Princess Leia Organa was one of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest leaders, fearless on the battlefield and dedicated to ending the tyranny of the Empire. Daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, sister of Luke Skywalker, and with a soft spot for scoundrels, Leia ranks among the galaxy’s great heroes. But life under the New Republic has not been easy for Leia. 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 have been accompanied by more personal losses.

The Rebel Alliance became the New Republic after its victory over the Empire at the Battle of Endor. Eager to win over the war-weary citizens of the galaxy, the New Republic revived the Senate, signed a peace treaty – the Galactic Concordance – with the Empire’s remnants, and drastically reduced its military capabilities. That policy aroused the ire of rebel hero Leia Organa, who warned that elements of the Empire were still seeking power. Sidelined from the political process, Organa founded the Resistance to oppose the Empire’s successor state, the mysterious First Order.

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 lush world in the Outer Rim, D’Qar is the principal base of General Leia Organa’s Resistance. First surveyed by rebel pilots before the Battle of Endor, the planet’s obscurity and lack of native intelligent life made it a perfect choice when Leia’s new group needed a hidden base of operations. Resistance starfighters launched their attack on Starkiller Base from D’Qar, and were tracked back to the planet by the First Order. The Resistance hastily evacuated, narrowly escaping before the base was leveled by First Order turbolasers.

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 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.