Classic SWG: Imperial Crackdown

The sight of an Imperial Star Destroyer over a planet should be one that invokes feelings of fear, security or a tenuous mix of both depending on your political affiliation. Three such mammoths should do more then just triple the sensations.

That is the level of excitement and adventure that was advertised for the Imperial Crackdown that occurred during "Year One" of SWG. (If I recall correctly, it was somewhere around the time of the droid engineer updates that are all but completely broken to this day.)

The Empire never really "cracked down" on anything, though you might have been caught carrying illegally modified weapons if you weren't careful. (Nothing a fine or a well-timed Sprint couldn't fix). Usually you were stopped and then told to move along.

If you weren't around for this, think of it as being stopped by Mall Security every time you used the escalator.

What was it that has kept the Empire from ever becoming the well-oiled war machine of fear and domination that it's supposed to be? Is it that Rebel players have been afraid of fighting an uphill battle; of having a harder existence in the game for their political beliefs? Would it be unfair to grant infinite privileges to Imperial players so long as they fit the bill of what Emperor Palpatine was looking for in his citizens?

Whatever the reason, the Imperial Crackdown was a joke and a half - the sort of joke that has no punchline or humor at all. The Empire remains a tacked-on aspect of SWG with fat, candy-loving Stormtroopers, bumbling security checkpoints that allow saber-wielding Jedi to waltz through, a Darth Vader whose task list includes awarding badges to players who stand at a specific waypoint, an Emperor who is still vacationing at his retreat, an entire Empire that allows Rebel forces to take control of entire cities with banners and military presence even under the "watchful" eye of those Star Destroyers in orbit.

The Imperials should put the crack down and stomp this galaxy into submission under well-polished heels.

Then again, the Empire ultimately lost the Civil War because of a small squad of Stormtroopers were thrwarted by a locked door in Mos Eisley. "The door is locked. Move on to the next one."