I don’t know fuck all about Star Trek but I don’t agree with them being stunned in awe and confusion. These are the close-minded dogs of the Empire, the purest and most heartless sociopaths they could find.

remember, the empire are basically space fascists. so they’re also arrogant in the extreme and the hierarchy is rife with corruption and nepotism, making true leadership abilities among officers rare. they never regard anything as a threat to their power until it’s way too late. little dinky cargo ships with some aftermarket upgrades and a clever pilot routinely disable and confound their capital ships. [one of my favorite scenes from Andor, absolutely killer direction and acting]