The Resistance was one of the most important groups in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as it was the only thing stopping Kylo Ren and the First Order from taking over the entire galaxy. Throughout the sequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, the Resistance fought against the First Order and opposed their takeover of the galaxy. While the sequel trilogy did show most of the important moments in the history of the Resistance, it didn’t explain everything about the organization. Since the Resistance is one of the most important groups in Star Wars, learning more about it could be beneficial.
Though it first appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Resistance had been around for much longer in the Star Wars timeline. The group’s roots trace all the way back to 28 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin), and it also has a fairly concrete connection to the Rebel Alliance. Because of that, the Resistance was the culmination of decades of fighting, suffering, and hope, and they were the galaxy’s best chance at peace in the sequel trilogy. Here’s the history of the important group, from its earliest days to its last, and greatest, victory.
Related Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Cast & Character Guide
The cast of the Star Wars sequel trilogy includes icons like Harrison Ford reprising their old characters and newcomers including Daisy Ridley.
8 Leia Organa Started The Resistance Following The Napkin Bombing Incident In 28 ABY
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To understand the origins of the Resistance, the origins of the First Order must first be examined. After the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY, the remnants of the Galactic Empire fled into the Unknown Regions of the Star Wars galaxy map. In the decades following, they built up strength and support, until they eventually transitioned into a new group, the First Order. By 28 ABY, the First Order was already becoming a massive threat to the peace of the galaxy, yet very few people saw the danger they posed.
Leia Organa had also tried to keep her relation to Darth Vader secret in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War, and it was during this time that her heritage became public knowledge. As a result, Organa was ousted from the Galactic Senate, and the Resistance became her way of battling the First Order without official governmental powers.
One of the few people who did recognize the kind of destruction the First Order could wreak was Leia Organa. In 28 ABY, the First Order influenced a terrorist organization known as the Amaxine Warriors into conducting an attack known as the Napkin Bombing. After that incident, Leia – along with Greer Sonnel, Joph Seastriker, and Admiral Ackbar – created the Resistance. The Resistance was a paramilitary organization separate from the New Republic, though, because of the government’s internal struggles and conflicts.
7 The New Republic Never Rose To Fight The First Order
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Even with the Napkin Bombing, the New Republic never fully realized the true danger of the First Order. Part of their ignorance was due to the First Order’s own efforts; Lady Carise Sindian worked as a First Order agent, and she orchestrated the Napkin Bombing as a way to distract the New Republic’s Senate, while the Centrist faction had ties to the First Order. They created a political gridlock that prevented the Senate from acting against the fledgling fascist regime. On top of the Centrists’ gridlock, the New Republic was also plagued by corruption, which only made it less able to combat the First Order.
By the time Starkiller Base was made operational, the New Republic had signed its own death warrant.
The other, equally important, reason the New Republic wasn’t able to rise against the First Order is because the government itself was inept. After the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic demilitarized and removed its main army. By 34 ABY, the New Republic only had a small fleet of X-Wings. Some Senators recognized that the New Republic needed a larger military force, but those efforts were blocked by other government officials who viewed the First Order as an overblown threat and saw the Resistance as fearmongers. By the time Starkiller Base was made operational, the New Republic had signed its own death warrant.
6 The Resistance Entered A Cold War With The First Order Until 34 ABY
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In 29 ABY, the year after the Resistance was officially formed, the group entered into a Cold War with the First Order. In the same year, the planets who were part of the Centrist faction seceded from the New Republic and joined the First Order. While there weren’t any major battles during this time, there were a few skirmishes. Poe Dameron had joined the Resistance as a pilot during this time, and his Rapier Squadron engaged the First Order occasionally. Aside from those small dogfights, however, the Cold War was an essentially bloodless period of waiting for an all-out war to emerge.
Star Wars Resistance – Season 1
Though there was little more for the Resistance to do during the Cold War than wait, that isn’t all the group did. Kazudo Xiono, for example, joined the Resistance as a spy and conducted missions focused on gathering intelligence and relaying information about the First Order. At the same time, the Resistance at large began building its strength by gaining funds and allies across the galaxy. Unfortunately, the First Order was also building its strength and support at the same time, and its efforts were much more effective than the Resistance’s.
5 The First Order-Resistance War Began With The Hunt For Lor San Tekka
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After a five-year long Cold War, the fighting between the Resistance and the First Order finally erupted in 34 ABY. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Leia sent Poe on a mission to find Lor San Tekka, an explorer who had part of a map to where Luke Skywalker was hiding in exile. Kylo Ren, then an enforcer of the First Order, was also looking for San Tekka as a means of finding Luke. Poe eventually escaped with the map and with former stormtrooper Finn’s help. Finn then met Rey, the two encountered Han Solo and Chewbacca, and eventually found their way to Starkiller Base.
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Set 30 years after Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens teams new heroes Finn (John Boyega), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), who is now a General in the Rebel Alliance. Together they try to track down Luke Skywalker while battling the First Order, led by the villainous Kylo Ren. The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film to be produced by Disney and was directed by JJ Abrams.
Director J.J. Abrams Release Date December 17, 2015 Cast Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Max Von Sydow , Peter Mayhew , Simon Pegg Runtime 136 Minutes Budget $447 million
The Battle of Starkiller Base was the first official battle of the First Order-Resistance War. The First Order had created Starkiller Base as essentially a superweapon to surpass the Death Star, and it used it to devastating effect. Before the Resistance could stop them, Supreme Leader Snoke ordered Commandant Hux to fire, and Starkiller Base destroyed the capital of the New Republic in a tragedy known as the Hosnian Cataclysm. Though the New Republic was essentially demolished, the Resistance eventually won the battle and destroyed Starkiller Base. While it was a major victory for the Resistance, it also led directly into the group’s greatest defeat.
4 The Resistance Was Devastated At The Battle Of Crait In 34 ABY
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In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Resistance was on the run from the First Order. A retreat that would have normally entailed a simple jump to hyperspace, however, was complicated by the First Order’s new technology: hyperspace tracking. The First Order was able to find the Resistance’s flagship, the Raddus, no matter where it emerged from hyperspace. In one skirmish, Leia was ejected from the Raddus and gravely injured. It was only through the efforts of Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo – who used the Raddus to cut through Snoke’s ship, the Supremacy – that the Resistance was able to escape to the surface of Crait.
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In the second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, General Leia Organa leads the Resistance forces against the First Order. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker struggles to come to terms with his past failures, while Rey urges him to train her in the Force and join the resistance. Culminating in a massive battle between the two armies, The Last Jedi raises the stakes of this intergalactic war, and sees the final fight of one beloved character.
Director Rian Johnson Release Date December 15, 2017 Cast Daisy Ridley , Oscar Isaac , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , John Boyega , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Anthony Daniels , Gwendoline Christie , Kelly Marie Tran , Laura Dern Runtime 152 Minutes Budget $317 million
In their retreat from Starkiller Base and the ensuing Battle of Crait, the Resistance suffered tremendous losses. The First Order had destroyed countless Resistance ships in the skirmishes that followed their jumps to hyperspace, the Raddus was obliterated, and Leia was in a coma. On the surface of Crait, the First Order handily outnumbered the Resistance both in troops and technology. The Resistance was nearly destroyed entirely on Crait, and it was only because of Luke Skywalker, who distracted Kylo Ren, and Rey, who helped the Resistance escape, that the group was able to live to fight another day.
3 By 35 ABY, The Resistance’s Leadership Had Grown Considerably
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By the year after the Battle of Crait, 35 ABY, the leadership structure of the Resistance had been significantly enlarged. Previously, the Resistance was most prominently led by General Leia Organa and Vice Admiral Holdo. Several of those leaders were killed in the retreat from Starkiller Base, however. By the time of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker three more notable leaders had emerged: General Poe Dameron, General Finn, and Rose Tico, the Commander of the Engineering Corps. Throughout the Resistance’s existence, it was also led by Resistance High Command, a group of military and political leaders like Admiral Gial Ackbar.
|
Notable Leaders Of The Resistance |
|
|---|---|
|
Name |
Role |
|
Leia Organa |
General, Founding Leader |
|
Amilyn Holdo |
Vice Admiral, interim leader |
|
Gial Ackbar |
Admiral, High Command Member |
|
Caluann Ematt |
Major, High Command Member |
|
Poe Dameron |
General |
|
Finn |
General |
|
Rose Tico |
Commander, Engineering Corps |
In addition to the leaders and troops the Resistance lost in The Last Jedi, they also lost a base of operations. Originally, the Resistance had been based on D’Qar, a planet in the Outer Rim. After the Battle of Starkiller Base, however, the Resistance was forced to evacuate the planet and move its headquarters to Ajan Kloss, a moon of the Outer Rim planet Ajara. It was from Ajan Kloss that the Resistance made its preparations for the final battle of the First Order-Resistance War: the Battle of Exegol.
2 The Resistance Defeated The First Order On Exegol In 35 ABY With The Help Of Galactic Citizens
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The Battle of Exegol was the definitive moment of the First Order-Resistance War, and there was a lengthy prelude to it. Emperor Palpatine, the once-dead leader of the Galactic Empire, had returned, and he brought with him a powerful navy and army in the Final Order. Palpatine and his forces were based on Exegol, a planet in the Unknown Regions that was steeped in the dark side of the Force. With Rey’s help in finding the Sith Wayfinder, the Resistance moved its entire fleet to Exegol and began an all-out attack on both the First and Final Order.
With the help of the Citizens’ Fleet, and with both Rey Skywalker and Ben Solo’s efforts to destroy Palpatine, the Resistance demolished the Final Order.
Unfortunately, the Resistance was once again devastatingly outmatched, mainly due to the Final Order’s Xyston-class Star Destroyers. The Resistance was being easily defeated when Poe and Finn sent Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca out to find reinforcements from the regular citizens of the galaxy. After a particularly suspenseful wait, Lando and Chewie returned with the Citizens’ Fleet, a group of thousands of privately-owned starships piloted by civilians. With the help of the Citizens’ Fleet, and with both Rey Skywalker and Ben Solo’s efforts to destroy Palpatine, the Resistance demolished the Final Order. The First Order then fell after a mass revolt that spread across the galaxy.
1 The Resistance Will Likely Be Replaced By A New Galactic Government
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The Resistance found total victory over both the First Order and the Final Order, and the group’s story likely ends there. Currently, Star Wars canon has not explained what happened to the Resistance after the Battle of Exegol. The group’s fate will likely be fully revealed in the upcoming movie Star Wars: New Jedi Order, which will follow Rey Skywalker 15 years after the Battle of Exegol. In the meantime, however, some pieces of the Resistance’s fate can be deduced by looking to the past of Star Wars.
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This is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and serves as the culmination of the Skywalker saga. The film sees Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Isaac), and Finn (John Boyega) team up to put an end to the First Order after Palpatine mysteriously returns. Jurassic World helmsman Colin Trevorrow was originally named director back in 2015 when the film first entered development, but he parted ways with Lucasfilm due to creative differences over the script. In September 2017, Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams signed on to finish what he started.
Director J.J. Abrams Release Date December 20, 2019 Cast Carrie Fisher , Oscar Isaac , Anthony Daniels , Joonas Suotamo , Mark Hamill , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Kelly Marie Tran , Billie Lourd , Keri Russell , Richard E. Grant , Daisy Ridley , Lupita Nyong’o , Dominic Monaghan , John Boyega , Domhnall Gleeson , Billy Dee Williams , Naomi Ackie Runtime 142 minutes Budget $275 million Expand
After the Alliance to Restore the Republic defeated the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Endor, the group was quickly dissolved and replaced by the New Republic. The main reason for the shift in leadership was because the Rebel Alliance was, by nature, a military organization, not a political one. Similarly, the Resistance was formed to destroy the First Order, and having accomplished its mission, will likely be dissolved. After the Battle of Exegol, the galaxy needed a governing body, and the Resistance couldn’t fulfill that need.
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The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Writers Steven Knight Cast Daisy Ridley
While it’s likely that the Resistance will be replaced by a new galactic government, there’s no telling what that organization could look like. It’s possible that the people of the galaxy will simply recreate the Republic again, though they may now be more hesitant given that system has failed twice. Alternatively, the government could be ruled by a sort of confederation of independent systems, one where there is no central power aside from the relations planets and peoples have with one another. No matter what government rises up in Star Wars, however, it will owe its very existence to the work of the Resistance.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Created by George Lucas First Film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill , James Earl Jones , David Prowse , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Ewan McGregor , Rosario Dawson , Lars Mikkelsen , Rupert Friend , Moses Ingram , Frank Oz , Pedro Pascal Character(s) Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Rey Skywalker , Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Ahsoka Tano , Grand Admiral Thrawn , Grand Inquisitor , Reva (The Third Sister) , The Fifth Brother , The Seventh Sister , The Eighth Brother , Yoda , Din Djarin , Grogu , Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader , Leia Organa , Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Expand