Star Wars Resistance Shorts Collection

Rather than use flesh-and-blood warriors, the Separatists prefer mindlessly loyal soldiers that are easily controlled. The soulless ranks of their armies are dominated by tall, thin B1 battle droids built as mechanical imitations of their Geonosian designers. Battle droids can be controlled by centralized command centers such as the Trade Federation’s enormous Droid Control Ships, or programmed for independent action. They often suffer programming glitches that manifest as personality quirks. Battle droids are dim-witted and no match for clone troopers or Jedi, but they weren’t designed to be smart – they were designed to overwhelm Republic civilians through sheer numbers, something they do very effectively.

Princess Leia Organa was one of the greatest leaders of the Rebel Alliance, fearless on the battlefield and dedicated to ending the Empire’s tyranny. Daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, sister of Luke Skywalker, and with a soft spot for scoundrels, Leia ranked among the galaxy’s great heroes. But life under the New Republic proved difficult for her. Sidelined by a new generation of political leaders, she struck out on her own to oppose the First Order as founder of the Resistance. These setbacks in her political career were accompanied by more personal losses, which she endured with her seemingly inexhaustible will.

Escape pods are small emergency craft designed to detach from a larger vessel or launch from a planetary surface as a means of escape from a disaster. As such, these pods feature a simplified design to make them easy to use. Some planets maintain a network of escape pods to flee from surface danger into the upper atmosphere. When at a high altitude, these pods then transmit distress signals. Some pods are used for interstellar travel, and are equipped with hyperdrives, but these are rare. Use of pods is usually restricted only to organic lifeforms -- not droids. As such these pods are also known as lifepods.

The infantry used by the Trade Federation had several major shortcomings that were carefully revisited by the battle droids' designers. From that research came the super battle droid, a bulkier, stronger, and more advanced version of the standard mechanical soldier. The super battle droid requires no overriding command signal to operate, and thus has a limited degree of independence. They are fearless and tireless, and will run at full speed into combat, their cannons extended, firing until they have reduced their targets to smoldering ruins.

A Resistance starfighter ace, Poe Dameron is one of Leia Organa’s most-trusted operatives. He can fly anything – which is fortunate given how often his headstrong nature leads him into trouble. Poe leads the attack that destroys Starkiller Base, but soon finds himself on the run from the First Order. Sidelined without his beloved X-wing, he learns tough lessons about leadership, heroism and sacrifice. Those lessons will prove essential in rebuilding the Resistance before a showdown with the forces of evil at Exegol.

Young and ruthless, General Hux is a believer in technology, and eagerly awaits the day when the First Order’s innovations will help bring down the remnants of the New Republic and the Resistance – a victory he believes will also lead to his ruling the galaxy. His increasingly poisonous rivalry with Kylo Ren causes him to take a desperate gamble.