New RetroZapper Steve Titcomb lays out what we know about the current galaxy far, far away.

By Steve Titcomb //

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” –Orson Welles

Happy endings. Real life rarely has them but movies usually allow you to go home happy. Villains are defeated and the heroes of the story reign victorious.

Return of the Jedi was that happy ending for Star Wars fans, especially those that never wandered over to the Expanded Universe. Happy endings, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, “depend greatly on our point of view.” If Return of the Jedi was to be the last Star Wars movie you ever saw, then you could say you got your happy ending.

Continuing the saga afterwards though means that things have to be shaken up, making Return of the Jedi the middle of the story instead of its ending. The Force Awakens brings with it a new cast of characters along with a lot of unanswered questions. The most prominent being, “what has been happening for the last 30 years in a galaxy far, far away?”

The end of Return of the Jedi left us with the second Death Star destroyed and the Emperor and Darth Vader dead along with it. The Empire, while not completely defeated, is left reeling after the battle of Endor. The death of the Emperor causes a shockwave across the universe. His death caused a tidal wave that moved from sector to sector across the galaxy in the hopes that the people of the universe could finally have peace. Skirmishes and battles would continue between the Rebellion and the Empire but eventually a truce was signed between both sides. Sanctions were placed upon the Empire similar to post World War I Germany, where they were forced to disarm and companies prohibited from selling the Empire weapons. There is a parallel to the League of Nations and the New Republic that is formed at the time of the peace treaty. Hard sanctions and bitter feelings have Imperial loyalist move out into the unknown regions where they are removed from the watchful eye of the Republic. Similar to Hitler’s rise, the First Order gets around the sanctions placed upon them by a neglectful Republic by working in the galaxy’s unknown space, and thanks to a few greedy companies that are willing to skate the edge of the law, the war machine is back in business.

Besides the destruction of the Death Star, Luke and the Rebel Alliance disrupted the status quo across the entire galaxy, specifically its seedier side. The Guavian Death Gang was forced to regroup away from the core after New Republic and senate reestablished themselves. Jabba the Hutt’s death had an impact on the underworld almost as large as the Empire’s collapse did an impact that is still being felt in The Force Awakens. Niima Outpost is a good example of this. Established by Niima the Hutt, it is the closest thing Jakku has to a city and it was founded as a result of Niima trying to escape the conflict in Hutt space that Jabba’s death caused. Jabba’s death also helped in the creation of Kanjiklub. This outer rim gang is from a slave planet belonging to the Hutts, until the infighting between the Hutts started, allowing them a chance to revolt and gain their own freedom. The Force Awakens only gives us a glimpse of the underworld, but 30 years of turmoil and change can have a major impact. Perhaps even Black Sun has recovered from the damage Darth Maul did to them to once again become a power in the galaxy.

Sometime in the 30 years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, the Rebel Alliance became the New Republic. The senate was reformed and a treaty signed with the Imperials. The disarmament wasn’t only for the Empire though but also the New Republic, who felt that was the best way towards peace. The New Republic fleet by the time of The Force Awakens is still the largest defense force in the galaxy but compared to the Clone Wars number it is only a fraction. The senate, not seeing the First Order as a threat, causes a rift between the New Republic and Leia. While many from her generation see her as a strong leader and trust in her word, the new generation of leaders that only want peace see her warnings of the First Order as fear-mongering. This distrust is what leads her to creating the Resistance and why she no longer takes part in the senate. She leads a heavily undermanned Resistance recruiting those she can from those who fought in the rebellion and all this with limited help from a New Republic that no longer wants to listen to one of its great leaders.

If everything holds true, then the Sith were destroyed the moment Darth Vader became Anakin Skywalker again and threw the Emperor down that shaft. However, the end of the Sith doesn’t mean the end of the dark side. Not much is known about Supreme Leader Snoke and whether he has anything to do with the as of yet unknown admiral from Star Wars: Aftermath, or the dark side force cult is still to be determined. Perhaps this dark side cult has something to do with the Knights of Ren, of which Kylo Ren is the master? However, these are only a few of the many questions that The Force Awakens leaves unanswered.

On the opposite end we have the Jedi. It is established that Luke tried rebuilding the Jedi Order, and for a time was successful, until Ben Solo turned on him and ruined it all. Lor San Tekka and Maz Kanata bring another perspective on the Force. Both believe in the light, they see the darkness as a sickness and know of the importance that Luke will have on the battle yet to come. Thanks to the Visual Dictionary we know that Lor San Tekka was a follower of the Church of the Force. This could explain why in the original trilogy that we constantly hear those in command saying, “May the Force be with you” showing that you don’t have to be force sensitive to be a believer.

The destruction of Starkiller Base leaves the First Order regrouping. While holding the largest contingent of their forces, it is not considered their headquarters, and Supreme Leader Snoke likes to remain mobile. This from what we can gather leaves them in much better standing than the New Republic. Having cut their forces and not taking the threat of the First Order that Leia warned them about seriously leaves the New Republic totally exposed when the First Order strikes.

The destruction of the Hoznian system, and as we see in the film includes their fleet as well, leaves the Resistance at a severe disadvantage, making finding Luke even more important to the future of the galaxy. The conflicts of the past and the conflicts to come have left the Force unbalanced and a galaxy ripe for the taking.