...why the blue hell were the people of Coruscant celebrating at the end of Lucas' revised and re-edited Return of the Jedi? Seriously!

Coruscant was the frickin' SEAT OF THE EMPIRE. The vast majority of people on Coruscant would have been employed by or have family employed by the Empire. Think of all those families who lost loved ones and livelihoods when the second Death Star was blown up.

"Jimmy... sit down please... remember your Dad was installing the ventilation systems on that new Imperial project? Well... I've got some really bad news..."

But yeah, anyway, I wonder how long it'll be before Wave 5 is on the boat?

Anything is possible with the power of crappy writing and retconning.

...why the blue hell were the people of Coruscant celebrating at the end of Lucas' revised and re-edited Return of the Jedi? Seriously!

Coruscant was the frickin' SEAT OF THE EMPIRE. The vast majority of people on Coruscant would have been employed by or have family employed by the Empire. Think of all those families who lost loved ones and livelihoods when the second Death Star was blown up.

"Jimmy... sit down please... remember your Dad was installing the ventilation systems on that new Imperial project? Well... I've got some really bad news..."

But yeah, anyway, I wonder how long it'll be before Wave 5 is on the boat?

Alien scum and their sympathisers do not represent all of coruscant, the loyal law abiding citizens were obeying the curfew and as a result survived the night while dissidents were rounded up and shot.

...why the blue hell were the people of Coruscant celebrating at the end of Lucas' revised and re-edited Return of the Jedi? Seriously!

Coruscant was the frickin' SEAT OF THE EMPIRE. The vast majority of people on Coruscant would have been employed by or have family employed by the Empire. Think of all those families who lost loved ones and livelihoods when the second Death Star was blown up.

"Jimmy... sit down please... remember your Dad was installing the ventilation systems on that new Imperial project? Well... I've got some really bad news..."

But yeah, anyway, I wonder how long it'll be before Wave 5 is on the boat?

Alien scum and their sympathisers do not represent all of coruscant, the loyal law abiding citizens were obeying the curfew and as a result survived the night while dissidents were rounded up and shot.

This^^ : You can easily explain it by concluding that this was a ghetto, or a suburb that happened to contain alot of rebel sympathizers, or even contractors who would be looking to build a new command center for whoever else rose to power.... or maybe this was the hometown of Grand Moff Pooba - next in line for command of the Empire?

But I think more than likely, Lucas wants the audience to believe that everyone HATED the empire, including it's more loyal citizens. So much so, that the instant the Emperor is assasinated, the Empire officially "Falls". Personally I don't feel any government would be that fragile. Far more likely that there would be a power struggle and THAT struggle would divide the remnants of the empire - allowing the rebellion to swoop in and promise to restore the old republic.

Death Star Contractors

But I think more than likely, Lucas wants the audience to believe that everyone HATED the empire, including it's more loyal citizens. So much so, that the instant the Emperor is assasinated, the Empire officially "Falls". Personally I don't feel any government would be that fragile. Far more likely that there would be a power struggle and THAT struggle would divide the remnants of the empire - allowing the rebellion to swoop in and promise to restore the old republic.

It's less "Lucas wants the audience to believe-" and more "Return of the Jedi was intended to be the last movie in the franchise, so it ended with a closing where every world is free from what was the villain in the movies."

Sometimes, movies just aren't as morally complex as the fans make them out to be.

Who is to say what went on for 23 years. The Empire started at the end of Revenge of the Sith and Luke had just been born...but the Senate was disbanded at the beginning of ANH when Luke was 19. So we can only speculate what went on for those 19 years...and then the next 3 years after the Emperor took complete control.

IIRC, Lucas himself addressed this not long after the special editions came out. He said that "nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing" or somesuch. Sorta like those guards that the Witch of the West had in The Wizard of Oz movie. They had to do what the Witch ordered them to do. But as soon as she died they were free to be good again, and hailed Dorothy as their liberator. It's like that on Coruscant: the wicked Emperor is dead!!

IIRC, Lucas himself addressed this not long after the special editions came out. He said that "nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing" or somesuch. Sorta like those guards that the Witch of the West had in The Wizard of Oz movie. They had to do what the Witch ordered them to do. But as soon as she died they were free to be good again, and hailed Dorothy as their liberator. It's like that on Coruscant: the wicked Emperor is dead!!

Nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing?

Nobody wanted to be a part of the Glorious Imperial Navy?! Protecting the Galaxy from sum, villains and rebels?

For shame, Lucas. FOR SHAME.

Sometimes, movies just aren't as morally complex as the fans make them out to be.

This is true - and people will project their opinions onto something that didn't invite those opinions.

That said, what those fans make of it, and the way those interpretations gather steam among fanbases, is what is actually important about the politics of artwork.

Okay, so that's a bit of a tangent on the OP's point, but I think it needed to be said in response to your reply.

To the OPs point, I agree with Hobojebus. RotJ is clearly just a rebel propaganda movie. Those scenes were shot over Alien Protection Zone, where the denizens of that district clearly demonstrated aliens' natural tendencies towards treason and galactic chaos. That's why they're in the Alien Protection Zone to begin with.

IIRC, Lucas himself addressed this not long after the special editions came out. He said that "nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing" or somesuch. Sorta like those guards that the Witch of the West had in The Wizard of Oz movie. They had to do what the Witch ordered them to do. But as soon as she died they were free to be good again, and hailed Dorothy as their liberator. It's like that on Coruscant: the wicked Emperor is dead!!

Nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing?

Nobody wanted to be a part of the Glorious Imperial Navy?! Protecting the Galaxy from sum, villains and rebels?

For shame, Lucas. FOR SHAME.

Given the Empire's penchant for building failure into their large projects, I'm not surprised that they'd be against basic math.

It is a bit incongruous. Like, when Luke destroyed the Death Star, he killed literally tens of thousands of people; yet it was never even implied to be a difficult decision. I understand that the Rebels had to do it or be annihilated, but no one ever even brings up the point that thousands of essentially innocent lives might be lost, or mourns the necessity of doing so. The implication therefore is that everyone working for the empire is evil and doesn't deserve a second thought. But that's at odds with the whole 'everyone on Coruscant celebrating their liberation' scene.

IIRC, Lucas himself addressed this not long after the special editions came out. He said that "nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing" or somesuch. Sorta like those guards that the Witch of the West had in The Wizard of Oz movie. They had to do what the Witch ordered them to do. But as soon as she died they were free to be good again, and hailed Dorothy as their liberator. It's like that on Coruscant: the wicked Emperor is dead!!

Nobody really wanted to be a part of this thing?

Nobody wanted to be a part of the Glorious Imperial Navy?! Protecting the Galaxy from sum, villains and rebels?

For shame, Lucas. FOR SHAME.

Given the Empire's penchant for building failure into their large projects, I'm not surprised that they'd be against basic math.

I would like to point out that the destruction of the first death star was not the architect's fault.

Death Star Contractors

THAT"S SO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait, what?! Lucas re-edited the Return of the Jedi?

It is a bit incongruous. Like, when Luke destroyed the Death Star, he killed literally tens of thousands of people; yet it was never even implied to be a difficult decision. I understand that the Rebels had to do it or be annihilated, but no one ever even brings up the point that thousands of essentially innocent lives might be lost, or mourns the necessity of doing so. The implication therefore is that everyone working for the empire is evil and doesn't deserve a second thought. But that's at odds with the whole 'everyone on Coruscant celebrating their liberation' scene.

True. The rebels shoot to kill - almost exclusively. However when the Stormtroopers FINALLY have Han Solo in their sights during the battle of Endor, they say "Freeze" - sparing his life. They are giving him the opportunity to stay alive and to be rehabilitated. What does Leia do? Kills them in cold blood. To which Han Replies - "I love you".

I mean the Stormtroopers are PRETTY much the White Knights of the Galaxy.

It is a bit incongruous. Like, when Luke destroyed the Death Star, he killed literally tens of thousands of people; yet it was never even implied to be a difficult decision. I understand that the Rebels had to do it or be annihilated, but no one ever even brings up the point that thousands of essentially innocent lives might be lost, or mourns the necessity of doing so. The implication therefore is that everyone working for the empire is evil and doesn't deserve a second thought. But that's at odds with the whole 'everyone on Coruscant celebrating their liberation' scene.

True. The rebels shoot to kill - almost exclusively. However when the Stormtroopers FINALLY have Han Solo in their sights during the battle of Endor, they say "Freeze" - sparing his life. They are giving him the opportunity to stay alive and to be rehabilitated. What does Leia do? Kills them in cold blood. To which Han Replies - "I love you".

I mean the Stormtroopers are PRETTY much the White Knights of the Galaxy.

Yeah murdering rebel scrum killing our brave boys and girls, makes you sick.

The curious thing about the "anti-alienness" of the Empire is that it's *entirely* an EU construct. (IE., Rebel propaganda)

There is nothing in the movies to imply or indicate the Empire has a problem with aliens at all. Heck, Vader rounds up a bunch of aliens for his hunt for Luke - and while the Imperials didn't like Vader doing that, it was not "Aliens. We don't need their scum" that anyone said, it was "Bounty Hunters. We don't need their scum" That they were or were not aliens was not a "thing".

And as to the 'evil' of the Empire...'Episode IV' seems to contradict that. Imperial troops, searching a wasteland outpost for their battle station plans encounter a locked door (that the starring droids just ducked behind)....do they knock it down to search the house? Not at all - "it's locked, let's move on". Heck, when the cantina owner has a bit of trouble in his bar, he actually contacts the Imperial troops for help! (This, along with the bartender's hostility to droids, btw, is one of my favorite retconned-in-connections between the series. Trusts the troops? Hates the droids? Probably a Clone War vet, himself...) Heck, the Imperial troops - when they finally DID find the Millenium Falcon - had to load their guns before entering the hangar. IE., they were walking around a civilian center with their weapons unarmed. As, you know, a legitimate force for good in the galaxy tasked with a tough job would do, and hardly the type of thing an Evil Galactic Empire of Evil would do.

Anyway, the EU stories definitely run roughshod over that, and paint the entire Empire as a LOT more evil than anything on-screen implemented. Oh, sure, there were evil individuals within the Empire (Moff Tarkin is plainly a war criminal of the highest order, Vader is nearly as bad, and the Emperor, himself, the worst of all of them - but they aren't the ENTIRE Empire)

It is a bit incongruous. Like, when Luke destroyed the Death Star, he killed literally tens of thousands of people; yet it was never even implied to be a difficult decision. I understand that the Rebels had to do it or be annihilated, but no one ever even brings up the point that thousands of essentially innocent lives might be lost, or mourns the necessity of doing so. The implication therefore is that everyone working for the empire is evil and doesn't deserve a second thought. But that's at odds with the whole 'everyone on Coruscant celebrating their liberation' scene.

True. The rebels shoot to kill - almost exclusively. However when the Stormtroopers FINALLY have Han Solo in their sights during the battle of Endor, they say "Freeze" - sparing his life. They are giving him the opportunity to stay alive and to be rehabilitated. What does Leia do? Kills them in cold blood. To which Han Replies - "I love you".

I mean the Stormtroopers are PRETTY much the White Knights of the Galaxy.

Yeah murdering rebel scrum killing our brave boys and girls, makes you sick.

Yeah, killing Scum, when they try too kill you...hmmm, that does make me sick. The Rebels are evil, not the Empire. Besides, it's not like the stormtroopers had a choice, they're just innocent clones who are forced to fight someone else's war.

...why the blue hell were the people of Coruscant celebrating at the end of Lucas' revised and re-edited Return of the Jedi? Seriously!

Coruscant was the frickin' SEAT OF THE EMPIRE. The vast majority of people on Coruscant would have been employed by or have family employed by the Empire. Think of all those families who lost loved ones and livelihoods when the second Death Star was blown up.

"Jimmy... sit down please... remember your Dad was installing the ventilation systems on that new Imperial project? Well... I've got some really bad news..."

But yeah, anyway, I wonder how long it'll be before Wave 5 is on the boat?

The riots, protests and celebrations were put down violently.

I do agree though it's stupid.

I had the EXACT same thought as the OP the other day when I saw the end of RotJ again. Coruscant is the seat of the Empire, and while I'm sure there are many there who are against the Empire, the majority of people, I feel, would be supportive. It's what keeps them safe from the uncivilized Rebels and other scary bits of the galaxy. Sure, people might have celebrated, but those people would have been rounded up quickly after news reached Coruscant of the Emperor's death. Knowing the Empire though, they might have even denied the fact that the Emperor and Vader were dead at all, and simply tried to instate new leaders in their places. I'm sure the infighting and continued Rebel attacks would cause the Empire to collapse eventually, but it would not be as neat as it is portrayed at the end of the RotJ SE.

If you think back to tie fighter the main character is recruited after the Empire comes in and brings peace to a conflict, they are faced with a galaxy full of massively powerful crime groups like the hutts, they can't leave the innocent people to suffer like the corrupt republic did.

I don't honestly believe The Empire as a whole was that bad. I do believe Palpatine was evil, but I am entirely certain that sans Death Star and Palpatine, The Empire would have worked out as a perfectly legitimate form of government.

They DID do a LOT of peacekeeping.

I don't honestly believe The Empire as a whole was that bad. I do believe Palpatine was evil, but I am entirely certain that sans Death Star and Palpatine, The Empire would have worked out as a perfectly legitimate form of government.

They DID do a LOT of peacekeeping.

Your post made me think of this article I saw earlier today on the book of face.

http://www.lightersideoftheforce.com/2014/08/mind-blowing-theory-about-what-death.html

More than likely, in a such overly complex and labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Empire, the propaganda message of "We destroyed the rebels at Endor... The War is over!" was already prepared in anticipation for a planetary celebration.

Following the chaos of the battle, and the absence of head commands, the incompetent Moff in charge just assumed everything was according to the schedule and pushed the "play" button. The result: A whole happy Galaxy, like never it was seen.