The Empire - Television Tropes & Idioms

alt title(s): The Evil Empire

The Empire wants to be the One World Order. Amassing The Evil Army, it sets out to conquer all of its neighbors by force of arms. Taking cues from history, it often resembles the historic Roman, Nazi or Chinese empires in some way. Led by the Evil Overlord or some kind of theocratic cabal.

Of course, there's going to be some kind of Resistance movement within its borders, and small autonomous nations without who may need encouragement by the heroes to become The Alliance. The Empire is usually too strong to defeat militarily (unless the story is set in a war strategy video game), but taking down the leaders while they're instigating their sinister plan is usually enough.

If both The Empire and The Federation exist in the same universe, they are usually either at war, just recovering from a war, or dangerously close to getting into one.

Note that just being called an Empire is not sufficient to qualify a nation for this trope. Especially in a Heroic Fantasy setting, other types of empires abound, often based on the Holy Roman or British Empires (and occasionally a more sympathetic take on the actual Roman or the Chinese Empire). These types of empires may be better described as a larger kingdom or federation, or a more centrally controlled Alliance. There is also some amount of Truth In Television in this trope, as real-life empires are expansionist almost by definition, and most of them weren't very nice to their respective colonies.

Former instances of The Empire often become Vestigial Empires.

Examples

Anime and Manga

Britannia in Code Geass.
Zaibach in Vision Of Escaflowne.
Amestris in the manga version of Fullmetal Alchemist only, the anime version is more benign. Its stated that over the past 400 centuries, Amestris has conquered numerous nations, and is currently at war with Aerugo, Creta and Drachma. The Amestrian goverment is currently planning to use the entire nation in a transmutation circle to raise an immortal army using the slain souls of the numerous soldiers who have died over the years in a plan to conquer its remaining neighbors. Of course that's what Father claims, and he has lied in the past.
The Holy Empire of Glass Fleet, led by Vetti Sforza, complete with the goal of becoming the One World Order.
The Humankind Empire Abh from "Crest of the Stars", though Your Mileage May Vary. Their mode of operation is to forcibly take over planets that do *not* have faster-than-light travel, though oddly they do not interfere with those planets which have purchased the technology from others. In the novels this is explained by the fact that their empire began on an interstellar merchant ship, and that they still respect "vested rights". They do not seem to be overtly oppressive towards the planets they control, but they do not allow *any* starship not owned by the Empire to be armed or use faster-than-light travel technology. Then there's the fact that only the "space elves" in charge are able to command warships, though this is due mainly to their physiology, not overt racism.
Information from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Sound Stage X portrayed Ancient Belka as this. It was a powerful civilization with superior magic and technology that took over other worlds, until infighting and the Lensman Arms Race led to the destruction of their world and most of their civilization, with its remnants moving to an autonomous district in Mid-childa.

Film

The Galactic Empire from Star Wars, of course.

Literature

The Galactic Empire in Isaac Asimov's Empire and Foundation novels is a state which has already achieved this goal in the distant past - by the end of the Foundation series, the Foundation is on its way to achieving the same. Partially subverted in that Asimov doesn't treat these two groups as villainous.
The short story "A Woman's Work" showed a well-maintained, organized and competently led empire, all thanks to a Queen who very clearly has the Evil Overlord List memorized (the story plays it for a comedy, with some direct references to the list).
The Gurkish Empire from The First Law, complete with a Path Of Inspiration.
The Empire in The Inheritance Trilogy.
The Wheel Of Time introduces the Seanchan Empire as a civilization with its stability dependent on enslaving natural ~~sorcerers~~ channelers, and a universal delusion that the slave-masters are not themselves capable of channeling. Aside from the slavery and aristocracy, their strong socialist policies make them fairly popular among the conquered.
- The slave-master part is partially justified as if they hadn't ever had a slave, they would be incapable of channeling.
The Co Dominium (CD) in Falkenberg's Legions by Jerry Pournelle. Technically The Alliance, consisting of the United States and the USSR, the CD becomes an interstellar empire, with Earth's nations really disliking the Alliance. It's also collapsing, due to the fact that the US and USSR still hating each other.
Inverted, played with and otherwise deconstructed in the Honor Harrington series. Manticore may finally revel in some good old-fashioned imperialism, but that doesn't stop them from being the nice guy of the series, while alleged Federations are either corrupt bureaucratic monstrosity that is falling apart at the seams (League), or alternates between that and bloody tyranny (Haven).
- Although Haven has gotten a lot better lately. You can make a pretty good case that are now as much the "good guys" as anyone else. Right now the only reason they're fighting Manticore is over a really big misunderstanding (details would be a major spoiler).
- Indeed, the only true black in the series now are the people behind genetic slavery - everyone else is various shades of gray.
Although the Terran Empire in the Darkover novels didn't start this way, by the time of its collapse it was a full-blown example of this trope.
In C. S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy, Calormen is a mild instance of this. Although it is not entirely bent on conquest, the book features an attempt to conquer Archenland, and the promise that will help conquer Narnia. The curse on Rabadash is explicitly described as making life easier for small countries nearby, as he can not conquer them himself, and is afraid of the power generals would amass if they did so for him.
The Instrumentality of Mankind in the eponymous series by Cordwainer Smith. However, the Instrumentality is very, very unusual.
- In fact, trying to give an encyclopedic explanation of how it governs, its structure, its people's, history or even its policies wouldn't explain it with any justice.
The Eastern Empire in the Heralds Of Valdemar series. A mild subversion, as the Empire is only evil at the top levels of the bureacracy - when the armies wash over your country and start building roads, adequate housing, and utilities, most people figure they know what they're doing and don't put up a fight.
The Barrayaran Empire and the Cetagandan Empire of Lois Mc Master Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga both qualify at any point they're feeling expansionist. Barrayar's at the peak of one, and starting to slide down, during Shards of Honor and Barrayar, but by the time of The Warrior's Apprentice, it's mostly caught up colonizing a new world (one it didn't have to conquer; it was uninhabited by anything above animals) and helps fight off the Cetagandans, who are still messing about. By A Civil Campaign Cetaganda's calmed down too.

Live Action TV

Several examples from Star Trek that The Federation encounters from the outside, like the Dominion and the Romulan Empire, not to mention the Mirror Universe version of the Federation itself.
The Alliance of Firefly, though since the main characters are all anti-heroes, it's suggested that from another point of view the Alliance might be considered The Federation. However, the Academy, which is a subset of the Alliance, is firmly on the side of evil.
- And then The Movie came and the Alliance crossed the Moral Event Horizon with what went down on Miranda. No shades of gray here!
  - Keep in mind that that was only one part of the alliance. Organizations within the whole being pure evil is pretty regular amongst both The Empire and The Federation.
The Scarrans and the Peacekeepers, mortal enemies in Farscape.

Tabletop Games

The Coalition States in Rifts can be given a little slack for establishing order in the post-Cataclysm world... but not for enforcing illiteracy, destroying pre-Rift artifacts, and brutally hunting down and persecuting D-Bees, magic users, and psychics with chilling coldness.
- And Emperor Prosek's decision to consciously adopt Adolf Hitler as his role model really doesn't help.
The Realm of Exalted is a classic example.
The Imperium of Man and the Tau Empire in Warhammer 40000. And those are, by comparison, the good guys.
- The same with the Empire in the other Warhammer

Video Games

The Final Fantasy series uses this trope on multiple occasions.
- Final Fantasy II has the Empire of Palemecia, which conquers, destroys, and enslaves seemingly for the heck of it. Seeing how it's revealed that he's apparently the equivalent of the devil in that world, that may actually be the case.
  - It's not that he's the devil. Just that, upon his death, he's considered so evil that he becomes the devil. Apparently, that throne is up for grabs. Who knew?
  - This troper took it to mean that he FREAKING KILLED THE DEVIL and usurped the throne. And as if that weren't enough to make him a badass, the expanded GBA release reveals that his "good" side has also taken over the equivalent of Heaven.
- Final Fantasy VI has an empire called...well, "The Empire" (it was renamed "Gestahlian Empire" in the GBA release) as the main antagonist for most of the game. As if it weren't clear enough, the intro shows the emperor giving the Nazi salute to his subjects.
- In Final Fantasy VII, Shinra fits the mold of The Empire, though it's nominally an electric company... with its own army, and control of most of the world.
- In Final Fantasy IX, Queen Brahne is in the process of creating one of these until her death.
- Final Fantasy XII has the Archadian Empire, which embodies this trope, and the Rozarrian Empire which seems more benevolent, but is only peripherally involved in the story.
Another video game example is Valua in Skies Of Arcadia.
The Suikoden games have the Scarlet Moon Empire and the Harmonian Empire.
While not always directly antagonistic, the Holy Lodis Empire is easily the largest military force in the Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre games and makes its presence known similarly to the Harmonians listed above.
Alfard from the Baten Kaitos video games is an interesting example in that there's no resistance against it. The reason: the empire works to instill extreme civic pride in all of its citizens, so that the idea of acting against it has all the attractiveness of stepping on one's own foot.
In Panzer Dragoon, the Empire is portrayed this way, but slowly becomes more and more sympathetic as the series progresses.
Spiderweb Software's Exile / Avernum series starts the first game with a description of The Empire. "Not the Empire of Something or The Something Empire"... since there's really only one game in town. They find a massive underground cave network and decide it's the perfect place to chuck all their undesirables. Including you. So the rebellious elements in society are rounded up and sent down to live in near-darkness and plot revenge.
- Not to mention exterminating all non-human species on the surface.
- One of three ways to win the game is to join the rebels and help take revenge by assassinating the leader of The Empire. Although this does spark a war for the second game, and, well, The Empire does have a few more legions of disposable soldiers than the rag-tag underground rebels do. (Good thing you find aliens to help you!) Seriously, this game is fun.
  - Subverted in the third game when Avernum ends up helping the Empire out and again in Avernum 5 when you play as Empire soldiers.
The Empire in Drakengard, also fighting its own federation called The Union.
The Elder Scrolls series contains an unusual subversion, in that the Empire is generally treated as fairly benevolent. And their goal to become a One World Order? They succeeded.
- More of a One Continent Empire, as Akavir and other continents remain untouched by the Empire.
If its a Fire Emblem game it has one of these. Generally the Empire has somehow fallen into the power of some dark evil God. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance's Daein and its King Ashnard are the best fitting, the others are all 'correct' but with a few details of note.
- The sequel, Radiant Dawn, gives this role to Begnion, which, unlike Daein, actually is an empire. The Dawn Brigade of Daein, the Greil Mercenaries of Crimea, and even the empress of Begnion end up fighting against the corrupt senate of Begnion.
Halo featured two empires, one fits the trope better than the other. The one that fits this trope the best, is of course, the Covenant, a collection of alien species lead by religious zealots that seek to conquer every race in the galaxy in order to teach them the divine truth of the Forerunners, except for humanity, who they want to annhilate because they are the true inheritor to Forerunner tech, even though humans don't know it. The second empire is a bit more cuddly, the UNSC. It was described as an empire, and indeed has La Resistance fighting it, though they are portrayed more as terrorists than people bringing down an empire. Note that La Resistance is only featured in the Expanded Universe, and not the actual games, sadly.
The Knights Of The Old Republic series featured Revan's Sith Empire in the original and the Sith Triumvirate in the sequel.
Despite the name, the United Earth Federation of Supreme Commander is very much an empire, and a military dictatorship at that. Slavery of sorts is practiced, and there's at least some degree of restrictions on political freedom-the Infinite War began when outlying colonies began rejecting Earth rule and joining the Aeon. Earth's response was military in nature, one thing lead to another, and the Infinite War kicked off.
A few corrupt officials and officers aside, this is generally averted in Tales Of Vesperia, where The Empire is not the primary antagonist.
Secret of Mana has an empire simply called The Empire that wants to harness the power of the Mana Fortress. A group in one of its towns was formed to work against it.
The East European Imperial Alliance from Valkyria Chronicles is basically your standard Empire.
The Dilzweld Empire from a PS 2 game called Arc The Lad is a typical example of The Empire. Their army seems unstoppable— at the start of the game, they are about to attack The World Alliance (Huh, kinda sounds like The Federation, don't it?), the grouping of the other five mighty nations, and they are certain they can win. Although, they might have some trouble with that, considering whole platoons of their gun-packing Army (they have mechs and airships, too) are defeated with little difficulty by a group of adventurers armed with a sword, an axe, a bow, and some kind of barbed fishing fly on a string.
Sonic Chronicles.

Western Animation

The Fire Nation of Avatar The Last Airbender. It's even All There In The Manual that they're conquering the world for the same reason real empires did: they industrialized first and now need resources.

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