'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[Malenfant]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

The Imperium exists mainly to regulate and protect interstellar trade. The Imperial control of starports and the power of the Navy/High Guard assures that immense wealth flows into Imperial coffers and the core worlds. Tariffs and corporate profits fund the Imperium.

As pointed out on the SFRPG thread, the Imperium is basically a huge protection racket - they blackmail planets into allowing their starports on them and prevent them from doing anything independently. It's not really a government concerned with people, rights, or anything else like that.

IMO the Imperium is an impersonal, self-serving, oppressive, undemocratic, highly unpleasant entity that every world should be fighting against.