Jesus Christ I'm getting a strong urge to lock the trainwreck of a thread.
Anyway.
Monroe wrote:
Yeah that's the great failure of both plans. So I think the next step would be to minimize the impact of the minority. If only a tiny sliver would stand against the measures you want to make it as hard as possible for them to talk to each other, find each other, recruit, acquire weapons etc. I think by appeasing to them you're making it too easy for them to do just that.
And by being ruthless you're increasing the number of people who will be trying to do just that.
After thinking it over for a while, I think I've found the problem. Neither of them work on their own. In fact, the Empire itself
cannot succesfully prevent dissent and rebellion as it historicaly is. Its very creation precludes any chance of this scenario succeeding.
So, here's my plan.
I need to create an atmosphere similar to post-9/11 America or Cold-War era USA. Dissent is seen as unpatriotic. The enemy must be seen as utterly ruthless and savage barbarians, who only wish to see civilisation as we know it fall. The very creation of the CIS would be perfect for that; it's effectively a conglomoration of the largest and most powerful corporations in the galaxy. Send the propaganda ministry into overdrive on this, claiming about how they want to surpress the freedoms of the populace, and make them all little more than slave workers.
Now, the Republic needs to be
losing the war. This will make the populace desperate, particularly when news of the countless atrocities (if need be, I have my own clone forces perpetrate them) and ruthless subjugation comes out of CIS-taken planets.
It's at this point the Rebellion, created by me, needs to start. Start small, bombing government buildings and police stations. Then slowly build up their attacks to be more elaborate and brutal. Have hospitals bombed. Medical ships blown up. Civilian stations knocked out of their orbits by suicide ship-ramming attacks. If any real pro-CIS terrorist organisations start up, I can use the massive propaganda network available to us to group them under the banner of the Rebel Alliance in the public's mind, much how any Arab terrorist organisations are believed to be Al-Qaeda by the public.
This means that any dissenting organisations that spring up will automaticaly be tainted by association with these hospital-bombing barbarians.
Now, the Empire needs to be created
during the war, not after. The catalyst for this shall be the destruction of the Jedi Order.
This one's easy enough to do. Simply plant evidence of them working with terrorist groups, giving information to the enemy, etc. Claim that the reason we're losing the war is due to the Jedi's position as generals in the military. Have my own Dark Jedi/Sith/Whatever pose as members of the Jedi Order, so they can be seen working with the CIS forces.
I reveal to Anakin that I'm a Sith Lord, as historicaly happened. When Anakin runs to inform Windu and the other Jedi, I order security around my offices to be heavily increased, and that no Jedi are to be allowed entrance. When Windu and Co arrive, they've but one option: to attack and kill loyal Republic soldiers. And they'll be caught on security cameras doing just that; giving the public irrefutable proof that the Jedi are traitors as one of their Councli members can be seen as taking part in an attempted coup.
When they reach my office, I have things go as they historicaly did. Windu beats me, Anakin shows up, Windu exits via window, etc.
As the coup's taking place, simultaneously organise a spree of terrorist bombings against civilian and military targets. Also, have the Seperatists launch a major attack on Coruscant. While this is going on, I have my Dark Jedi agents (posing once again as Jedi) attack and kill numerous high-ranking Senators and government officials.
At this point, the public will be desperate. The Jedi, the one group they'd always seen as their protectors and allies, are shown to be traitors who've just tried to overthrow the rightful government. There's a Seperatist fleet in orbit, ready to invade. Terrorists are running wild across Republic teritory, and a coup was just barely defeated. In this state of mind, the public will agree to virtualy anything I want.
So, I declare emergency powers for myself. I set up the Empire in
everything but name. I do
not call it the Empire. I continue calling it the Republic. Similarly, I am not the Emperor. I am still the Supreme Chancellor. Just now I have the job for life.
Now, have the Seperatist fleet routed and mostly destroyed. This will function as the turning point of the war, and will be associated with me taking greater control of the government itself. I destroy the Jedi Order, and begin a major crackdown on terrorist organisations.
With the Jedi destroyed and the terrorists under control (for now), the war starts to turn more and more in the Repiblic's favour. Again, atribute this to both the removal of the Jedi influence on the military, and my own increased influence.
Now, here's probably the biggest change of all. I
do not destroy the CIS. I let them continue to exist. At the end of the war, the CIS will be reduced to a small strip of space bordering the Unkown Regions. Propaganda will claim that their holdings extend deep into the Unknown Regions, making them out to be a far larger threat than they really are.
At this point, the CIS sues for a ceasefire, which I grant. Peace follows, but it's an uneasy one as both sides are still gearing up in preparation for a war with each other. A Cold War-esque situation occurs, with both sides highly militarised and dissent brutaly surpressed. With a major enemy still out there (along with the Ssi-Ruuk and Chiss, who can also be made out to be major threats) the public will be more willing to accept a militarised state with a dictator in charge, since they view it as necessary for survival.
I revive the old pro-CIS terrorist organisations, but keep their activities very low key. Just the occasional bombing of government buildings here and there. If the Rebel Alliance does pop up in this atmosphere, not only will they be hated by the public for their seeming complicity with the enemy, but they'll also be tainted by association with hospital-bombing scum. This will make it very hard for them to recruit new members, and cause support for them to be virtualy non-existant amongst the public.
Of course, there will still be dissent and people willing to join the Rebellion, but there'll be far fewer than there was historicaly, and the very atmosphere amongst the public will make it highly unlikely for them to get support, thus making them virtualy no threat to me.
"You've all been selected for this mission because you each have a special skill. Professor Hawking, John Leslie, Phil Neville, the Wu-Tang Clan, Usher, the Sugar Puffs Monster and Daniel Day-Lewis! Welcome to Operation MindFuck!"
Regardless I think you've got a strong start for either plan. I think it would do a good job of keeping the rebels from forming. And if they did form, from forming into anything more than scattered pirates.
'd at this. Then you look at recent posts, and even those of people who would much rather go with your plan agree mine has merit and could be enacted. Like I said I'm not going to argue against your plan, its a fine plan, but the sooner you let go that everyone else thinks my plan is crazy the better you'll be as a person. 