Originally posted by: zombie84
"Emperor" denotes tyranny much more than "King" or "Supreme [insert title]". Its associated more with dictatorship type of government.
By whom? I've never made this association. Is HIM Akihito a greater tyrant than HM King Saud? Was HIM George VI a dictator and HM George VI not? Is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a better ruler than Imperators like Caesar Augustus or Marcus Aurelius? Was the Fuhrer really better than the Kaiser?
No, Imperial dignity does not imply anything about the relation of the ruler to the commoners (except, perhaps, distance). It implies an unequal relationship between the ruler and other rulers. An Emperor is superior to kings, either by virtue of maintaining a political empire or by heading both state and church. Palpatine was an emperor because he assumed monarchical dignity but did not strip such dignity from his subjects, such as the monarch of Alderaan.
The truth is that most people--and I'm sure Lucas himself--don't know that "majesty" or "highness" have specific uses. I sure didn't.
"Emperor" denotes tyranny much more than "King" or "Supreme [insert title]". Its associated more with dictatorship type of government.
By whom? I've never made this association. Is HIM Akihito a greater tyrant than HM King Saud? Was HIM George VI a dictator and HM George VI not? Is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a better ruler than Imperators like Caesar Augustus or Marcus Aurelius? Was the Fuhrer really better than the Kaiser?
No, Imperial dignity does not imply anything about the relation of the ruler to the commoners (except, perhaps, distance). It implies an unequal relationship between the ruler and other rulers. An Emperor is superior to kings, either by virtue of maintaining a political empire or by heading both state and church. Palpatine was an emperor because he assumed monarchical dignity but did not strip such dignity from his subjects, such as the monarch of Alderaan.
The truth is that most people--and I'm sure Lucas himself--don't know that "majesty" or "highness" have specific uses. I sure didn't.
Lucas spent years working on Star Wars. That is more than enough time to get an education, and learn the meaning of words that one uses. Many people do come up with glaring holes in their education, but part of being a productive adult is recognizing them and filling them in when necessary. And again, Lucas was not the sole creator of Return of the Jedi. Kasdan helped him write it, and at least three British subjects were on set when the lines were spoken (Marquand, McDiarmid, Prowse, and/or Anderson). They probably had a greater understanding of royal styles than the American Lucas. Hamill may have picked up a bit about royal styles, too, while working on Britannia Hospital. I haven't seen it, but it seems to use HRH rather freely.