Star Wars: 10 Strange Laws ALL Empire Employees Follow

7. Don't Disrespect Aliens

Nien Nunb - Star Wars
Lucasfilm

Promoting equality among the races and just generally not being xenophobic trash are both solid virtues to live your life by, but they're damn strange edicts coming from the Empire of all folk.

Upon enlisting in the Empire's Imperial Military, soldiers are given a series of so-called General Orders, which among other things strictly prohibit military officers from disrespecting aliens in any way.

This was first mentioned in the canon 2017 novel "Thrawn," but considering that Palpatine's orders also killed many billions and brought misery to trillions, it's pretty odd to start harping on about not being a racist above all else.

Of course this is not to ignore the truth of the matter - treating alien races disrespectfully could risk the Empire's inter-planetary relations.

However, as Imperial cadet Eli Vanto explains to Thrawn in the book, some Imperials simply ignored the rule and were flatly racist regardless, and aside from Thrawn, the Imperial military prohibited service from non-humans altogether. That sure doesn't sound like respect, does it?

Even so, the ruling is a curious moral line for an organisation responsible for death, destruction, and desolation in unfathomable numbers.

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