Are cantinas really a thing on bases or ships? I read about them in almost every lengthy FF, but the one canon book I recently read made it seem like they were frowned upon so they snuck “hooch” ?

Yep, they most certainly are. They’re relatively common, in fact, especially in the Empire, as it would seem. There were even cantinas on the Death Star, and plenty of known Imperial bases included them. They could be found on Republic ships and bases as well, though there are fewer named examples for them. In the Rebellion, it being a smaller and poorer-equipped organization, people tended to sneak alcohol more often, especially strong types, which is what “hooch” refers to. 

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

Did the Empire implement tactics like a modern-day terrorist would, with roadside bombs and the like? Or were they more of a find everyone and blast them kinda gang?

The Empire certainly did use tactics like that. They actually had something called the Palpatine Mine Network, a vast array of space mines, and were also known to use atmospheric and anti-personnel mines. But beyond that, they didn’t often use such small-scale/make-due techniques as a real-world terrorist, because they were the ones in charge. That was more the Rebellion’s style of fighting, especially among the smaller groups. When the Empire employed mines and the like, it was more a preemptive move. When they really meant business, they didn’t usually hesitate to bring in a Star Destroyer or two. 

~ Jacen

How often were non-humans hired by the Empire? It was incredibly rare within the Imperial Navy, but I wonder what was the human to alien ratio for example in the Imperial ministries like the Ministry of Information on Coruscant. Thank for blessing us with your wonderful blog, I’ve just discovered it and can’t stop reading.

I do know of several non-humans who worked with/for the Empire, but they didn’t tend to get high-level positions. Often, it was more like they worked with an organization that was hired/affiliated with the Empire, rather than working directly with them. An alien in a government job (discounting senators and the like) would be a rare sight. Unfortunately, since a lot of known Imperial ministries and other organizations are just listed in sourcebooks and don’t include the members, I couldn’t tell you for sure how many aliens work in these jobs. However, since the Ministry of Information was a subdivision of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order, which was known to be extremely anti-alien in attitude as well as in the propaganda it put out, I would say it’s very unlikely that an alien would work in that ministry in particular. 

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

What material(s) is standard-issue Imperial stormtrooper armor made of? Are all armor designs used by the Imperial forces (eg TIE pilot, AT-AT commander, scout trooper and magmatrooper armor) made with the same material(s)?

It’s made of plastoid, and no, not all armour used by the Imperial Military is the same. Magma troopers, for example, wear armour reinforced with Duravlex, and death troopers’ armour is described as being much more advanced than the standard plastoid armour. Most stormtrooper variants wear armour with the same basic plastoid base. 

~ Jacen

This is going to sound dumb because I haven’t read any origins stuff (booo hissss) But was there a big bad evil empire-esque organization before the actual empire?

Well, I suppose it depends what you mean. The Bad People before the Empire came around were the Confederacy of Independent Systems (the Separatists) who fought the Clone Wars against the Galactic Republic, but before that there was also the Sith Empire, which rose and fell at various times during the Old Republic era. As well, the actual predecessor to the Empire was the Republic, which was not one of the bad guys, at least not from a narrative standpoint. I’m not sure how into the canon/Legends you have gotten, but those would be the big ones that came before the Empire. 

~ Jacen 

Would you happen to know of any species (preferably near-human or humanoid ones) whose planets were either allied with the Empire against their will or outright conquered by the Empire? Basically, I’m making an Inquisitor with an “I had no choice but to join them” type of sob story, and I need a species that comes with that.

Well, you’ll be pleased to know that you have many to choose from. Not to mention, after Order 66 many new Inquisitors were former Jedi who chose to join the Empire rather than be killed, so they could really be any species at all. But if you need extra incentive, or perhaps your character is one of the Force-sensitive children that the Empire went after, here are some planets of origin to chose from, along with the date they were conquered/annexed/forced to join (if known) and the native or majority species if there is one:

Jelucan (11 BBY, assorted species), Kashyyyk (19 BBY, Wookiee), Hargeeva (7 BBY, Human), Garqi (Human), Ando (Aqualish), Caamas (technically joined willingly but was heavily bombarded in 19 BBY as punishment, Caamasi), Ryloth (Twi’lek), Utapau (19 BBY, Utai and Pau’an), Yaga Minor (after 19 BBY, Yagai).

Hopefully one of those works for you!

~ Jacen

Are there any examples of more non-Humans like Thrawn becoming officers in the Republic/Imperial navy?

In the Navy, specifically, I only know of one: S’ran Droot, a Chagrian who was a chief petty officer prior to the Battle of Yavin. Within the rest of the military there were more, such as the Gektl major Stafuv Rahz, and the Kaleesh general Bentilais san Sk’ar. Most aliens in the Empire were given special but low-ranking positions by the Emperor himself, as they generally would have difficulty enlisting in the standard ways. Notably, they were often brought into the ranks of the Empire because of Force-sensitivity, skill in the sciences, or, as with Stafuv Rahz, they were willing to give up their planet and its resources in return for a ranking position.

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

What was the official stand on same-sex relationships and marriages, and did they change between republic and empire?

To my knowledge, no same-sex marriage has canonically occurred between citizens of the Republic or the Empire. I cannot seem to find any mention of it as a law. It would be impossible to make a comparison.

However, the complete lack of representation can be turned around to mean that same-sex relationships are seen as so unremarkable that they warrant no legal mention. I personally find it hard to believe that the Empire would waste time officially going after marriage rights when they were already busy with nonhumans, but at this point it’s the writer’s choice.

Hope that helps at least a bit!

~ Jacen