A young, ruthless officer in the First Order, General Hux has complete confidence in his troops, training methods and weapons. A rival of Kylo Ren’s, Hux eagerly awaits the day when the First Order will bring down the hated New Republic, and considers it his destiny to rule the galaxy.

The powerful flagship shared by General Hux and Kylo Ren, the dagger-shaped Finalizer is nearly twice the length of an Imperial-era Star Destroyer. The first of the new Resurgent class constructed in violation of treaties with the New Republic, the Finalizer’s heavy weapons are augmented by two starfighter wings, a hundred assault craft and a full legion of stormtroopers. Her turbolasers are more powerful and faster to recharge than Imperial-era weapons, a product of kyber crystals harvested in the Unknown Regions.

A capital ship built on a nearly unimaginable scale, the Supremacy is a vast flying wing more than 60 kilometers wide. In addition to being a warship with enormous firepower, it serves Supreme Leader Snoke as throne room and the First Order as mobile capital. Its vast interior houses army training grounds, shipyards, production lines and R&D labs.

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.

A commander in the Resistance’s starfighter corps, Poe Dameron is one of Leia Organa’s most-trusted operatives. A decorated X-wing pilot, 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.

A small, secretive private military force, the Resistance was founded by rebel hero Leia Organa to monitor the actions of the First Order. Most New Republic power brokers tolerate the Resistance while regarding Organa and her fighters as dead-enders with an unfortunate fixation on the past. Organa’s cash-strapped movement relies on credits, ships and equipment quietly funneled to it from the few senators who share her concerns.