First Order

The First Order (19 ABY - 37 ABY), also known as the Order, was a military junta that controlled vast areas of the galaxy's Unknown Regions during the reign of the New Republic and ultimately became the dominant galactic government upon launching a war of conquest in 28 ABY. The First Order gained total galactic control under the rule of Supreme Leader Vincent Erisin after he ascended to power in 35 ABY.

Despite their uncontested control, the First Order was reorganized into the New Galactic Republic / New New Republic by Supreme Leader John Gucci in 37 ABY, who ascended to power after the death of Supreme Leader Vincent Erisin at the hands of the Order of Drem-Evenar.

Origins
The Contingency was a secret plan devised by Emperor Palpatine, whose true identity was that of the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, to ensure that his Galactic Empire did not outlive him should he die prematurely, while also ensuring its rebirth in the Unknown Regions with resources and personnel that would manage to survive the Contingency.

Following the Battle of Jakku, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, who had resumed his position as a powerless Emperor upon Rax's demise, and the New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma signed the Galactic Concordance, which called for the dissolution of the Galactic Empire. Chancellor Mothma then issued another declaration designating all surviving Imperial officers as war criminals, while the Empire had began to break into remnants. In response, a group of Imperials, including Sloane, along with many nobles, technologists, warlords, and officers fled into the Unknown Regions in an effort to escape the prying eyes of the New Republic. They used information derived from Grand Admiral Thrawn who hailed from the Chiss Ascendancy, and the survey teams and droids that Palpatine had sent to explore the Unknown Regions previously.

At the request of the dying Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax, who had been in charge of executing the late Emperor's Contingency plan, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and Commandant Brendol Hux rendezvoused with the Super Star Destroyer Eclipse in the Unknown Regions. Upon discovering the Eclipse, Sloane ordered the Sentinel piloting the Imperialis to bring the ship in and rejoin with the others. There, she intended to board and saw an opportunity to rebuild the Empire stronger and purer.

Rise of the First Order
As the Galactic Empire surrendered to the New Republic and then disbanded completely, it was survived by several Imperial remnants as the galaxy entered into an era of galactic peace, however one such remnant who opposed the Republic would arise and began to retreat beyond the frontier, where they joined Sloane and the other Imperial castaways and transitioned themselves into a militaristic hermit state called the First Order, naming themselves after Rax's last directive, where they would consolidate its power and initiate a rapid military buildup, there, isolated from the known galaxy, the military junta was influenced by the principles of the fallen government. Because it descended from the Empire in ideology, the First Order had the intended goal to reclaim Imperial legacy.

With many of the Emperor's servants carrying the old regime's greatest military secrets to the Unknown Regions, Supreme Leader Snoke, a puppet created by the late Palpatine, eventually rose to power and initiated a vast rearmament program, which would go on to produce a technologically superior military over the one that once existed under the Galactic Empire, and began subverting the Republic, as the First Order was keenly aware that it lacked the superior numbers and support of the former state. Gallius Rax, Sloane, Ormes Apolin, and Brendol Hux were originally seen as potential leaders of the Empire's remnants by the admirals and generals who had survived the implosion of the Empire and the New Republic's wrath, but they were sidelined, co-opted or destroyed by Snoke. Brendol's son, Armitage Hux, was spared in the long term by Snoke in order to use him as a political tool in his rise to power. Numerous shipyards, bases, and research facilities were built on newly explored star systems and colonized worlds as the Order slowly expanded and plotted its eventual return to the galaxy at large.

As Snoke rose to power as the Supreme Leader of the first order, he created an armored persona known to the New Republic as Darth Genocida. Taking on the form of an ancient Sith Lord with Darth Asriel at his side, he led infrequent missions to terrorize the galaxy and stow fear into the heart of Luke Skywalker, leader of the new Jedi Order. Serving as Snoke's apprentice, the young Darth Asriel quickly proved his allegiance to the First Order, setting the stage for the organization's rise to prominence.

With the New Republic now the dominant government in the galaxy, it continuously stressed upholding the values of democracy throughout the stars. In spite of such, however, the Republic was not without its critics, many of them disgruntled sympathizers of the old Imperial ways, some of whom were a part of the political structure. Once disagreements between the loyalists and Imperial sympathizers became too severe, the latter group seceded, whereupon they joined the First Order in the Unknown Regions. While some in the Galactic Senate applauded the notion, others realized that without New Republic supervision, the former Imperials would return to the draconian ways of their predecessors. To avoid the terms of the Galactic Concordance which included the sale of weaponry to the Order, arms manufacturers BlasTech Industries and Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc. opted to bypass these restrictions by forming a subsidiary known as the Sonn-Blas Corporation, which manufactured all weaponry within First Order space, while Sienar-Jaemus Army Systems and Aratech-Loratus Corporation would develop spacecraft and vehicles to the Order.

The First Order then sought to recruit the strongest warriors in the galaxy to the First Order military for the upcoming war. However, Brendol Hux's yacht was shot down by the automated defense system of the planet Parnassos during one such search. Hux then found himself shipwrecked and sent out a distress signal. On Parnassos, Hux met Phasma, who had observed the starship crashing and led her Scyre warriors into Claw territory to meet Hux. His son, Armitage Hux, meanwhile responded to the signal and went to Parnassos to rescue his father. Hux arrived at the crash site, where he greeted his father. Hux then accepted Phasma, as well as Frey, into the growing First Order. Armitage Hux shortly after informed his father that his disappearance had caused concern in the higher ranks of the Order and that he was to return immediately, as the Supreme Leader had many things to discuss with him.

The First Order had to content with several threats lurked in the Unknown Regions, hermetic kingdoms which were confronted by the Order. On Supreme Leader Snoke's instruction, the new military undertook a major offensive against several of these kingdoms to seize their worlds and resources to fuel their rise.

Sometime later, Phasma and Armitage conspired to assassinate the latter's father, Brendol Hux, agreeing that it was time for Brendol to die; Armitage had been abused by his father from his youth, while Phasma sought to cover up her past. Armitage left the actual murder up to Phasma with his only instruction being to make it untraceable. Phasma carried out the killing of Brendol using the toxin from the bite of a Parnassos beetle. Armitage then gave a brief address to Captain Cardinal and the Stormtrooper Corps informing them of Brendol's passing and ascended to his leadership role in the military, taking over from his late father.

At some point, a cargo ship was ambushed containing military gear which the ship's crew claimed was meant for the First Order. Among the possessions seized was a set of stormtrooper armor which was later presented to Terex, a former Imperial stormtrooper and, at the time, a crime lord of the Ranc gang. Terex immediately became curious about the modern design and confirmed that it was not of Imperial design. After Terex asked of its origin, he continued to think about the implications of this new information. Sometime later, he subsequently joined the ranks of the First Order as a member of its Security Bureau. Along with this, several old Imperial fleets also joined the growing First Order.

The First Attack
Supreme Leader Snoke soon came to be served by a new apprentice, Kylo Ren in 28 ABY. Manipulated to the dark side by Snoke when he was still Ben Solo, Ren had been instrumental in preventing Luke Skywalker's attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order. Joined by his Knights of Ren, Kylo conducted subsequent purges and hunts of those with Force affinity, much as the Inquisitorius of the Old Empire had done.

With the pieces in place, Supreme Leader Snoke leads an attack on the New Republic as Darth Genocida, with the galaxy stunned at the true size of the First Order. Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn rise to defeat Darth Genocida, but are quickly overwhelmed as First Order troops invade the Galactic Senate. With the Jedi Order turned over to the dark side of the Force as the Knights of Ren, Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn are forced to flee in their failure to defeat the First Order; with Darth Genocida revealing himself as Supreme Leader Snoke. Luke Skywalker escapes to Ahch-To, while Kyle Katarn is badly injured-- and presumed dead. However, he manages to hide away on the planet Trangodal, in failure.

As the attack raged on, Darth Asriel led a purge of the remnants of the Jedi Order, destroying Jedi Temples and hunting down padawan across the galaxy. Most notably, Darth Asriel was responsible for the destruction of a Jedi Temple where Thalnor Raunlet resided, who later escaped to Dagobah. During his purges, Darth Asriel was confronted by Jedi Knights Klauss and Warq, who fought and defeated him in combat. He was later hauled off to an isolated New Republic penal colony on Prenubus, where Klaus Arrognan imprisoned him; torturing Asriel with Sith lightning, which prompted Klaus Arrognan to exile himself from the New Republic.

A Cold War
With the New Republic reeling from the invasion, the galactic government quickly worked to restore itself to working order. As a result of the rise of the First Order, Leia Organa formed the Resistance; a government-backed military branch to fight back against the First Order. With the formation of the Resistance, Supreme Leader Snoke focused on securing control of the First Order's territory in the Unknown Regions before pushing forward. With Darth Asriel no longer at his side, Supreme Leader Snoke appointed Kylo Ren as his second in command; replacing Darth Asriel. Despite this, he still continued searched for the whereabouts of the First Order prisoner.

In 29 ABY, the First Order set up a series of military outposts on Iocyke and Locke, focused on performing scientific experiments on the nature of the Force, as well as genetic manipulation and cloning. Supreme Leader Snoke sought not only to replicate what Palpatine had done with the creation of Snoke, but to improve upon it by creating a new form of life that would serve as the embodiment of the Force itself. He hoped to create a perfect successor to himself, in the wake of his inevitable demise. However, in 30 ABY, the military outposts reported to have created an unstable form of life known as Eden. Only two known subjects survived, the Grey Knight, and the Demon Kid. Following their escape, the military outposts were shut down and all of the scientists involved were executed.

After locating Darth Asriel on Prenubus, the First Order launched a military invasion of the planet in 31 ABY, liberating Darth Asriel from the New Republic penal colony and capturing Jedi Klaus Arrognan; who is later executed by Supreme Leader Snoke, himself. Now scarred and mute, Darth Asriel donned a metallic mask and hid amongst the shadows as Snoke's personal spy; channeling his pain into a quest for ancient Sith artifacts.

In 34 ABY, the First Order uses Starkiller Base to wipe out the last remnants of the New Republic, quickly seizing control of galaxy as they push forward once more. However, the Resistance manages to destroy Starkiller Base and halt the advances of the First Order before they gain total control of the galaxy. This leaves the Resistance in a vulnerable position, outnumbered and outmatched by the First Order.

Rise of the Jedi
After finding Luke Skywalker, Rey quickly discovers his reluctance to return to the life of a Jedi after having made such a terrible mistake. However, after agreeing to train her, Luke starts beginning to see the good in a potential new generation of Jedi-- one who does not follow the rules of old.

When Snoke bridges Rey and Kylo's minds together, Rey takes this opportunity to trick Kylo into thinking that she is willing to join the First Order; to kill Snoke and rule alongside him. Kylo begins creating a weapon powered by a special Kylonic Core that he developed himself, giving him the ability to sap the midichlorians out of an organic body. He does this in preparation for his coup, as well as begins building the Death Star III, a secret project of his in the Outer Rim designed to be a support station for The Supremacy.

As the Rebellion takes down The Supremacy by ramming their main ship into it, Luke and Rey arrive just in time to meet up with and betray Kylo Ren. Kylo stays behind while Snoke and Captain Phasma retreat, and ultimately defeats Rey. However, The Supremacy soon crashes onto the surface of Crait-- where the rest of the Rebellion is hiding from the First Order in an old base from the Galactic Civil War.

Kylo and Hux lead the remaining First Order troops in an attack against the last remnants of the Rebellion on Crait, only to be stopped by Luke Skywalker himself. Kylo challenges Luke Skywalker to a duel and manages to hold his own, but is thrown off when he discovers Rey is still alive. With her help, Rey and Luke overcome Kylo Ren and defeat him on Crait, resulting in a First Order retreat as Luke Skywalker officially joins the Rebellion to train a new generation of Jedi and restore hope to the galaxy.

The First Order begins to lose their grasp on the galaxy when the Rebellion creates a new interstellar base of operations that manages to elude them. Angered by such failure, Snoke kills Hux; creating resentment within Kylo Ren, which he channels into perfecting the Gauntlet of Ren. Soon he begins sending the Knights of Ren on covert missions to collect resources, including technology from the Vault of Dexlacon.

Several months following their victory at the Battle of Crait, Luke and Rey begin an academy for Jedi on Ahch-To. This attracts a variety of Force-sensitives, including escaped slave Malone Megando and drifter Vincent Erisin. However, the First Order soon makes it their goal to track down ships harboring Force-sensitives and killing everyone on-board, in an attempt to prevent the Rebellion from recruiting more Jedi.

Rumors begin to circulate the galaxy of a strange being who has come to be known as the most powerful Force-sensitive in the galaxy. This being is quickly named the Grey Knight, a mysterious drifter who is nigh-impossible to find without wanting to be found. Some say this being is destined to restore order to the galaxy, while others claim that they're here to bring it to ruin.

Total Control of the Galaxy
Main article: Saga of the Grey (Campaign)

Fall of the First Order
Following the death of Supreme Leader Vincent Erisin, John Gucci was the next in the chain of command to rise to the position; as both Trump Fronta and LT3-X were perceived as having perished in the Battle of Parthenogon alongside Vincent, himself. As the new Supreme Leader, John Gucci had an allegiance to the Order of Drem-Evenar, serving as a spy from within the First Order to dismantle the regime. With his absolute power, he reorganized the First Order into the New Galactic Republic (main timeline)/New New Republic (original timeline).

During the reorganization process, he merged the new government with the Resistance and the Order of Drem-Evenar, before transforming his position into the Supreme Chancellorship and removing himself from power. This marked the true death of the First Order, whose remnant were easily extinguished by the new order.

Supreme Leader
The Supreme Leader was the ruler of the First Order. Invested with absolute power, the Supreme Leader controlled every aspect of First Order policy but could also delegate authority to officers that acted on his behalf. The technological war machine that the First Order engineered to conquer the galaxy was under the Supreme Leader's control. As such, all who lived under the First Order's rule were required to render unquestioning loyalty and obedience to the Supreme Leader. This was especially the case with First Order stormtroopers, who were trained since birth to become an army of super-soldiers loyal to the Supreme Leader.

Although Snoke rose to power as the first Supreme Leader, he was deposed by Kylo Ren via proxies in 35 ABY. Kylo Ren sought the power for months, but only held it for several hours as he was later killed by Malone Megando and Darth Asriel as retribution for the death of Supreme Leader Snoke. As a result, Vincent Erisin inadvertently rose to the position of Supreme Leader, as he was Kylo Ren's second in command.

The fall of the First Order was later brought about by John Gucci's inadvertent ascent to the position of Supreme Leader, following the execution of Vincent Erisin during the Battle of Parthenogon. As the Supreme Leader, John Gucci was loyal to the Order of Drem-Evenar, and thus reorganized the First Order into the New Galactic Republic (main timeline)/New New Republic (original timeline).