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First Order (Star Wars)

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First Order
Emblem of the First Order
Emblem of the First Order
UniverseStar Wars
In-universe information
TypeMilitary dictatorship inspired by the Galactic Empire
FoundedAfter the Battle of Endor
LeaderSupreme Leader Snoke
Key peopleKylo Ren
General Hux
Captain Phasma
Official languageBasic

The First Order is a fictional military dictatorship in the Star Wars franchise, introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Resurrected from the fallen Galactic Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983), the organization has amassed its power in secret over three decades. In The Force Awakens, the First Order has begun executing its plan to depose the New Republic and reclaim control of the galaxy. The Knights of Ren are a mysterious group of elite warriors within their ranks, led by Kylo Ren.

Critics and fans have noted the use of imagery highly reminiscent of Nazi Germany for the First Order in The Force Awakens, including a sequence mimicking the 1935 Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will. The Force Awakens writer/director J. J. Abrams said that the First Order is inspired by the theory of ODESSA, which involved SS officers allegedly fleeing to Argentina and other countries following World War II.

Description

Banner of the First Order
UseFaction wide banner and ensign
DesignPlain dark red banner with a black emblem in the center

Backstory

According to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary (2015) and the novel Star Wars: Aftermath (2015) by Chuck Wendig, after the Galactic Empire is defeated in Return of the Jedi at the climactic Battle of Endor, thousands of worlds rise up to join the Rebel Alliance and destroy the disorganized Imperials. The Alliance formally reorganizes itself as the New Republic, and retakes the Core Worlds, including the galactic capital Coruscant. One year after Endor, the remaining Imperial Fleet makes a final, massive attempt at a counter-offensive which comes to a climax at the planet Jakku, the biggest battle in the war since Endor. Ultimately, however, this Imperial counter-offensive is decisively defeated, leaving Jakku littered with debris and crashed ships. Reduced to a handful of heavily fortified sectors on the fringe of the Outer Rim, the remnants of the Empire settle for a humiliating armistice agreement which imposes strict disarmament treaties and punishing reparations on the remaining Imperials.[1][2][3]

Over time, the rump state of the old Galactic Empire reorganizes itself into the First Order, led by the mysterious Snoke. The First Order became a firmly entrenched and isolationist hermit kingdom, and spends the next three decades gradually rebuilding its military strength, secretly re-arming in violation of its armistice agreements. The First Order also secretly expands from its original few sectors (in the galactic north), aggressively pushing into the Unknown Regions (the unexplored swaths of territory in the galactic west) to seize new undeveloped worlds there to supplement their resource base, as well as build new shipyards and industrial infrastructure far away from the eyes of the New Republic. The majority of the New Republic's Senate disregards reports of the First Order's activities, but Leia Organa builds her own private army, known as the Resistance, to fight the First Order within its own borders. She is joined by other members of the former Rebel Alliance such as Admiral Ackbar. Publicly the New Republic continues to disavow direct association with the Resistance to maintain plausible deniability, and though the majority of the Senate does not want to intervene against the First Order, several Senators privately channel funds and resources to the Resistance.[1][2]

The First Order's handful of sectors simply do not possess the galaxy-wide resources the old Empire used to be able to draw upon, and in addition the armistice treaties with the New Republic put strict limitations on how many ships it could physically build. Therefore, unlike the old Galactic Empire's swarm tactics, the First Order's military has had to adapt to a more quality over quantity philosophy, making efficient use of what few resources it has. While its fleet is a fraction of the size of the Imperial Fleet at its height, on a one-for-one basis its new ships are much more powerful. In addition to this they also boast thirty years' worth of advances in military technologies compared to the old Empire. As a result, the First Order now deploys starships such as the new Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, nearly twice as large as the old Imperial-class Star Destroyer which it replaced as the mainstay of the Imperial/First Order fleet. The First Order's TIE fighters, designated TIE/fo, are also more advanced than the old Empire's TIE/ln model, and show greater concern for unit survivability. The First Order's Special Forces also use a more heavily armed two-man TIE/sf variant.[1]

Comic book writer Charles Soule, creator of the 2015 Marvel Comics series Star Wars: Poe Dameron, explained that immediately prior to the events of The Force Awakens, "The New Republic and the First Order are in a position of detente, and while there have been a few small skirmishes between the Resistance and the First Order, it's very much a sort of cold war."[4]

The Force Awakens (2015)

In the film, the First Order is led by a mysterious figure named Snoke, who has assumed the title of Supreme Leader.[3] Like the Empire before them, the Order commands a vast force of stormtroopers, some specially trained in the use of flamethrowers, manportable light artillery systems, and riot control gear.[5][6] The First Order also utilizes regular and Special Forces versions of the Empire's venerable TIE fighter.[7] Its primary base of operations is Starkiller Base,[8] a fortified ice planet which houses a superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems from a great distance.[5] The base commander of Starkiller is General Hux, a ruthless young officer dedicated to the Order.[9]

Snoke is a powerful figure in the dark side of the Force and has corrupted Ben, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa who had been an apprentice to his uncle, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Masked and using the name Kylo Ren, he is one of Snoke's enforcers, much like his grandfather Darth Vader had been the enforcer of Emperor Palpatine during the days of the Empire decades earlier. Kylo is the master of the Knights of Ren, a mysterious group of elite warriors.[10][11] Kylo and Hux are rivals for Snoke's approval,[12] and the third member of the "commanding triumvirate" of the First Order is the formidable Captain Phasma, the commander of the stormtroopers.[13]

Kylo is searching for Luke, who vanished some years earlier. Snoke believes that as long as Luke lives, a new generation of Jedi Knights can rise again. The First Order destroys Hosnian Prime, the New Republic's current capital world, using the Starkiller superweapon. Kylo fails to retrieve the map fragment that would lead him to Luke, and the Resistance manages to destroy the Starkiller Base moments before it is able to fire on the Resistance base on D'Qar.

Reception

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph described the disfigured and skeletal Snoke as a "sepulchral horror".[14] The newspaper also called Hux "a spitting fanatic of the First Order whose every gesture speaks of utter contempt for, well, everyone".[12]

Comparisons to Nazi Germany and ODESSA

Critics and fans have noted the use of imagery highly reminiscent of Nazi Germany for the First Order in The Force Awakens, including a sequence mimicking the 1935 Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will.[15][16] The Force Awakens writer/director J. J. Abrams said that the First Order is inspired by the theory of ODESSA, which involved SS officers allegedly fleeing to Argentina and other countries following World War II.[17] Abrams explained:

That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then started working together again? What could be born of that? Could The First Order exist as a group that actually admired The Empire? Could the work of The Empire be seen as unfulfilled? And could Vader be a martyr? Could there be a need to see through what didn't get done?[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c Hidalgo, Pablo (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary. New York, N.Y.: DK. ISBN 978-1-4654-3816-4.
  2. ^ a b Wendig, Chuck (2015). Star Wars: Aftermath. Del Rey Books. ISBN 978-0-345-51162-1.
  3. ^ a b "Databank: The First Order". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  4. ^ Richards, Dave (February 29, 2016). "Soule & Noto Fill In Poe Dameron's Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens History". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Keyes, Rob (September 4, 2015). "Star Wars 7: The First Order's Superweapon Eclipses The Death Stars". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  6. ^ "Databank: First Order Riot Control Stormtroopers". StarWars.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  7. ^ "Databank: First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  8. ^ De Semlyen, Phil (November 26, 2015). "Exclusive: Empire reveals names of new Star Wars planets". Empire. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  9. ^ "Databank: General Hux". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  10. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (August 25, 2015). "Star Wars 7: Kylo Ren & The First Order Explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Saavedra, John (December 17, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Easter Eggs and Reference Guide (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo and the Knights of Ren)". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "14 things Star Wars fans will love about The Force Awakens". The Telegraph. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  13. ^ "Databank: Captain Phasma". StarWars.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  14. ^ Collin, Robbie (December 18, 2015). "Star Wars: The Force Awakens review: 'the magic is back'". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  15. ^ "In new Star Wars, echoes of famous films, including Nazi propaganda". The Times of Israel. December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  16. ^ Robins, James (December 17, 2015). "Film review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Dyer, James (August 25, 2015). "JJ Abrams Spills Details On Kylo Ren". Empire Online. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
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