Leading up to the events in Star Wars‘ original trilogy, the Rebel Alliance was formed due to the Empire being an overwhelming force in the galaxy. Yet at the start of the sequels, the New Republic is in place and has control over most planets. Which raises the question — why did a resistance have to exist to push back against the First Order?
Only a year after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the Empire was fully defeated at the Battle of Jakku, and its influence came to a swift end. With the formation of the New Republic, order was to be restored in the galaxy, and the Empire was to be removed forever. And yet, just a couple of decades later, the First Order began to emerge from the outer rim and cause havoc within the New Republic.
With the military power slowly building, the First Order enacted smaller acts of terrorism. Throughout the galaxy, New Republic buildings were bombed, and even some senators were assassinated. For years, the conflict between the New Republic and First Order was considered a Cold War, with no major battles, and only the occasional skirmish between small military groups. Because of this, the First Order was seen as a simple annoyance, rather than a threat to the whole galaxy.
However, the First Order slowly began crossing into the center of the galaxy. Some larger and more notable worlds within the New Republic began joining the First Order, and it was clear their influence was growing. And it was around this same time that their military strength was picking up, fueled by the infinite wealth of Palpatine. And yet still, most people chose to pretend like it wasn’t a problem.
Back during the prequels, the Clone Wars lasted for just over three years. Then the Empire took over, and for 24 years the rebellion fought against it. With almost 30 years of fighting, the Galaxy was done with war and wanted to avoid it at all costs. And so, with the arrival of the First Order, many senators saw it best to simply ignore the faction and hope it would go away — which unfortunately led to their eventual demise.
Some senators, however, weren’t blind to the First Order threat, and they began constructing their own private military group called the Resistance. With Leia Organa understanding the threat of a new Empire, she led the formation of the Resistance, and got to work spying on the First Order. While some within the New Republic were against this idea, others backed the Resistance’s funding, although most just continued the same route of simply looking away.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the first time any huge battle between the First Order and Resistance took place. Up until then, each side would poke at each other with small fights. And in turn, it meant that the First Order wasn’t considered a threat, all the way up until Starkiller base destroyed the entire New Republic. And so, while a lifetime of war meant that people didn’t want another fight, it only led to the demise of billions of people and a galaxy that was once again plunged into conflict.
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