This show is by far the most evil we've ever seen the Empire. I saw someone Reddit pushing back against people saying this is the most evil the Empire has been because of the fact that we saw them blow up a planet in A New Hope. But naw...the evil in this show is WAY worse. It's one thing to have evil at the top levels with Tarkin, Vader, and Palpatine, but this show has layered evil at ALL levels.

For example, the interrogation scene in episode 9. There are three layers of evil happening all at once. First, on the surface you have Bix getting tortured by what she's listening to. But second, you have Dr. Gorst telling a story about past evil that the empire has done in wiping out an entire race of aliens because they pushed back on the empire using their planet as a refueling base. Then third, you have the evil of the fact that both Gorst and Dedra are so casual about the first two evils - you got this nerdy dude treating this torture so casually he's even being "nice" about it. Little friendly wave, "don't worry about the restraints" "We wiped out an entire civilization = but that's neither hear or there, let me tell you about the sound they made when they died"...

What this show is doing is proving that the empire is corrupt and evil all the way up and down. These aren't people just taking orders. The little smile on that prison guard's face as he explained why they didn't need weapons. Dude in this last episode saying "I really want to hang him" about Paak. The shore trooper sending Andor to a likely death sentence because he was "looking around" too much. Cassian's adoptive father getting hung in the streets when he was trying to STOP the locals from attacking clone troopers.

All this being said, the show is so well written and executed that the empire still doesn't feel cartoonish or mustache twirling in their evil. It's the type of evil that's relatable to the real world...whether it be modern day police, or the military in Nazi Germany, or corrupt politicians, this is the type of evil we are actually familiar with and that makes it more terrifying than the First Order blowing up a group of planets with Starkiller Base, or Alderaan getting blown up.

That type of evil also gives them room for nuance on the side of the "good guys", with there being all different types of ways to fight against that evil, including doing some bad things themselves in the effort to achieve the main goal. That makes for good drama, interesting story arcs, and satisfying resolutions.