Which galactic empire is best?

[Polycarp]

“That Galactic Empire is best which governs least.” – Jeff Thomerson

(And if nobody’s written that story yet, I claim copyright! :p)

[wevets]

I would have said something more along the lines of “that Galatic Empire which crushes the most under its jackboots governs best.”
… but then, I don’t actually have to live in any of these empires.

[BrainGlutton]

@Evil_Captor

Trade federations don’t seek to control other star systems, they just want to establish friendly relations with them and trade with them, and are happy to leave them alone so long as they don’t pose a threat.

Perfectly legal our blockade is!

[First_Amongst_Daves]

In the Dune series (old school Frank, not naf Brian), which I recently re-read, we have a few categories of empire:

1. House Corrino’s empire, which is the Emperor leading a loose coalition of feudal dominions with an elite guard (the Sardaukar) for muscle.

2. House Atriedes Mark I empire: Paul Muad’dib’s empire, with legions of Fremen death commandos in a religious jihad scouring planets.

3. House Atriedes Mark II empire: the God Emperor’s Golden Path, a massive species-wide eugenics scheme.

And yet the Atriedes were suppose to be the good guys.

[MOIDALIZE]

@First_Amongst_Daves

In the Dune series (old school Frank, not naf Brian), which I recently re-read, we have a few categories of empire:

1. House Corrino’s empire, which is the Emperor leading a loose coalition of feudal dominions with an elite guard (the Sardaukar) for muscle.

2. House Atriedes Mark I empire: Paul Muad’dib’s empire, with legions of Fremen death commandos in a religious jihad scouring planets.

3. House Atriedes Mark II empire: the God Emperor’s Golden Path, a massive species-wide eugenics scheme.

And yet the Atriedes were suppose to be the good guys.

Well, Paul certainly felt guilt over how the religious power his rule created got out of his hands. And the Golden Path dragged the universe out of a feudal system of Houses restricted to a homeworld to a Scattering of people.

Of course, many of the powerful characters were descended from Atreides, but the Atreides did have the best genes.