In the Empire's Defense

I didn't watch Star Wars when it was released. I wasn't even born. By the time we popped the cassette tape in the VCR, it was at least 15 years old. But I liked the movie all the same. It was not my favorite film by any means, but it was memorable. The first time you see Darth Vader appear on screen, you know this villain is not going to be easy to defeat. "Villain" because no one needs to tell you who the good guys and bad guys are in this movie. The visuals, the voices, the music, everything tells you that Darth Vader and the Empire are up to no good. Now I get to watch the movie with my kids. I quickly pointed out to my sons that this is the bad guy. Stating the obvious. One of them asked, "Why is he the bad guy?" I had to pause for a second to come up with an explanation. I didn't have an answer. Instead I said, "Because he is mean as hell!" They fell asleep before the movie ended. I think they enjoyed it. But I really couldn't tell you exactly why Darth Vader was the bad guy.…