The New Republic’s rise reduced the once-mighty Empire to a rump state hemmed in by strict disarmament treaties and punishing reparations. But in the galaxy’s Unknown Regions, former Imperial officers, nobles and technologists plotted a return to power, building fleets and armies in secret. This movement became the First Order, ruled by Supreme Leader Snoke, and is now ready to reclaim the Imperial legacy.

Luke Skywalker was a Tatooine farmboy who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever known. Along with his friends Princess Leia and Han Solo, Luke battled the evil Empire, discovered the truth of his parentage, and ended the tyranny of the Sith. A generation later, the location of the famed Jedi master was one of the galaxy’s greatest mysteries. Haunted by Ben Solo’s fall to evil and convinced the Jedi had to end, Luke sought exile on a distant world, ignoring the galaxy’s pleas for help. But his solitude would be interrupted – and Luke Skywalker had one final, momentous role to play in the struggle between good and evil.

A resourceful astromech droid, R2-D2 served Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker in turn, showing great bravery in rescuing his masters and their friends from many perils. A skilled starship mechanic and fighter pilot's assistant, he formed an unlikely but enduring friendship with the fussy protocol droid C-3PO.

C-3PO is a droid programmed for etiquette and protocol, built by the heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker, and a constant companion to astromech R2-D2. Over the years, he was involved in some of the galaxy’s most defining moments and thrilling battles -- and is fluent in more than seven million forms of communication. In the years after the Empire’s defeat C-3PO served Leia Organa, becoming the head of a Resistance spy ring aimed at undermining the First Order.

A veteran commander, Ackbar led the defense of his homeworld, Mon Cala, during the Clone Wars and then masterminded the rebel attack on the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. Ackbar realized the rebels had been drawn into a trap at Endor, but adjusted, with his fleet buying valuable time for the attack to succeed. After the Battle of Endor, Ackbar became a Grand Admiral in the New Republic, winning many victories including the pivotal Battle of Jakku. He retired to Mon Cala, but was coaxed back into service with the Resistance by Leia Organa.

During his long life Chewbacca has been many things: Wookiee warrior, ace smuggler and rebel hero. Chewie fought with the Republic on Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars, then befriended Han Solo while in Imperial captivity on Mimban. After adventures on Vandor and Kessel, he became Han’s co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon, and eventually helped the Alliance restore freedom to the galaxy. Known for his short temper and accuracy with a bowcaster, Chewie also had a big heart – and unflagging loyalty to his friends. He stuck with Han through years of turmoil, and flew the Falcon alongside Rey after the Corellian’s death.

Despite her humble origins and shabby exterior, the Millennium Falcon has played a role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. The Falcon looks like a worn-out junker, but beneath her hull she’s full of surprises. A succession of owners, including Lando Calrissian and Han Solo, have made special modifications that boosted the freighter’s speed, shielding and firepower to impressive – and downright illegal – levels. The price of such tinkering? The Falcon can be unpredictable, with her hyperdrive particularly balky. Despite her flaws, she’s beloved by her owners – Han Solo and Chewbacca spent years searching the galaxy for the ship they once called home, rejoicing when they finally reclaimed her.

An unconventional Resistance officer, Amilyn Holdo was one of Leia Organa’s oldest friends. She assumed command of the Resistance fleet after Leia was injured. As the peril to the Resistance grew, Holdo’s insistence on secrecy and her brusque manner led her into conflict with Poe Dameron. She sacrificed her life to save the Resistance transports during the desperate flight to Crait.

An amoral thief and talented slicer, DJ dwells in the shadows thrown off by Canto Bight’s glitz, stealing whatever he needs and resolutely refusing to take sides in the growing conflict between the First Order and the Resistance.

A maintenance tech with a talent for tinkering, Rose Tico joined the Resistance with her sister Paige after the First Order devastated her home system. A chance encounter with Finn pushed her onto the front lines of the new galactic civil war – and her sister’s death caused her to redouble her efforts for the Resistance cause.

Resistance bombers carry more than 1,000 proton bombs in racks that fill a modular magazine beneath the hull. On a bombardier’s signal, the bomb-bay doors open and the magnetized charges are drawn towards the target below. Resistance crew members often decorate proton bombs with cartoons or defiant messages aimed at the First Order.

With its sleek arrowhead shape, streamlined cockpit, and massive twin engines, the A-wing starfighter suggests raw speed even when parked within Alliance hangar bays. Faster than even the TIE interceptor, the A-wing is well suited for lightning strikes. It sports a pair of pivoting laser cannons on each wingtip. The starfighters of Green Squadron, which flew in the Battle of Endor, were made up of A-wing starfighters. The A-wing continued to evolve, and was part of the Resistance’s starfighter corps during its fight against the First Order.

A gregarious and clever species, Abednedos are common sights in the galaxy, pursuing a range of professions on many planets. They hail from a planet of the same name, which is noted for its sprawling, colorful and chaotic cities. After the Battle of Endor, the Empire attacked Abednedo with a climate-disruption array; as a result, many Abednedos support the New Republic or the Resistance. Their native language is Abednedish, though many speak Basic.

A veteran commander, Ackbar led the defense of his homeworld, Mon Cala, during the Clone Wars and then masterminded the rebel attack on the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. Ackbar realized the rebels had been drawn into a trap at Endor, but adjusted, with his fleet buying valuable time for the attack to succeed. After the Battle of Endor, Ackbar became a Grand Admiral in the New Republic, winning many victories including the pivotal Battle of Jakku. He retired to Mon Cala, but was coaxed back into service with the Resistance by Leia Organa.

A veteran Resistance officer, Statura fought to liberate his homeworld of Garel from the Empire while he was just a teenager. Later, Leia Organa recruited him to handle ship procurement and logistics for the Resistance. The technically savvy Statura helped identify the thermal oscillator as the key target in the Resistance’s attack on Starkiller Base.

Anakin Skywalker carried this blue-bladed Jedi weapon – a replacement for his first lightsaber -- throughout the Clone Wars and kept it after he pledged himself to Darth Sidious. After dueling his former apprentice on Mustafar, Obi-Wan took Anakin’s lightsaber and kept it on Tatooine for nearly two decades. He gave it to Luke Skywalker, who lost it when Darth Vader – the saber’s original owner – struck off his son’s hand in Cloud City. The lightsaber became part of Maz Kanata’s collection of Jedi curios, where it called to the scavenger Rey. She wielded it in defeating Kylo Ren, then brought it to Ahch-To and offered it back to Luke. When he refused it, Rey wielded the ancient weapon herself. The lightsaber sheared apart when Rey and Kylo struggled for possession of it aboard the Supremacy. Rey then took its broken pieces with her to Crait.

Astromech droids are a series of versatile utility robots generally used for the maintenance and repair of starships and related technology. These small droids are often equipped with a variety of tool-tipped appendages that are stowed in recessed compartments. The R2 unit is a popular example of an astromech droid.

The All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker, is a four-legged transport and combat vehicle used by the Imperial ground forces. Standing over 20 meters tall with blast-impervious armor plating, these massive constructs are used as much for psychological effect as they are for tactical advantage.

A Dybrinthe bounty hunter, Athgar Heece was one of many beings seeking to make a living in and around Jakku’s bleak Niima Outpost. Dybrinthe are accustomed to higher atmospheric temperatures and pressures, meaning Heece was one of the few on Jakku to find its conditions pleasant.

A burly loading droid clad in yellow ceramic armor plate, B-U4D serves on D’Qar as part of the ground crew that keeps the Resistance’s starfighters ready to fly. Tough and hard-working, “Buford” is one of many Resistance droids granted independence and seen as partners in the cause rather than mere machines.

An agent of the feared Guavian Death Gang, Bala-Tik’s black leather coat and percussive cannon indicate his status within the galactic underworld. Bala-Tik negotiates business for the Guavians, backed by faceless, voiceless cybernetic soldiers awaiting the signal to take action. Bala-Tik considers Han Solo a capable smuggler and a valuable source of information, but his patience with the slippery Corellian and his endless excuses has all but run out.

A feared bounty hunter, Bazine Netal grew up on Chaaktil, where she learned a range of deadly martial arts at Delphi Kloda’s combat school. Netal’s baffleweave dress jams sensors, while her black cowl hides burn damage inflicted by a flamethrower in her youth. Netal is a deadly opponent whose typical arsenal includes a snub-nosed blaster, poisoned dagger, throwing knives and concealed thermal detonators. She was at Maz’s castle in the company of Grummgar when Han Solo, Finn and Rey arrived, and slipped away to report their location to the First Order.

Rolling about the hangar bays of outposts and capital ships, or snug in the astromech sockets of X-wing fighters, BB units work tirelessly to keep the weapons and vessels of the Resistance in top combat condition.

A skittish but loyal astromech, BB-8 accompanied Poe Dameron on many missions for the Resistance, helping keep his X-wing in working order. When Poe’s mission to Jakku ended with his capture by the First Order, BB-8 fled into the desert with a vital clue to the location of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. He rejoined Poe and the service of the Resistance in time for the attack on Starkiller Base, then helped Rey locate Skywalker’s planet of exile.

Shaggy giants from an arboreal world, the tall and commanding Wookiee species is an impressive sight to even the most jaded spacer. Despite their fearsome and savage countenance, Wookiees are intelligent, sophisticated, loyal and trusting. Loyalty and bravery are near-sacred tenets in Wookiee society. When peaceful, Wookiees are tender and gentle. Their tempers, however, are short; when angered, Wookiees can fly into a berserker rage and will not stop until the object of their distemper is sufficiently destroyed.

The White Worms’ lair is a long-abandoned water-processing plant in an industrial area of Coronet City. A maze of tunnels leads to the surface; at their heart is a central cistern with blacked-out windows that protect the Grindalids from the damaging rays of Corellia’s sun. Here, Lady Proxima holds court over her scrumrats.

One of Corellia’s many criminal gangs, the White Worms form the backbone of the black market in the coastal city of Coronet. Their lair is an abandoned water-processing plant, guarded by an army of urchins and scavengers known as the scrumrats. The scrumrats are ruled by a small number of Grindalids, led by the White Worm matriarch, Lady Proxima.

Inside Fort Ypso on Vandor, gladiator droid WG-22 is part of a band of modified droids made to battle to the point of destruction in Ralakili’s droid fighting pits. The droid’s mechanical limbs can puncture metal with a devastating might powered by electricity produced in his interior power cells. But when a fight is interuppted by the plaintive protests of another droid, L3-37, her cries for droid rights end up costing WG-22 dearly.

Aratech’s line of 11-3K Viper probe droids are used for investigation, exploration and reconnaissance. A rotating collar assembly gives their blaster cannons a 360-degree field of fire. Viper droids patrol the conveyex track near the Imperial vault on Vandor, alert for any suspicious activity.

An unspoiled frontier world with soaring mountains and endless plains, Vandor is sparsely settled and lacking the technological infrastructure common on other planets. But Vandor’s days as a refuge from the hurly-burly of galactic civilization are numbered: the Empire has a growing presence on the planet.

A no-nonsense and occasionally prickly woman who is a crack shot with a blaster rifle, Val may be the most even-headed and capable member of Tobias Beckett's ragtag crew of scoundrels.

Moloch uses this hulking Trast Heavy Transports A-A4B truckspeeder for White Worm missions in Coronet City or elsewhere on Corellia. His truckspeeder is formidably armored, with a noisy, powerful engine. A forward cage holds a pack of Corellian hounds trained at sniffing out fugitives.

Dryden Vos employs Toht Ra and his fellow Hylobon thugs to serve as security aboard the First Light. Ra is the yacht’s attendant, confiscating guests’ weapons as they board. The Hylobon has a percussive cannon and vibrocutlass at the ready in case of trouble.

A native of Glee Anselm, Tobias Beckett is a professional thief who’s planned and carried out any number of heists with his crew. Beckett is always aware of the angles and uncertainties – and ready to unholster his blasters if something goes wrong. That’s always a possibility -- Beckett has learned the hard way that trust has its limits.

The TIE/rb heavy starfighter, nicknamed the “TIE Brute,” boasts heavier armor and firepower than a standard TIE, with pivoting twin laser cannons arrayed on an outrigger. An MGX-300 integrated droid intelligence assists the pilot with operations.

With a sharpened shank implanted in one claw and an overall fearsome appearance, Therm is reputed for intimidating his opponents during games of sabacc. In reality, he’s a mediocre card player who insists on being addressed by his full name, although it’s unclear if it’s a nickname he’s been given or part of a prestige he’s hoping to create around himself.

The Zeta-class shuttle is a versatile transport used by the Empire for military and civilian purposes, with a modular cargo pod housed below the holding bay and crew cabin. Bodhi Rook and K-2SO steal Shuttle SW-0608 from Eadu and then fly the craft to Scarif as part of the Rogue One raid.

One of a number of moons orbiting the gas giant Yavin in the galaxy’s Outer Rim, Yavin 4 is a steamy world covered in jungle and forest. It was the location of the principal rebel base early in the Galactic Civil War, and the site from which the Rebellion launched the attack that destroyed the first Death Star -- a confrontation known thereafter as the Battle of Yavin.

The X-wing is a versatile Rebel Alliance starfighter that balances speed with firepower. Armed with four laser cannons and two proton torpedo launchers, the X-wing can take on anything the Empire throws at it. Nimble engines give the X-wing an edge during dogfights, and it can make long-range jumps with its hyperdrive and its astromech droid co-pilot. Luke Skywalker is famous for destroying the Death Star behind the controls of an X-wing.

A forlorn world in the Mid Rim’s Bryx sector, Wobani is the site of Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817. Jyn Erso is serving a 20-year sentence on Wobani under the alias Liana Hallik when Alliance Pathfinders free her from captivity.

A diminutive Talpini, Weeteef is a valuable member of Saw’s band of partisans. His small size makes him ideal for infiltration missions in Jedha’s Holy City, and he’s both an expert sharpshooter and a clever builder of sticky bombs used to bring down Imperial scout walkers and assault tanks.

A black-cloaked attendant to Darth Vader, Vaneé interrupts the Sith Lord’s meditation in his rejuvenation chamber on Mustafar to announce Orson Krennic’s arrival. After Krennic’s audience with Vader was over, Vaneé advises the director that it would be wise to say nothing of what he’s seen in the Sith sanctum.

A sturdy troop transport and gunship used by the Rebel Alliance, the U-wing starfighter is a well-armed swing-wing vessel that must penetrate heavy fire zones to deposit soldiers onto battlefields and then fly air support during dangerous missions against the Empire.

Twi'leks are tall, thin humanoids with skin pigment that spans a rainbow of colors. Their most distinctive feature is a pair of shapely prehensile tentacles that grow from the base of their skulls. Few things are as graceful as a female Twi'lek in motion. This beautiful image has forever doomed generations of young Twi'leks into servitude, as the wealthy and corrupt have taken to brandishing Twi'leks as badges of prestige. In the waning years of the Republic, the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth was represented in the Galactic Senate by the corpulent blue-skinned politician Orn Free Taa. Even a politician of high office was not above flaunting a pair of lovely Twi'lek aides as a sign of influence and wealth.

Beloved by the children of Ryloth and other worlds, tooka dolls are a popular toy, turning the image of the small, feline-like feral creatures into cuddly and soft playthings.

A streamlined variant of the classic TIE fighter design, the TIE striker is designed for atmospheric patrols over important Imperial ground-based installations.

The TIE fighter was the unforgettable symbol of the Imperial fleet. Carried aboard Star Destroyers and battle stations, TIE fighters were single-pilot vehicles designed for fast-paced dogfights with Rebel X-wings and other starfighters. The iconic TIE fighter led to other models in the TIE family including the dagger-shaped TIE Interceptor and the explosive-laden TIE bomber. The terrifying roar of a TIE's engines would strike fear into the hearts of all enemies of the Empire.

The Profundity began its life as a daring ruse: it was built as a tower in a city beneath Mon Cala’s northern ice floes, and launched into space when the Empire subjugated the planet. A quick conversion by Mon Calamari engineers turned the Profundity into the Alliance’s flagship – a modified MC75 star cruiser defended by laser cannons, torpedo launchers and a complement of starfighters.