Sigh-Fi

I think you have a philosophical issue, friend.

There is nothing in reality that is purely "Good." Everything is flawed or is a compromise or has some kind of selfishness hidden somewhere.

But that's why we say "Perfect is the enemy of good." That's why there's "Good enough."

Now, I understand you'll argue "the republic wasn't even good!" My point still stands. The empire was a dictatorship. The republic was a representative democracy. It is exceedingly rare that a dictatorship benefits the people. The only example I know of in the modern day is Singapore. (Thailand is complicated.)

At its core, the empire deprives its citizens of their rights. No one can hold the emperor accountable. He can just blow up a whole planet because he feels like it. Yes, you'll argue the republic can blow up planets, too, but that requires the input of many more people and would represent a significant portion of the populations interests.

Shit, the empire doesn't even rely on the citizenry for its military force, meaning it's even more disconnected from the needs of its citizens.