The Galactic Empire is shown to be a practically unstoppable force that is run with military precision. Almost.

The Empire’s strategies are filled with mistakes that are probably a result of cost-cutting measures, overconfidence, or possibly just plain laziness. But the Empire is instructive and, to me, has served as something of a ‘how not to’ guide when it comes to being a merciless dictator.

Here are ten things that Star Wars has taught about running a dictatorship…

1. You need to make sure you hire a decent architect.