Star Wars Needs to Let the Dark Side Be More Interesting | Glass of Water - [Lily Orchard]

[ProfessorDetective]

In a way, Sith are drug addicts, only the 'drug' is power. The more they gain, the more they want.

You know that explains a lot about Palpatine, because by this analogy; all he seems to do is sit in his chair and get stoned. How many times could you watch that before it got boring?

Wow, he really IS just Space Sauron, isn't he?

[Frustration]

You know that explains a lot about Palpatine, because by this analogy; all he seems to do is sit in his chair and get stoned. How many times could you watch that before it got boring?

Some Extended Universe material tried to make the Sith make more sense by giving them a reason to "fall off the wagon", such as an extragalactic invasion that only an equally massive power could effectively fight. Thus their attempts to build a Galactic Empire out of the decadent Republic, now composed largely of independent powers that refused to cooperate with each other.

It's an open question as to whether providing a reason for the Sith makes them better.

[Thebestoftherest]

You know that explains a lot about Palpatine, because by this analogy; all he seems to do is sit in his chair and get stoned. How many times could you watch that before it got boring?

Some Extended Universe material tried to make the Sith make more sense by giving them a reason to "fall off the wagon", such as an extragalactic invasion that only an equally massive power could effectively fight. Thus their attempts to build a Galactic Empire out of the decadent Republic, now composed largely of independent powers that refused to cooperate with each other.

It's an open question as to whether providing a reason for the Sith makes them better.

This is a personal take but it really doesn't. I prefer them to be power hungry similar to real life evil.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

It's an open question as to whether providing a reason for the Sith makes them better.

It certainly expands concept, but that’s something that needs to be done on a core level, or at least be inconsequential to the broad stroke of things.

Really I don’t see what you were saying as a form of drug exhuming though I agree it’s a potential symptom of dark side adherence.

[phantom000]

You know that explains a lot about Palpatine, because by this analogy; all he seems to do is sit in his chair and get stoned. How many times could you watch that before it got boring?

Some Extended Universe material tried to make the Sith make more sense by giving them a reason to "fall off the wagon", such as an extragalactic invasion that only an equally massive power could effectively fight. Thus their attempts to build a Galactic Empire out of the decadent Republic, now composed largely of independent powers that refused to cooperate with each other.

It's an open question as to whether providing a reason for the Sith makes them better.

This is a personal take but it really doesn't. I prefer them to be power hungry similar to real life evil.

In the words of the Dragonmaster "Sure, [the villains] just want to beat the heroes up, but its a lot more fun when they do it with style!"

That is my problem with the Sith in general, most of them don't really have any style and what little they do tends to overused to the point its boring. I'm not talking about making them the hero or even morally grey, there are a lot of two-dimensional villains which are compelling and yet have a lot more personality than Palpatine, Kylo Ren or even Vader.

The Skeksis from Age of Resistance are a great example because all but one of them is basically pure evil and yet each has their own personality, they're not just copies of each other.

[Frustration]

Bad villains are 'flat', good villains have substantial characterization. They don't necessarily need to be sympathetic, but they do need to be something other than featureless, identical ciphers whose only quality is undefined evilness.

[phantom000]

They don't necessarily need to be sympathetic, but they do need to be something other than featureless, identical ciphers whose only quality is undefined evilness.

Exactly my point!

[Frustration]

It's a matter of good writing.

I recently picked up used copies of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (to avoid having to give money to Disney), and I was reminded again of why Zahn is used as a classic example of writing a villain well. The "bad guys" have reasons for the things they do, their abilities have meaningful limits, they're not perfect, and while they obviously serve the plot that plot is consistent and plausible. When a bad guy is insane, he's actually insane, but even then his actions make a kind of internal sense. Facts are established early, and plot development is founded in those facts with logic and consistency.