Evil empire

Well-known examples are the Galactic Empire in Star Wars, which forms as a result of a fascist auto-coup which abolishes the liberal-democratic Galactic Republic and is opposed by the Rebel Alliance including Luke Skywalker,{{Cite book|title=The Politics of Big Fantasy : the Ideologies of Star Wars, The Matrix and The Avengers|last=C. McDowell|first=John|date = 2 July 2014|isbn=9780786474882|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=86|oclc=878813081}} as well as the Empire of the Known Universe in Dune, whose Emperor plots the downfall of House Atreides, and is opposed by Paul Atreides.{{Cite book|title=Final Frontier (ABDO Digital Hosted e-Book) .|date = September 2010|publisher=ABDO Digital|isbn=978-1617843532|location=New York|pages=22|oclc=1003700847}}

The theme also often appears in video games. A recurring element of the Final Fantasy series is an evil empire as the primary antagonistic faction, starting with Final Fantasy II, which was itself inspired by Star Wars. It is a major aspect of the story of Final Fantasy VI in the form of the Gestahl Empire,{{Cite book|title=Power-Up : How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life.|last=Kohler|first=Chris|date=2015|publisher=Dover Publications|others=Yoshida, Shuhei.|isbn=9780486816425|location=New York|pages=94–109|oclc=960760137}} proceeding onward to Final Fantasy XV, in which the empire of Niflheim conquers the kingdom of Lucis, forcing its heir, Noctis Lucis Caelum, to fight back and reclaim his homeland.{{Cite web |last=Caswell |first=Tom |date=2016-12-05 |title=Review: Final Fantasy XV is a tale of two games |url=https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/review-final-fantasy-xv-is-a-tale-of-two-games-k30j/ |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=GameZone |language=en-US}} In Mother 3, the protagonist Lucas has his home attacked by the villainous Pigmask Army, which seeks to turn animals into robotic Chimeras and brainwash the land's agrarian inhabitants via Happy Boxes.{{Cite web |last=Oxford |first=Nadia |date=2018-10-18 |title=What Mother 3 Taught Me About Death, Grieving, and Two-by-Fours |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/what-mother-3-taught-me-about-death-grieving-and-two-by-fours |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=USgamer |language=en}} Half-Life 2 and its sequels also featured an evil empire as its main antagonist in the form of the multi-dimensional Combine empire.{{Cite web |last=Leve |first=Will |date=2020-03-30 |title=‘Half-Life 2’ convinced me of humanity's power against overwhelming odds |url=https://www.campustimes.org/2020/03/29/half-life-2-convinced-me-of-humanitys-power-against-overwhelming-odds/ |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Campus Times |language=en-US}}

The title has also been used as a nickname for the New York Yankees. The nickname originated from a comment made to The New York Times by the then team president of the Boston Red Sox, Larry Lucchino.{{Cite web |last=Griffin |first=John |date=2020-05-04 |title=How the Yankees became the Evil Empire |url=https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/5/4/21245740/yankees-evil-empire-red-sox-jose-contreras-trademark |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Pinstripe Alley |language=en}}

Fantastical evil empires typically make heavy use of technology and mechanization, refusing to coexist with nature and destroying or exploiting it instead. The indiscriminate colonization and subjugation of both land and people are also common. The hero or heroes of the story often make use of natural elements to fight the empire, such as the Ewoks of Endor or the Sandworms of Arrakis. When the empire is defeated, the world returns to its natural state. This is often a metaphor for modern environmental problems caused by the negligence of global superpowers.{{Cite book|title=Adventures in fantasy : lessons and activities in narrative and descriptive writing, grades 5–9|last=Gust|first=John|date=2007|publisher=Jossey-Bass|isbn=9780470639870|edition=1st|location=San Francisco|pages=19|oclc=607554530}}

The concept of an "evil empire" was appropriated from Star Wars{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} by Ronald Reagan, who used it in his 1983 Evil Empire speech to describe the Soviet Union, dramatically raising the stakes in the arms race between it and the United States.{{Cite book|title=Sex, Politics, and Religion in Star Wars: An Anthology|last1=Brode|first1=Douglas|last2=Deyneka|first2=Leah|date=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810885158|location=Lanham, Md.|pages=63|oclc=802261869}}

• Evil corporation
• Galactic empire

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Category:Fictional empires

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Category:Fantasy tropes