The death star was a military outpost, which contained only prisoners (who would've died either way) and supporters of an extremely evil interstellar organization. War is Hell, but sometimes, war is necessary to prevent destruction.
I don't really know much about the whole story and history of Star Wars. I guess it really depends on whose side you're on. I thought the Rebels were the good guys but from reading the comments, it seems both the Empire and the Republic are at fault. I would probably go for the Grey Jedi or Rogue Jedi.
@BlueVeins Everything is making a lot more sense now! I had no idea it was like that. It seemed like the Jedi Order was the righteousness that others came to for guidance and protection. I did notice how some of the Sith were former Jedi students who usually seemed hellbent on getting revenge on their masters.
@Keaten Yeah. For a series of action flicks as cheesey as Star Wars, there's a lot of moral complexity and nuance. I really recommend seeing the movies, because they're really interesting when you know what's going on and stuff.
We'd have to go far back. the Jedi almost hunted the Sith(The race) to exctinction and drove them from known space. The emperor of the Empire took it as an opportunity and made the Sith hate the Jedi with a burning passion.. It's a story about revenge, in a way. I'd say that an Empire with more of an open minded view that allowed all races and such to prosper rather than throwing them in chains would be stronger than the Republic. The Republic are corrupted whereas the Empire is disciplined.
The Empire was just being pragmatic and realistic about getting shit done and progressing. The Jedi just wanted to coddle everyone to remain like children in raggy clothes.