The Galactic Empire has always had an appetite for the theatrical. It's the Sith Lords sitting at the top table who set that agenda, whether it's Darth Vader stomping down corridors in a billowy cape (Edna Mode, look away) or the Emperor shooting lightning from his fingertips like a Marvel supervillain. You don't bring out the AT-ATs for ground assaults unless you're trying to make a statement, and what is a gigantic moon-shaped battle station if not a colossal act of show-offery?
However, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the crushing, bureaucratic power of the Empire at the peak of its powers in "Andor"'s second season. Vader and Palpatine may grab the headlines with their pantomime villainy and Force-powered party tricks, but a right-hand man with a penchant for crushing windpipes isn't going to keep multiple star systems under control all by himself.
