Vice Admiral Rampart
Imperial Vice Admiral Rampart is one of the primary antagonists of The Bad Batch. A "rampart" is a defensive wall or barrier, often on a castle. "Rampart" may seem like an odd name for a Star Wars villain, given that the dark side is associated with aggression, while "defense" tends to be the prerogative of the Jedi. As Yoda says in The Empire Strikes Back, "Beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side of the Force are they." In contrast, "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."
In Revenge of the Sith, though, Palpatine claims that the purpose of the Empire is to create a "safe and secure society." Rampart's role, befitting his name, is to fortify the Empire and defend it against disorder and civil war, making it a stable regime. Rampart is the one who creates "chain codes" to register the citizens of the burgeoning Empire. A "chain code" sounds ominously like a kind of restraint – the kind of restraint that can be used to "secure" something loose. Rampart also spearheads the initiative to conscript civilians as Stormtroopers, which he presents as a necessity to stabilize or fortify the Empire: "A strong ruling government requires an increase in soldiers to maintain order throughout the galaxy." Rampart helps Palpatine justify tyranny in the name of defense.
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Characters: Palpatine / Vice Admiral Rampart
Shows: The Bad Batch
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Concepts: defense / names / order and disorder / safety and security / tyranny
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