The Force is a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives the Jedi, the Sith, and others sensitive to this spiritual energy extraordinary abilities, such as levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things before they happen. While the Force can grant users powerful abilities, it also directs their actions. And it has a will of its own, which both scholars and mystics have spent millennia seeking to understand.

Heirs to the legacy of the Rebel Alliance, the Resistance's starfighter corps gathered freedom fighters determined to counter the growing threat of the First Order. The Resistance’s pilot ranks were filled by Alliance veterans, disillusioned former New Republic officers, and adventure seekers from every corner of the galaxy.

A harsh desert world orbiting twin suns in the galaxy’s Outer Rim, Tatooine is a lawless place ruled by Hutt gangsters. Many settlers scratch out a living on moisture farms, while spaceport cities such as Mos Eisley and Mos Espa serve as home base for smugglers, criminals, and other rogues. Tatooine’s many dangers include sandstorms, bands of savage Tusken Raiders, and carnivorous krayt dragons. The planet is also known for its dangerous Podraces, rampant gambling, and legalized slavery. Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker both grew up on Tatooine, and Obi-Wan Kenobi spent years in hiding on this desolate world.

A tiny, fiery planet in the Outer Rim, Mustafar maintains an erratic orbit between two gas giants. Mustafar is rich in unique and valuable minerals which have long been mined by the Tech Union. Its lava pits and rivers make this planet a dangerous habitat; its natives have burly, tough bodies that can withstand extreme heat. The planet became the backdrop for the fateful duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. After the rise of the Empire, captured Jedi were brought to the volcanic world for interrogation and execution.

Anakin Skywalker carried this blue-bladed Jedi weapon throughout the Clone Wars. After dueling his former apprentice on Mustafar, Obi-Wan Kenobi 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 struck off his son’s hand in Cloud City. The lightsaber then 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 carried the ancient weapon herself. The lightsaber sheared apart when Rey and Kylo struggled for possession of it aboard the Supremacy, but Rey reforged it as she continued her Jedi training.

An extensively modified Corellian light freighter, the Millennium Falcon is a legend in smuggler circles and is coveted by many for being the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. Despite her humble origins and shabby exterior, the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs 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.

A native of Sullust, Nien Nunb was a smuggler who fought for both the Rebel Alliance and the Resistance during his long career. An expert pilot, he served as Lando Calrissian’s co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon during the Battle of Endor, flew an X-wing in the raid on Starkiller Base and survived the First Order’s assault on Crait. He was then killed fighting for freedom at Exegol.

A talented young rebel pilot from Corellia, Wedge Antilles survived the attack on the first Death Star to become a respected veteran of Rogue Squadron. He piloted a snowspeeder in the defense of Echo Base on Hoth, and led Red Squadron in the rebel attack on the second Death Star above Endor.

Han Solo rose from an impoverished childhood on the mean streets of Corellia to become one of the heroes of the Rebel Alliance. As captain of the Millennium Falcon, Han and his co-pilot Chewbacca came to believe in the cause of galactic freedom, joining Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa in the fight against the Empire. After the Battle of Endor, Han faced difficult times in a chaotic galaxy, leading to a shattering confrontation with his estranged son Ben.

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.

Maz Kanata is more than a thousand years old, a diminutive being with vast experience at surviving in the underworld. From her castle on Takodana, Maz has seen galactic powers rise and fall and felt the Force ebb and flow, seeking an elusive balance between darkness and light. She has given many a young smuggler a start by offering credits, equipment or connections, and helped many an old friend rediscover a lost path.

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.