The latest starfighter in the storied TIE line looks similar to its predecessors, but the TIE/FO boasts improved solar cells and higher-capacity converters, making these ships deadlier than the TIEs that saw service in the Imperial era. Unlike the Empire, the First Order values its pilots as key military assets, protecting them with onboard deflector shields.

Imperial pilots were treated as expendable, sent into combat in unshielded TIEs, but the First Order treats its fighter pilots as important parts of its war machine. Potential First Order pilots are identified as children and given rigorous training, often within the corridors of warships, then tested ruthlessly throughout their careers to ensure their reflexes, visual acuity and coordination measure up. Elite Special Forces fighter pilots bear red flashes on their helmets, and report to the upper ranks of the First Order hierarchy.

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’s technological innovations will help bring down the hated New Republic and the Resistance, and considers it his destiny to rule the galaxy.

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. Sidelined without his beloved X-wing, he learns tough lessons about leadership, heroism and sacrifice.

FN-2187 was trained since birth to serve the First Order as a stormtrooper, but a skirmish on Jakku awakened his conscience and drove him down a different path, one that proved both heroic and dangerous. He helped Poe Dameron escape the First Order – picking up the nickname Finn in doing so – and then sought his own freedom alongside Rey and BB-8. Finn helped the Resistance destroy Starkiller Base, but had to decide his true loyalties: Would he continue to fight alongside the Resistance’s soldiers, or seek to reunite with Rey and flee the galactic conflict? At first Finn tried to flee the war, but a mission alongside Rose Tico convinced him that he had to commit himself to the Resistance’s cause.