Written by Jericho Gingoyon

Darth OrCom: Structures and Strategies in Star Wars

“How effectively did The Empire and Rebel Alliance internally manage and externally market their organization in a galaxy far, far away?”

Star Wars is an epic saga that involves good versus evil, and fathers against sons. A person wields a laser sword—AKA a lightsaber—to cut through limitless waves of faceless action figures. This story encompasses a large and wide galaxy. What has remained a constant is the struggle between two puissant groups: The Empire and The Rebel Alliance. One organization represents oppression and the other represents righteous social reform. In anticipation and celebration of the latest episode, The Force Awakens, let us imagine ourselves as persons in this galaxy and analyze how principles of our subject matter—OrCom—may be applied in these two organizations.

The opposing institutions were large enterprises that had contrasting organizational structures. The Empire had a tall structure. The responsibility of command and the burden of communication were given to the officers with the highest positions. Stormtroopers did not communicate with each other and they did not influence executive decisions. Imperial officers were in charge of tactics. The Emperor, in turn, dictated the goals of the organization to these officers. The Rebel Alliance had a flat structure. People on the same level of positions had a voice in shaping tactics. Rebel soldiers, unlike their shiny counterparts, communicated with each other and influenced executive decisions. Luke Skywalker, then ranked as a soldier, was able to create and relay commands to his team on the fly. The decisions from the people at the bottom of the totem pole contributed to the ultimate direction of their organization.

Both organizations experienced the enviable task of marketing their ideals and values to an immense and diverse population. It is very important to understand our audience and satisfy their expectations and wants. The most impressive tools of the Empire were the Stormtroopers and the Death Star. Stormtroopers represented military might. Their shiny heads, their brutal weaponry, and their technologically advanced vehicles relayed the idea of security to every corner of the known galaxy. The Death Star, a weapon that can blow up planets, represented the greatest defense against terrorism. The Empire erred when they failed to understand that their audience, their constituents, were frightened. Unleashing an army of faceless killers and a flying ball with nuclear weapons were unwise in both hindsight and foresight. Their audience easily misinterpreted the Troopers and the Death Star as tools of tyranny. The Rebel, on the other hand, Alliance leadership was quickly able to convince many to their cause because the audiences felt their ideals and values were more congruent to this organization.

Finally, it is imperative we analyze the overall leaders of both organizations. The Emperor was the supreme governor. He had the most disciplined army, the most technologically advanced vehicles, and the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, which was the Death Star. He excelled in so many aspects but he suffered an extremely fatal flaw—he looked both hideous and untrustworthy whenever he appeared in public. We should imagine walking down a street and passing by him—a sulking man with a black hooded cloak, a mutilated forehead he did not bother to groom, and a face and body shriveling with the dark side of the force. Passing by his evil shadow might be enough to scare us away. The Empire did not encourage its audiences to further believe in them when their own supreme governor, The Emperor, appeared to be a typical dictator. The Rebel Alliance was likewise faceless yet they marketed themselves as underdogs. They were not expected to win and they were anonymous to the point of not even having a public leader. At that point in time, many sympathized with The Rebel Alliance because they seemed to share common cause. The Rebel Alliance and the majority of the population did not want to trust The Empire.

Fragments of The Empire and The Rebel Alliance live on in the next episode as The First Order and The Resistance, respectively, with their traditional principles remaining unchanged. Shaping the chain of command, allocation of resources, and distribution of tasks is necessary in order to maintain healthy internal relations. Learning more about our audiences is vital in understanding how they interpret ideas. Finally, the appearance of employees of an organization, especially the head leader, is important in nurturing trust. As Organizational Communication students, we should continue using the organizational structures we see as the best fit to our time and place; we should continue striving to learn more about our audience; and we should continue grooming ourselves to the best daily appearance we can achieve. We can very well lead and shape our own organization towards total galactic dominance. May the Force continue to be with us.