"The Dark Side"

[MrNexx]

So, I was listening to Aftermath on the way in (this is going to be a repeated theme for at least the next few days, when the book will be done), and letting my mind wander over "The Dark Side".

Would Dark Side aligned people really call it that? Except perhaps in a Church of Satan sort of way (i.e. not due to literal belief, but because it attracts ire), I can't see most folks going to "The Dark Side", because it has such a negative connotation.

Tempted to plan out a story where the bad guys are devotees of the "True Force", who claim that anger, etc. are parts of the whole, and that the Jedi are the ones who pervert the force.
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[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

They do in the films.

"The power of the Dark Side." -- Vader.

[MrNexx]

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[Sutehp]

Hell, all the people working for the Empire call themselves Imperials. Considering that the Empire was a democratic society only 20 years prior, most people don't seem to have a problem with any negative connotations associated with a non-democratic dictatorship that took power by force. But then again, COMPNOR was working very hard to brainwash galactic society as a whole into thinking that serving law and order under the Empire was good and wholesome. According to the source you read, COMPNOR was terrifyingly successful at it. People wanted to get close to the Emperor and gain his favor. They had no compunctions at all about stabbing their comrades in the back if it meant greater power for themselves. Palpatine even encouraged petty corruption throughout the Empire if it kept people distracted from his own goals.

In the novelization of Rogue One, as Krennic is musing how to coax Vader to take his side against Tarkin, Krennic is thinking to himself about how Vader belongs to "the long-dead Sith cult." After the Force choke, Krennic realizes that "the power of the Sith is real." So it seems high-ranking Imperial officers have at least heard rumors about Vader belonging to the Sith. As to whether they know about Palpatine belonging to the Sith, I can't say, but if they don't know that the Emperor is a Sith, that makes him even more terrifying: How could a senator from Naboo find a way to make a Sith Lord his underling?

Yeah, Vader isn't too shy about calling himself a Sith Lord and invoking the dark side of the Force, but Palpatine seems a bit more reticient about it, at least when he isn't alone with Vader or Luke. But then again, the Emperor isn't seen very much on screen in the OT, and when he is, he's hardly seen interacting with his subordinates (except Vader) at all.

So to sum up: Vader doesn't seem to have a problem invoking the dark side in front of whoever he likes (especially the conference room scene in ANH), but Palpatine doesn't seem to give a fig about it either way.
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[CRMcNeill]

Their respective personalities are likely a factor. Palpatine spent decades concealing his true identity and abilities, whereas Anakin was all about bulling his way through any situation with brute force.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[Sutehp]

[Bren]

[Sutehp]

[ZzaphodD]

[garhkal]

That's one thing a LOT of people i know have an issue with, with how the prequals did things. HECK if you look the time frame between ROTS and ANH is just barely 18 years.. How the hell in that time did lore on jedi all of a sudden disappear?
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[Sutehp]

[Bren]

[moirdryd]

Going from other sources over time (regardless of how cannon they now are) most Dark Side users (towhit Dark Jedi) do tend to refer to the Dark Side as just that, the Dark Side. But it's done with relish. These are people who have already fallen into the flow of their more 'evil' or 'negative natures, as an example think about modern racial supremecists or religious extremists and what they say, same deal. Those who fall to the Dark Side are all to eager to proclaim the power of the Dark side, except for those very canny few who keep quiet about it.

[Sutehp]