POTENTIAL SPOILERS FROM STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS AND STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII BELOW!

Here are some rumors about the state of the galaxy by or during Star Wars: Episode VIII. The events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens open up the political climate for disaster ushering in a new era of Galactic Civil War. I’m not sure what will make it on screen and for all I know none of it will. But this is the larger backstory rumored to be at play that will supposedly inform the larger story for the new trilogy. I’ve heard these details in different forms over the last few months. Many people I looked to think this is “on” and “generally what happens.”

Well before the events of The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke began corrupting the Republic senate set up after Return of the Jedi .

. Senators in the Republic remember the opulence of the Imperial Senate before Emperor Palpatine stabbed them in the back and Snoke’s allure is rather seductive for the greedy politicians.

Treaties were signed stopping the Republic from attacking the First Order as long as they remained in the Outer Rim, well beyond the Republic territories.

General Organa started the secret Resistance as she felt the First Order would one day attack and she would need a force to thwart their advancements while the Republic gained its senses.

These corrupt and old Imperial Senators (now Republic senators) want the First Order to prevail so they can reinstate the Imperial Senate under which they once prospered.

After the events of The Force Awakens, the First Order is known to be a threat because of the use of the Starkiller and the treaty is effectively broken.

The Republic is ripped apart as Senators side with Snoke and others side with democracy.

The Galactic Civil War returns and the Galaxy can no longer pretend like it solved the crisis after Palpatine’s death.

I think this sounds like a really cool backstory to the current trilogy. It sounds like George Lucas’ stuff to me. It makes me wonder if this was in his treatments or if they’re just really Lucas-minded right now. At the same time, I don’t think we’re going to see the senate in the new films. If the new filmmakers are shying away from anything the prequels did out of fear of being criticized, it seems unlikely. My guess is we might learn of this stuff in passing.