With the death of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and most of the Imperial leadership
at the Battle of Endor, Admiral Rae Sloane was left to order the retreat of their forces.
Following months of internal strife within the remains of the Empire, most of the Imperial
Fleet retreated to the Outer Rim, and Admiral Rae Sloane was known to have command of their
last Super Star Destroyer, the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Ravager.
And while she did not deny the claims, in truth the vessel belonged to the Imperial
Fleet Admiral, who most thought dead, but had survived the Battle of Endor, amassing
a fleet in secret, manipulating events from the shadows so that his rivals within the
remaining Imperial structure might kill each other off, allowing for him to take command
of Imperial forces. The Fleet Admiral instructed Admiral Sloane,
one of the few who knew the truth of his existence, to call a meeting above the planet Akiva,
where the remaining Imperial leadership might be convinced to unify against the New Republic.
However it was all a set-up, as the Fleet Admiral informed the New Republic of the meeting,
causing Republic and Imperial forces to engage in the Battle of Akiva. Unable to resist the
Republic attack, the Empire was defeated and while Admiral Sloane managed to escape alive,
most of the Imperial leadership was killed or taken prisoner.
Admiral Sloane returned to the Fleet Admiral, learning that the events of Akiva had been
his doing so he might consolidate leadership and test Sloane, to see if she could survive
the ordeal. One year after the battle of Endor, having
received intelligence suggesting the existence of a secret Imperial Weapons facility on an
obscure planet, Republic and Imperial forces would once again engage in the Battle of Jakku.
Though the Empire’s forces greatly outnumbered the Republic, internal power struggles and
corrupted leadership once again led to their undoing, with Republic forces able to rout
enemy forces, even sending former Imperial Officer turned Rebel, Thane Kyrell, to infiltrate
and capture the Star Destroyer Inflictor. However its captain Ciena Ree would not allow
her ship to be captured, destroying the vessel by piloting it directly into Jakku’s surface.
With a great portion of the remaining Imperial navy destroyed at the Battle of Jakku, the
scattered remains of the Empire could no longer challenge Republic control. To bring an end
to the conflict, the Empire officially surrendered to the New Republic, signing a Galactic Concordance,
which confined Imperial forces to predetermined borders, forbid recruitment of Stormtroopers,
forced abandonment of the many Imperial Academies, prohibited torture, and forced them to renounce
their claim to core worlds such as Coruscant.
After the treaty was signed, many of the remaining Imperial vessels retreated into the Unknown
Regions and without Imperial forces to challenge their authority, the Republic was able to
expand its influence and begin re-establishing peace in the galaxy.
One of the first actions of the New Government, was the Military Disarmament Act, proposed
by Chancellor Mon Mothma. This allowed for a drastic decrease in the size of their military
forces. Though they would still possess the largest fleet in the galaxy, it would be a
defensive army, a fraction of the size of Republic forces during the clone wars.
While the goals of the Republic were noble and their desire genuine, the years that followed
saw slow though steady growth. By rotating the capital city with every election, no one
planet or sector was given preferential treatment. This encouraged many systems, even those once
under Separatist Control, to join the New Republic. However, the damage done by years
of war and the chaos that followed the fall of the Empire was extensive, making progress
slow, and causing many grew impatient and unsatisfied with the new government.
Although trade was encouraged, the struggling New Republic’s resources were limited. Having
drastically reduced their forces, they could not patrol outside their immediate borders.
Leaving much of the now unaffiliated systems of the galaxy to fend for themselves. Creating
resentment by many systems who lost the protection the Empire once provided.
In the years that followed the Battle of Endor, heroes of the Rebellion, the Han Solo and
Princess Leia Organa were married producing a son named Ben Solo, likely named in honor
of the legendary Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. The boy proved to be strong in the Force from
a young age and so they sent him to train under Leia’s brother Luke Skywalker, who
had founded a New Jedi Order, and was training a new generation of Force sensitives.
But Ben Solo soon fell under the influence of a mysterious Dark Side user known as Snoke,
Supreme Leader of the First Order. With the last remnants of the Empire escaping
into the unknown regions, their dire circumstances finally allowed them to unify, colonizing
several newly discovered planets and establishing a base of operations, hidden from the New
Republic. The First Order, as they became known built technologically sophisticated
ship yards and research facilities, determined to create a fleet more powerful than that
of the old Empire. Many of the former Imperial officers which were now were among the leadership
the First Order, still possessed many Imperial secrets which allowed them to create and discover
such advanced facilities. In the days of the Old Empire, many secret missions had been
sent into the Unknown Regions, creating some pre-existing infrastructure for the New Order
to use to their advantage. Eventually the First Order fell under the
control of Supreme Leader Snoke, a Dark Side Master who had lived for many years in the
shadows, watching the rise and fall of the Empire, waiting patiently for his time.
With the death of Darth Sidious and Vader, and the defeat of the Empire, Snoke felt it
was time to act, and founded the Knights of Ren. An organization of Dark Side Force users
he would train to aid him in his mission to conqueror the Galaxy.
With the First Order and the Knights of Ren under his command, he was nearly ready to
make his move against the New Republic, but knew one thing still stood in his way.
And so Supreme Leader Snoke sought to destroy the last Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his
newly formed Jedi Order. Ben Solo, became the tool he used, luring
him to the dark side over the course of many years, exploiting the boys fascination with
his grandfather Darth Vader. After struggling between the Light and Dark sides of the Force,
Ben Solo abandoned the ways of the Jedi and became the apprentice of Snoke.
Ben Solo was made Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren, and was ordered to destroy
the new Jedi Order. He led the Knights against his former comrades and Master, succeeding
in killing all of the newly trained Jedi earning the nickname Jedi Killer. Only Master Luke
Skywalker managed to escape with his life, but feeling responsible for the failure of
the Order, he went into a self-imposed exile, said to be searching for the First Jedi Temple.
Having had such a great impact on Galactic events, and then so suddenly disappearing,
Luke Skywalker became a name of legend and myth, with some believing him a glorious Jedi
saviour, and others considering him a merciless war criminal, while others still even questioned
his existence. Supreme Leader Snoke, knowing that Luke Skywalker
was the only one that still might challenge his claim to the galaxy, became obsessed with
finding the man’s location, as did Leia Organa, who desperately wanted Luke’s help
in fighting off the coming war against the First Order.
Though most of the First Order’s actions were hidden from the New Republic, rumors
of their rising influence had begun to spread across the galaxy. Most Senators of the Republic
ignored such claims, believing them only to be rumors.
And even as the First Order crept its way into the known regions of the Galaxy, coming
to control many systems in the Outer Rim, which until then had been ignored by the New
Republic, would not confront them, not wanting to provoke an armed conflict. Believing that
as long as the First Order did not violate Republic Borders, there was no reason for
alarm. Yet not all shared their lack of concern,
after losing her son Ben to Supreme Leader Snoke, Leia Organa, attempted to convince
the Senate to of the seriousness of the threat, yet her political enemies conspired against
her, calling her a warmonger and dismissing her claims. So she went off on her own, creating
a private military organization known as the Resistance, and recruiting former Rebel leaders
like Admiral Ackbar to serve in its leadership. Though the Resistance held no official status
in the New Republic, the movement was funded by a number of rogue senators, who secretly
supported their cause, and shared their concern for the growing power of the First Order.
The Marriage of Leia Organa and Han Solo never recovered from the betrayal of their son.
And so they separated, with Leia becoming fixated on the Resistance and stopping the
First Order, while Han returned to a life a smuggling alongside his best friend Chewbacca.
34 years after the battle of Yavin, with Luke’s whereabouts still unknown to all, r2d2 went
into low power mode, remaining under the care of Luke’s sister Leia Organa. Only a one
map existed which may indicate Skywalker’s location, and while most of it could not be
found, a fragment of that map ended up with Lars San Tekka, and old ally of the Jedi and
Republic, and longtime member of the Church of the Force. San Tekka had spent his life
studying and worshipping the Force, working to understand and aid the Light Side in any
way he could. Later in life he retired to the village of Tuanul on the planet of Jakku,
where he would live among fellow members of the Church of the Force, who had abandoned
modern technology to better understand themselves and the natural world.
Both the Resistance and the First Order became aware that San tekka possessed a clue to the
whereabouts of Luke Skywalker and so both sought him out. Resistance pilot Poe Dameron
was the first to find him, with Kylo Ren and the First Order close behind. Poe took the
map fragment and hid it in his astromech droid BB-8, sending the droid away to avoid capture.
When the First Order landed, they fought a brief battle against the village, before burning
it down and slaughtering the population. Lars San Tekka was executed by Kylo Ren, while
Poe Dameron was taken prisoner and tortured for information.
The Jedi Killer was able to extract the necessary information from the prisoner, learning of
BB8 and sending First Order troops to track the droid down. After succumbing to the interrogation,
Poe Dameron was freed by a rogue Stormtrooper defecting from the First Order. Finn as he
came to be known, aided in commandeering a Special Forces Tie Fighter, and with Poe as
his pilot, they escaped, but Poe, determined to find BB-8 and complete his mission, then
attempted to return to Jakku, leading to a crash landing which would separate him from
Finn. Finn made his way to a local village, where
he met a young scavenger girl named Rey in possession of Poe’s orange and white astromech
droid. With First Order troops approaching their position, Finn and Rey escape the planet
aboard the Millennium Falcon, which had been stolen several times, before ending up on
Jakku. Coming into contact with Han Solo, they eventually
made their way to the planet of Takodana, where they met with Maz Kanata, a force sensitive
smuggler over a thousand years old, in the hopes she might aid them in reaching the Resistance.
Though the First Order remained frustrated by their failure to capture the map fragment,
their secret weapon was at last ready to be revealed. Starkiller base, a massive Superweapon
built in the shadows had recently become active. And with approval from Snoke, General Huxx
fired the weapon, targeting the New Republic and destroying the entire Hosnian System,
where Hosnia Prime served as the current capital, thereby eliminating the Senate, chancellor,
government and Fleet all in a single volley of the powerful weapon.
Meanwhile, it would be in Maz Kanata’s castle, that Rey would feel the Force Awaken inside
her, guiding her into some lower rooms where she found a lightsaber, touching it and receiving
a powerful Force Vision. In the visions she saw Cloud City, Luke with R2D2, a ship abandoning
her on Jakku, and Kylo Ren with his Knights, standing over slaughtered bodies.
After the vision ended, Maz Kanata explained that the Lightsaber had belonged to Anakin
and Luke Skywalker and that it was now calling to her. But when offered the lightsaber, Rey
ran, insisting she wanted no part in these disturbing events. Leaving the castle and
running into the forest, she was alone when the First Order arrived, and was captured
by Kylo Ren. Though he tried to extract the maps location
from her mind, she proved resistant to his influence. Kylo was surprised by how powerful
in the force she was and reported the discovery to Supreme Leader Snoke who wanted to see
the girl for himself. With Resistance forces coming to their rescue,
Finn, Han Solo, Chewbacca and BB-8, escaped the battle of Takodana and made their way
to the Resistance base of operations where they at last were able to bring the map fragment
to Leia Organa. Yet the fragment was still incomplete, with none aware that R2D2 possessed
the other half and none able to bring the droid out of low power mode.
But finding Luke Skywalker was no longer the first priority of the Resistance. Instead
using the former Stormtrooper Finn as a source of information, so they might plan an attack
against Star Killer base. They soon discovered a weakness in the weapon’s Thermal Oscillator,
which if destroyed while the machine prepares to fire, might destroy the entire base.
Finn and Han Solo are sent on a ground mission to disable the Shield Generators, and there
discover Rey who had used the Force to escape captivity.
Han Solo then confronts his son Kylo Ren, calling him Ben and attempting to bring him
back to the Light Side. Though Kylo struggled with the decision, he kills Han Solo, thereby
cementing his ties to the Dark Side. Chewbacca, devastated by the loss of his long-time friend,
and shoots his bow caster, hitting and gravely injuring the Dark Side Apprentice. Chewie
then detonates the charges, exposing the Thermal Oscillator, while Finn and Rey then escape
into the forest. Kylo, using the pain of his injury as a source of Dark Side strength,
chases them into the forest and engages Finn in a lightsaber battle, defeating him and
knocking him unconscious. Kylo then prepared to defeat Rey as well channeling the force
to summon Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. Yet to his surprise, the lightsaber went to Rey,
though Rey had no memory of Jedi Training, she was able to wield the saber like a veteran,
fighting back and even impressing Kylo Ren who offered to train her as his apprentice.
Yet before long she was proving more powerful even then him, channeling the Force to defeat
the dark side user, slashing him across the face with her blade.
As all this occurred, Poe Dameron was able to fire on the Thermal Oscillator Conduit,
destroying it and causing a massive explosion that would ultimately destroy Starkiller base.
The ensuing chaos and fracturing of the base, ended the lightsaber battle, leaving Kylo
Ren injured but alive. Supreme Leader Snoke then ordered General Huxx to rescue Kylo Ren,
so he might complete his Force training.
Finally, with Starkiller Base destroyed, the Resistance won a temporary victory. Though
the struggle was far from over. When Rey, now having accepted her Force Sensitivity,
and wielding the lightsaber of Luke Skywalker, at last makes it to Resistance Headquarters.
As the Resistance leadership met and discussed the possible whereabouts of Luke Skywalker,
they mentioned that the original map they sought once existed within the records of
the first death star. Upon overhearing this remark, R2D2 awakened. Realizing that he may
have downloaded the necessary information from the Death Star before it was destroyed,
he searched his memory and presented them with the second half of the map. General Organa
then entrusted it to Rey, who along with R2d2 and Chewbacca, took the Millennium Falcon
to the planet of Ahch-To.
When they at last found Luke Skywalker, he was alone, on an island in the middle of a
great ocean. Rey, now standing before the elusive and legendary Jedi Master, outstretched
her arm, and presented him with his lightsaber.