I'm not sure the Empire or the Sith could be written as anything less than evil. They've wiped out entire star clusters, destroyed suns and planets, and poisoned more worlds than can be counted. [All true. Luke's voice gets a slight edge to it now. He doesn't really like thinking about Alderaan, or what they did to Mon Calamari, or Taris, Dantooine, and other worlds in just his lifetime alone.]
But if you want to know more. The Sith are an order of Force Adepts as well, tapping into the Dark Side of the Force. It's viewed as a quick path to power, and the Dark Side actually twists the body and mind. They use fear, anger, aggression, and hatred to draw out more of the Force and it leaves them scarred and in some cases quite mad. This is converse to the Jedi philosophy which, while not perfect, rarely leads to destructive rage and madness. As for their rule...well, there have been several times they've had great power but the most recent one was by far the most successful.
Thirty years ago, a Sith Lord masquerading as a politician managed to gain a lot of political power in the Republic Senate. He used this influence to spark a war, and as it came to a close he took complete control and staged a military coup that killed the majority of the Jedi protecting the people. He turned the Republic into an Empire, and put into place a harsh government, proclaiming himself Emperor. Some of his policies included harsher treatment for non-humans, xenophobic slavery, experimentation on living sentient life, and even women not being allowed to hold rank in the military anymore. Several species were brought to the brink of extinction and entire worlds were harvested for funding to create superweapons. One had the power to destroy a planet in a single shot, another could do the same to a star. They were used a few times, and billions if not trillions died. Ruling through fear was their goal, but a rebellion formed, and the Emperor was defeated. He's been dead for about three years now but the Empire still fights in his name.
[Action with a borrowed peach]
But if you want to know more. The Sith are an order of Force Adepts as well, tapping into the Dark Side of the Force. It's viewed as a quick path to power, and the Dark Side actually twists the body and mind. They use fear, anger, aggression, and hatred to draw out more of the Force and it leaves them scarred and in some cases quite mad. This is converse to the Jedi philosophy which, while not perfect, rarely leads to destructive rage and madness. As for their rule...well, there have been several times they've had great power but the most recent one was by far the most successful.
Thirty years ago, a Sith Lord masquerading as a politician managed to gain a lot of political power in the Republic Senate. He used this influence to spark a war, and as it came to a close he took complete control and staged a military coup that killed the majority of the Jedi protecting the people. He turned the Republic into an Empire, and put into place a harsh government, proclaiming himself Emperor. Some of his policies included harsher treatment for non-humans, xenophobic slavery, experimentation on living sentient life, and even women not being allowed to hold rank in the military anymore. Several species were brought to the brink of extinction and entire worlds were harvested for funding to create superweapons. One had the power to destroy a planet in a single shot, another could do the same to a star. They were used a few times, and billions if not trillions died. Ruling through fear was their goal, but a rebellion formed, and the Emperor was defeated. He's been dead for about three years now but the Empire still fights in his name.