangerously at his waist, struck fear into the hearts of everyone who saw it.
The Empire reached it's prime when the Emperor commisioned the DEATH STAR to be made. It would be the Empire's ultimate weapon, with enough firepower to destroy a single planet. The first Death Star at the battle of Yavin had the diameter of 120 kilometers (75 miles). The second Death Star at Endor was even bigger with the diameter of 160 kilometers (99 miles).
At the battle of Yavin, there was an emmense amount of life lost on both sides of the battle. There was a total loss of one million, two hundred six thousand, one hundred nine Imperials, not counting droids. Here are some statistics:
