Lit From Endor to Exegol - The State of the Galaxy Discussion Thread (Tagged Battle of Jakku Spoilers)

"The Empire's weapon may be destroyed, but the Empire lives. Its oppressive hand closes around the throats of good, free-thinking people across the galaxy, from the Coruscant Core to the farthest systems in the Outer Rim. We must remember that our fight continues. Our rebellion is over. But the war... the war is just beginning."

-Admiral Ackbar, following the Alliance victory at the Battle of Endor.

With the release of the various media forms of the Journey to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, especially Chuck Wendig's Aftermath and Claudia Gray's Lost Stars, the NEU (New Expanded Universe) of canon stories is now starting to reveal just what happened in the Galaxy following the events of Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens. Unlike the prior Expanded Universe stories now branded as Legends, all stories now- books, young adult novels, comics, games, etc- are part of the cohesive canon overseen by the Lucasfilm Story Group. Now that we have a new canon and a new series of events that follow the Ewok bonfires at the end of Return of the Jedi, I figured a thread was warranted for us to discuss, hypothesize, and debate the post-Endor galaxy.

The books just released on Force Friday ultimately lead us from Endor to the Battle of Jakku roughly 5 ABY. To kick the thread off in an appropriate manner, I have decided to do a recap of the new details we have about the Battle of Endor and the period between it and the end of Lost Stars, the farthest we are into the NEU in terms of years.

NOTE TO READER:

Below are spoilers both major & minor. I've done my best to use spoiler tags for any major plot points that pertain to each book's core narrative, but there are tons of minor spoilers below as well. I define minor as the following:

1. Background details of characters
2. Post-Endor government & military organizational details
3. Status of planetary allegiances/control
4. Starships used
5. Battles mentioned off-screen

If you disagree with this methodology, turn back now!

So, without further ado, let's jump to lightspeed and see the future of Star Wars!


The Battle of Endor

• Thane Kyrell, one of the two main protagonists in Lost Stars, is part of Corona Squadron, an X-wing unit that serves in the Battle of Endor.
• It is stationed on the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty, which is now firmly back in canon thanks to this book.
• Dornean gunships are back in canon, part of the Rebel armada gathering for Endor.
• Corona Squadron is tasked with covering the Millennium Falcon and the other Rebel fighter groups attacking the Death Star.
• Two new Imperial Star Destroyers are named in the Imperial Fleet at Endor, including the Subjugator and Annihilator.
• Nora Wexley (maiden name Susser), the one of the main protagonists in Aftermath, flew a Y-wing as part of Gold Squadron during the Battle of Endor, flying into the second Death Star and leading several fighters away from the Millennium Falcon.

The New Republic

"Be patient. be strong. Fight back where you can. The Imperial War Machine falls apart one gear, one gun, one stormtrooper at a time. The New Republic is coming. And we want your help to finish the fight."

-Leia Organa, in a holomessage to the Galaxy following the Battle of Endor.

• The provisional capital of the New Republic is Chandrila.
• The new Senate is based in the Chandrila Senate House in Hanna City.
• Mon Mothma is elected Chancellor of the New Republic Senate.
• There is a news organization called Queen of the Core Network that covers the first day of the new Galactic Senate.
• In the new Galactic Senate, all senators are "chosen by the will of the people", meaning directly elected. A major reform over the old Senate.
• Over one hundred senators are present at the opening session of the new Galactic Senate.
• The symbol of the New Republic is the Alliance Starbird with a rising sun behind it. (NOTE: This is the image on the opening of each chapter)
• The charter of New Republic Chancellor originally maintained the "emergency powers" granted to the Old Republic Chancellor, but Mon Mothma rejected those powers.
• Mon Mothma notes that this arrangement "already exists in practice, just not in law." Her primary goal is to demilitarize the Chancellor's position.
• One of her advisors, Hostis Ij, is against this idea and wants the Chancellor and the Senate to have strong centralized powers.
• Another advisor, Auxi Kray Korbin, is in favor of this proposal.
• Mon Mothma's main goal is to have the New Republic become a "unified, democratic galaxy".

The New Republic Military

• Admiral Ackbar is the head of the New Republic Starfleet. Not referred to as Supreme Commander, but the role is implied.
• There is a New Academy based on Chandrila for recruits joining the New Republic military.
• Home One is still Ackbar's flagship. He is not based on Chandrila but rather spacebound leading the New Republic's military efforts.
• General Madine and General Rieekan are both still top officers.
• Wedge Antilles is still Red Leader. He had to persuade Ackbar to let him scout Akiva & other Outer Rim worlds as a form of "vacation" away from the fighting.
• Classes of ships mentioned used by the New Republic Navy: Mon Cal cruisers, Alderaanian frigates, Carrack Cruisers, and Corellian Corvettes. There are reference to frigates (class unknown, but most likely Nebulon-B) and light cruisers as well.
• According to Leia, the New Republic has "captured dozens of Imperial capital ships and Destroyers".
• No new fighter types, but the obvious ones (X-wing, Y-wing, A-wing, B-wing) are still in use.
• The New Republic Navy is at least as large as the remnants of the Imperial Navy, possibly larger.
• General Rieekan notes that most of the main starship construction facilities are still Imperial controlled, so capturing Imperial ships is key to increasing the size of the fleet quickly.
• New named ships include the Alderaanian frigate Sunspire and the Carrack cruiser Oculus.
• The New Republic Special Forces (SpecForce) are canon again and controlled by General Madine.
• The army and navy of the New Republic are not directly controlled by the Chancellor, but rather the Galactic Senate.
• Mon Mothma proposes to cut the size of the New Republic military by 90%, while refocusing the funding & efforts to "training the militaries of other worlds" that are part of the New Republic.
• The remaining 10% would be devoted to the New Republic military, which will be responsible for peacekeeping.
• This plan will not be proposed to the Senate until the Empire's remaining military forces are defeated.
• MAJOR SPOILER from Lost Stars:
  Spoiler

  Despite the treaty with the Empire following the major NR victory at Jakku, Mon Mothma warned all New Republic worlds to remain on high alert and kept the New Republic Starfleet on "war footing", implying that she didn't move forward with the large scale demilitarization.

The State of the Galaxy

• The New Republic seems to control systems in many parts of the Galaxy, including all major regions.
• Naboo is liberated by the New Republic after three Imperial attempts to retake the world. It is a major victory for the NR.
• Malastare was lost by the Empire to the New Republic.
• Kashyyyk is still occupied by the Empire. The New Republic hasn't yet liberated it yet. Han & Chewie decide to remedy this themselves... (To Be Continued!)
• Saleucami is still Imperial controlled.
• Two new worlds, Naalol and Gan Moradir, are liberated from the Empire. Neither world was significant, but following the losses the Empire sustained post-Endor they tightened down on any worlds they still possessed.
• Geonosis is under New Republic control, following a Imperial attempt to restart the droid factories there.
• The New Republic seems to be composed of mostly non-Outer Rim worlds.
• It is specifically stated that Akiva is the first Outer Rim world to join the NR leads me to believe that there may be some worlds that will be "relocated" in the NEU more Coreward. Mon Cala, for example, is an Alliance/New Republic member, so it's placement may change. One other possibility is that since it was an Alliance member prior to the founding of the New Republic that it is not considered a "new" member like Akiva.
• Coruscant's status is unclear. Right after Endor it is controlled by Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, but it "remained in turmoil".
• However, by the end of Aftermath, the New Republic had "captured a small hold out garrison" on Coruscant, implying the world may be in New Republic control.
• SPOILER from Lost Stars:
  Spoiler

  Following the treaty between the Empire and the New Republic, the Empire still controls some systems in the Core and Inner Rim, though which worlds are not specified.

The Remnants of the Galactic Empire

• As shown previously in the old EU, warlordism and backstabbing engulfs the Empire.
• It is noted that "declarations of a new emperor are so frequent as to be meaningless".
• These "would-be emperors" engage each other and waste Imperial resources fighting for their "naked ambition".
• Rae Sloane commands the Star Destroyer Vigilance and it is disgusted by the way the Empire is wasting away.
• Note on Sloane: She is a loyal Imperial, viewing the Empire as standing for stability and order.
• The Empire is down to one Super Star Destroyer, the Ravager.
• Two other named Star Destroyers are at Akiva. Vanquish and Ascent.
• Moff Valco Pandion and General Jylia Shale are part of the
  Spoiler

  short lived "Imperial Future Council."
• General Shale is considered one of the Empire's oldest strateists and tacticians.
• Following Endor, the New Republic made deals with governors & sector heads of the Empire to defect, gaining valuable warships.
• Advisor Yupe Tashu & Arsin Crassus are part of the Imperial Future Council as well.
• General Shale considers Ackbar a "Grand Admiral" and describes him as a "Genius tactician. A warrior of the mind."

The Battle of Jakku

Major Spoiler Tags as these details pertain to the core plot of Lost Stars.

Spoiler

• Jakku takes place nearly exactly a year after the Battle of Endor.
• Grand Moff Randd plans to commit "a fair portion" of the Imperial Starfleet to the battle to take that sector of space from the New Republic.
• The Battle of Jakku consisted of hundreds of ships, described as the biggest battle since Endor.
• This battle is supposed to the loyalist faction of the Empire's chance to turn the tide. Instead, it turns into a complete rout and the New Republic wins.
• The Imperial Fleet fights rigidly, under the orders of Randd. The New Republic, on the other hand, sends in task forces from multiple directions and overwhelms the Empire.
• There are Star Destroyers at the battle, including the ISD Inflictor commanded by Ciena Ree
• X-wings & TIE fighters are mentioned, as well as frigates. "Rebel star cruisers" are mentioned as being at the battle, which are almost certainly Mon Cal cruisers.
• Based on images from Battlefront's Battle of Jakku, we know the New Republic does field winged Mon Cal cruisers and Corellian Corvettes at the battle, as well as A-wings.

Post-Jakku
Major Spoiler Tags as these details pertain to the core plot of Lost Stars.

Spoiler

• As noted above, the Empire apparently signs a treaty with the New Republic following their loss at Jakku.
• Many in the Senate start speculating that the final surrender of the Empire is imminent.
• Mon Mothma orders the New Republic Starfleet to remain on war footing and high alert.
  It is noted that "all Imperial vessels within the Core and Inner Rim" are staying within treaty boundaries.
• Some Imperial forces, which fled to the Outer Rim, are massing for an attack. Timing is unknown (may be reference to start of the First Order), but the Empire is gathering forces.
• At least ten Star Destroyers and many light cruisers are part of this hidden Imperial armada, located in the Queluhan Nebula.
• They are modifying their TIE squadrons to have energy weapons capable of punching through NR fighters shields & hull in one shot.
• No mention on who is commanding this armada, as the scene is from the point of view of an Imperial officer named Nash Windrider, who commands an assault cruiser named Garrote.

So there you have it, the opening of a new era. Let the stars sing! Let the planets shout! Let the discussion begin!

--Adm. Nick

 

Very interesting.

 

I love the details we have so far (especially about the New Republic and it's reforms), though I'm somewhat surprised by how quickly the Galactic Civil War progressed after Endor. I'm still chewing on that bit, to be honest.

--Adm. Nick

 

Yeah. Seems odd that they'd retcon all that Legends work just to gloss over the majority of the war.

 

Spoiler

Do we know if the treaty following Jakku was an armistice or a peace treaty?

I'm not very surprised that the Empire crumbled within a year or so. After all the population is with the NR.

Please don't post major spoilers about the plot without a Spoiler Tag.

 

Proportional representation...? In a galaxy of quadrillions, I'm really not sure that it's a good idea. You'd have more instability than Old Republic Senate. The Imperial and GA Senates in Legends are elected by FPTP, I think, which is why they're most 'stable'.

 

I think the main "point" of that quote in Lost Stars was to show that unlike the Old Republic, which had senators appointed, from trade groups, power blocs, etc, the New Republic's member worlds elected their own chosen reps.

Remember, we don't know if these 100 senators are world reps or sector reps. It is possible they were popularly elected by worlds within their sectors.

--Adm. Nick

 

Except we know that Senators such as Naboo's were appointed by elected governments. Or are they now directly elected? So are we moving from a UN to an EU system?

 

All we have is the line about the New Galactic Senate being composed of senators chosen by the will of the people. It definitely caught my eye and will easy to miss, constitutes a major reform over the system in place under the Old Republic.

--Adm. Nick

 

Well the Imperial and GA Senates were in a way elected, though in both cases, especially the GA one, we moved towards more of a national legislature than a EU or UN system.

 

I don't think they have. I suspect that Jakku is not the last major battle of the GCW.

Spoiler

The Imperial forces hiding in the Queluhan Nebula don't exactly seem to be waiting thirty years to strike at the New Republic. I think they are planning on launching a major assault soon, one which will throw the entire galaxy into chaos. Perhaps a major strike on Chandrila that destroys the new senate and much of the New Republic's political leadership.

I strongly suspect that neither the Empire or the New Republic are going to make it out of the war intact, and that no galactic government will emerge from the chaos. Some sector governments and alliances of systems here and there, but nothing that unites a significant majority of the galaxy together.

 

I didn't get the vibe that the New Republic was more akin to the EU or UN. There is definitely a republican setup to the organization and the fact it will maintain a standing fleet while assisting member worlds in rebuilding their own navies is a sign of a degree of federalism within the NR. There are also projects to repair and cleanup worlds devastated by the war, so taxation seems to be in place with the goal of maintaining & support stuff central governments need to main, like infrastructure, public projects, militaries, etc.

The key difference is the lack of a strong, central executive. Mon Mothma is Chancellor of the Senate and de-facto Chief of State, but the government itself is build around the legislature. Her goal is to strip the emergency powers granted to the Chancellor during the Clone Wars and return those powers to the Senate.

--Adm. Nick

 

I'm surprised that you missed this one, Nick, but in Aftermath, Jylia Shale, an Imperial General, refers to Ackbar as Grand Admiral Ackbar. It's only referenced once, but it is there. It may not be the correct rank, since it is given by an Imperial, but I figured that you'd have noted it at least.

 

Given that Ackbar is never referred to that way by anyone else, I'm not convinced it isn't just how the Imperials see him. What's interesting, though, is that it implies the recanonization of Grand Admiral as an Imperial rank.

 

I did note it, under the "Remnants of the Empire" section.

I put it there because only the Empire used that rank for Ackbar and because it seems to imply that is a high rank in the Imperial Navy in the NEU.

Personally, I want him to just be an admiral. Let his position in the military hierarchy be what causes him to stand out, such as being the Supreme Commander or Admiral of the Fleet or somesuch.

Grandiose titles are an Imperial thing, not a Rebel one.

Oh, guess what guys! In the back of the "Absolutely Everything You Need To Know" book, guess how Ackbar is listed?

ADMIRAL GIAL ACKBAR!

Looks like his first name is indeed back in the NEU canon!

--Adm. Nick

 

Somebody should probably tweet Chuck Wendig and ask about Ackbar's rank.

...or better yet, ask him to join the forum so we can pelt him with questions.

 

Unfortunately, the canonicity of the "Absolutely Everything You Need To Know" book is a little unclear right now.

 

Didn't open any of the spoilers, but this sounds pretty good. Mothma's plan to decrease the NR military by 90% seems to reek of stupidity, though. Or maybe hubris. The war isn't really even over and you're like "Okay, let's cut our armed forces literally down to a tenth of what they used to be." Uh...okay.

Like, I'm all in favor of them training guerilla and resistance forces on individual worlds. But when you lose sight of the bigger picture in doing it, that uh...that doesn't seem wise.

 

AdmiralNick22 For those of us who haven't picked up the book yet, can you post a picture of the new New (ugh) Republic's logo?

 

Of course she only plans to do it once the Empire is defeated.

 

I just have this gut feeling they are setting up the destruction of the New Republic by the First Order coming out of shadows in an Operation Shadow Hand type of scenario, which leads to the First Order vs. Resistance conflict in TFA.

 

EDIT: Nevermind, thanks to our friend Gorefiend!

--Adm. Nick

 

Spoiler

It does seem a bit odd that the new New Republic would win so early on in the post ROTJ saga. Maybe Supreme Leader Snoke is a senator who usurps his authority or becomes Chancellor, only to revert the New Republic into a new Empire.

No unreleased spoiler information can be posted without a spoiler tag

 

I have also been bothered by the speed of the New Republic's victory, but I don't think it's impossible.

Spoiler

A lot can happen in a year and it looks like the fighting was fairly intense. First the Empire was in disarray most of that year. They were fighting themselves as they were trying to reorganize. Meanwhile the NR has the initiative and so is taking a lot if worlds. This means that the Empire is loosing troops on two fronts. In addition there are probably mass defections; some troops may find fighting pointless after Endor and return home, and some probably join the NR thinking they'll be safer as defectors rather than captives. Thus another large portion of the Imperial military is being lost. Furthermore, I doubt Jakku is the first large battlet since Endor, just the largest. There are three battles of Naboo and I got the impression that the Empire was comitting a significant number of troops to taking the planet. So after these battles, they'd have lost a large portion of their military. During this time, the NR military is growing and so is able to deal more damage and fight larger battles, which increases the speed of the Empire's fall.

By the time the Empire gets to Jakku they are in a pretty bad position, and are looking for a chance to turn the tide and so they commit a large fleet to Jakku to draw in the NR. After the Empire is defeated, they don't have much left. I'm sure the treaty is followed by more defections as soldiers give up.

In the new cannon the Empire faces two decisive defeats and a few other major defeats, in addition to a steady loss of territory and a massive nber of planetary revolts. I think this is enough to realistically destroy them very quickly.

Thus situation is far different than in the EU. There is the infighting from the beginning, but the NR doesn't fight many major battles for a while. There are a couple leading up to the taking of Coruscant, but the capital is handed to them. And nothing is on the scale of Jakku. Most of the Imperial navy is gathering in the deep core with the emperor. When Thrawn emerges there is almost no navy for him to work with. To actually fight the NR he needed clones and the Katana Dreadnoughts. This implies that without these new forces, the Empire doesn't have much of a military left. After Thrawn the Emperor comes back and there's about a year of fighting. Once it's over the Empire pretty much slowly dies until Daala reunifies it. Prior to this the infighting is taking place in the Deep Core, so they aren't suffering many casualties from NR forces. So Daala launches her campaign which is a quick failure. Afterwards, the Empire is considered pretty much dead. They do launch one more campaign that reduces them to 12 systems. At this point they have no further chance of fighting. So while the Empire lasts longer in the EU, I think it is mostly do to a lower intensity in fighting. This can't account for all of it, but I do think it can account for a large number of it. The year the NR is dealing with the reborn Emperor is the year the Empire looses most of their military. It's not near as bad as in the NEU, but I think it can give some useful perspectives.
[\spoiler]