Holoimages From Palpatine's Terra: Images Of the Imperial Occupation Of Earth

[Zardust]

I think it would be even better if some good reason was given as to why this is done.

As you've written, what it looks like is that the Empire is randomly arresting a bunch of potential future collaborators. People who, had they not been arrested, would have aligned themselves with COMPNOR and served as propagandists for the Empire in the name of immense financial gain.

And I sincerely doubt that anyone in the Empire cares or even understands the political opinions of the people of Terra (just in case someone tries to argue that they would be identified as enemies of the Empire for "siding with the Democratic Party" or some such nonsense).

Its a well established practice in some types of dictatorships to simply arrest prominent people, and to do it as visibly as possible, `just because`. Essentially, goes the logic of the dictator, to prove to the masses that no one is safe and to keep their mouths shut.

Its not to say there wont be collaborators aligned to COMPNOR, but even so, there are many who wont be collaborators-either because they are naïve enough to actually think active opposition stands a chance against an actual space empire, or more likely because they simply want to keep quiet and out of trouble, and they will still have their uses albeit as unwilling vessels for public education in the virtue of keeping quiet and doing what the Empire tell you to do.

We see it even today in countries like Russia, where Putins regime thinks nothing of prosecuting musicians, actors etc, who might have or be suspected of having pro Ukrainian, or even simply anti war, sentiments. Arrest them, do it so everyone can see, and the message to the people is simple. Know your place.

Ive updated to make things a bit clearer.

 

[Mitridates the Great]

Its a well established practice in some types of dictatorships to simply arrest prominent people, and to do it as visibly as possible, `just because`. Essentially, goes the logic of the dictator, to prove to the masses that no one is safe and to keep their mouths shut.

Its not to say there wont be collaborators aligned to COMPNOR, but even so, there are many who wont be collaborators-either because they are naïve enough to actually think active opposition stands a chance against an actual space empire, or more likely because they simply want to keep quiet and out of trouble, and they will still have their uses albeit as unwilling vessels for public education in the virtue of keeping quiet and doing what the Empire tell you to do.

We see it even today in countries like Russia, where Putins regime thinks nothing of prosecuting musicians, actors etc, who might have or be suspected of having pro Ukrainian, or even simply anti war, sentiments. Arrest them, do it so everyone can see, and the message to the people is simple. Know your place.

Ive updated to make things a bit clearer.

The logic of dictators is not to arrest people "just because," but because they believe they are or could be opponents of the regime. And that's how they try to present the issue to the public.

When they are arrests "just because" it is done in a more discreet way; A show trial is only made when it comes to notorious traitors or people whose guilt can be affirmed without a doubt.

For example, those guys who try to oppose it openly and publicly believing that they will have a chance. And again, since it is well demonstrated that for most public figures "our moral principles" are defined as "whatever fills our bank accounts", they are most likely the ones who come to the offices of COMPNOR to get new films financed.

Sure, we, the viewers, know that aligning with the Empire is a loser's gamble, but within the universe no one knows that.

What you've written has much more to do with "let's do everything possible to make the population hate us" than anything any real dictatorship would do.

The Empire is run by fools, but they are not that fools.