Cold war " Cold war " was an informal term used to define the intense twenty - nine year standoff between the First Order and the New Republic after 5 ABY . The Galactic Concordance ended the Galactic Civil War , sealing the New Republic ' s victory and beginning the process of the restoration of democracy to the galaxy . Peace was secured , but tensions between the various remnants of the Empire and the Republic remained high . The events of the cold war saw the emergence of a successor state called the First Order , a military junta that was inspired by principles of the Galactic Empire , in the Unknown Regions , and the Resistance , a splinter cell of the New Republic military that was formed by former Senator Leia Organa to act as a check on the designs of the First Order where the Republic did not deem it to be a credible threat to galactic peace . History . Early foundations . At the end of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems , Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine , who was in actuality the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious , reorganized the Republic into the first Galactic Empire and declared himself the Galactic Emperor . The Emperor also declared the Jedi to be enemies of the state , and launched a campaign that nearly led to the Order ' s extinction . Eventually , conflict between the Empire and various rebel cells , which had united into a single military alliance , led to an all out war . The Empire suffered a critical defeat at the Battle of Endor at the hands of the Rebel Alliance with the death s of the Emperor , his chief enforcer and apprentice Darth Vader , and the destruction of the Sith . The cold war begins . The defeat of the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Jakku one year after the Battle of Endor , and the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War in 5 ABY marked what would prove to be the beginnings of decreased hostilities between the shattered superpower and the New Republic . Not long after , a conference was held on Chandrila between Grand Vizier Mas Amedda , during which the latter formally surrendered to the New Republic . Although peace was formally declared , fighting between the new government and certain Imperial factions would continue for quite some time , until the hostilities would finally die out , with some warlord s either suing for peace or escaping into deep space . Those Imperial officer s who did not yield were then declared enemies of the state . Some elements of the Empire ' s leadership and military rejected the stipulations , and , while the violence did not resume , the New Republic and an organized remnant of the Galactic Empire became locked into a cold war . While this standoff was of certain significance , the rest of the Empire , while disjointed , did not cease to exist by any means . As per the conditions of the Galactic Concordance , the Imperial capital of Coruscant was ceded over to the New Republic , where a provisional government was established . Agreeing to the terms of the Concordance , all non - military officials and those officers who respected all conditions were granted pardons . Many Imperials within the higher echelons of the armed forces refused to immediately agree to the terms , and , in turn , they were branded as war criminals . Despite this , the empire was allowed to survive in the form of successor states that maintained full sovereignty over territories that did not fall under the New Republic ' s jurisdiction . With Coruscant no longer the seat of executive power for the Empire , Imperial leadership was forced reconstitute itself . As such the central Imperial government was officially dissolved , with some of its leaders going as far to leave the Empire altogether and joining the New Republic . Additionally , those territories that fell under the authority of these former Imperials were assimilated into the New Republic . Although some chose to do this , there were still those who remained loyal to the actual Imperial establishment , unlike their comrades who joined the restored Republic , those Imperials who sought independent sovereignty , and the aggressive hardliners who refused to acquiesce to the Concordance ' s stipulations . As patriotism and loyalty towards what remained of the true Empire did not die with its fragmentation , there were still dedicated Imperials , both civilian and military , who remained dedicated to its existence . The organized Imperial Navy and constituents the Empire ' s war machine were still very much consolidated , as not all forces had joined with warlords or the hardliners who had retreated and partitioned themselves in regions outside of the New Republic ' s influence . As the Empire was simply too vast to disband altogether , a conditional accord was decided upon between the New Republic and the Galactic Empire in regards to what would finally become of the latter ' s foundational aggregation and the powers that it still held . The agreement called for a conditional restructuring of the Empire , allowing it to persist as an official and self - governed entity , but ensuring limitations on its ability to wage war . Imperial borders were redrawn and a successor state was formed by what remained of the old Imperial establishment , and , as per the terms of the Galactic Concordance , the new government that would ultimately agree to the stipulations . At the command of the New Republic , the remnant leaders ordered that all fleet s that were still loyal to the Empire be recalled to the Core and Inner Rim , although Empire remained a divided force , with the remnant factions that went rogue refusing to acknowledge the order , now standing as a hawkish confederation locked into a cold war with the New Republic . Despite the reluctant agreement , a militarized faction of the Empire refused to admit defeat , as rest of the Empire in the Core Worlds and Inner Rim had . While these hardliners did not actively carry out any major military campaigns against the New Republic and vice versa , both powers remained hostile towards one another . Although the Old Empire was decentralized and divided into various " official " and recognized states that preserved the Imperial tradition in certain non - Republic sectors , the residual faction founded by those hardliners was considerable enough to be a cause of concern to the New Republic , thereby prolonging the cold war . Since resentments left over from the Galactic Civil War never truly went away , with those on both sides despising the other , the cold war between the non - compliant Imperial remnant and the New Republic would last for decades . As it wore on , the remnant began to retreat and then colonize the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy , where it would reconsolidate its power and initiate a rapid military buildup . During this period , political hardliners who opposed the Republic assumed leadership of the remnant and transitioned it into the First Order , a powerful military junta based upon the policies and principles of the " Old Empire . " The Amaxine warrior crisis . By 28 ABY , infighting in the Galactic Senate between the Populists and Centrists factions had created a state of political gridlock . The Populists favored the status quo of strongly sovereign member worlds while the Centrists advocated a stronger central government and military ; something associated with the " Old Empire . " These divisions prevented the New Republic from enforcing financial regulations and patrolling the hyperspace lanes , leading to a resurgence in crime syndicates like Rinnrivin Di ' s cartel . Rinnrivin Di ' s cartel was a recent group that was secretly funded by the First Order through the auspices of a paramilitary faction called the Amaxine warriors . Rinnrivin Di ' s cartel channeled the revenue derived from its smuggling and gambling activities back to the Amaxine warriors , who funneled them back to the First Order through a group of shadow corporations . These shadow corporations were owned by several Centrist senators such as Lady Carise Sindian , who worked as double agents for the First Order . By 28 ABY , the cartel ' s activities had taken a heavy economic toll on the Gaulus sector , damaging the offworld trade of worlds such as Ryloth . At the request of the Ryloth ' s Ambassador Yendor , the Populist senator Leia Organa and the Centrist senator Ransolm Casterfo undertook a joint investigation into the syndicate ' s activities on Bastatha . After a botched kidnapping attempt by Rinnrivin Di , Leia and Casterfo discovered that Rinnrivin Di was secretly channeling Bastatha ' s gambling revenue to a group of shadow corporations based in the Outer Rim Territories . Their investigation coincided with Lady Carise ' s efforts to introduce legislation creating a powerful office called First Senator , that would command the New Republic ' s military and economy . This only inflamed political divisions in the Senate . Leia dispatched her senatorial staffer Greer Sonnel and starfighter pilot Joph Seastriker to Pamarthe to investigate how Rinnrivin Di was hiring pilots . There , they discovered that the Amaxine warriors operated from Daxam IV . Despite their political differences , Leia struck a friendship with the idealistic Senator Casterfo . In an attempt to hamper the senatorial investigation , Lady Carise secretly hired the Amaxine leader and former Imperial Arliz Hadrassian to bomb the New Republic senatorial complex . Despite the political uproar , Leia and Ransolm persisted with their investigation . On Daxam IV , Casterfo and Greer met Arliz and learned about the Amaxine warriors ' illegal rearmament efforts . Casterfo managed to gain Hadrassian ' s trust by posing as an Imperial sympathizer and collector of Imperial artifacts . Leia also investigated Rinnrivin Di ' s operations and ascertained that the crime lord was not behind the " Napkin Bombing . " Meanwhile , Lady Carise inherited the Governor ship of Birren and discovered evidence that Leia was the daughter of Darth Vader . Intending to drive a wedge between Casterfo and Leia , Lady Carise informed Casterfo about this incendiary information . Feeling betrayed , Casterfo upstaged Leia ' s candidacy for First Senator by revealing her true parentage . Due to the widespread hatred for Lord Vader for his role as the Emperor ' s executor , this revelation created a political scandal which destroyed Senator Organa ' s political career . Despite this setback , Leia persisted with her investigation into the Amaxine Warriors . She along with Greer , Joph , and C - 3PO infiltrated the underwater city on Sibensko . There , they discovered evidence that Amaxines and a mysterious entity , later revealed to be the First Order , was funneling funds into Rinnrivin Di ' s syndicate . Following a brief skirmish with both Rinnrivin Di and the Amaxine Warriors , Leia and her companions escaped with the help of her husband Han Solo . Despite obtaining the evidence , the Sibensko complex was destroyed when the Amaxine Warriors ' munitions depot exploded when a downed starfighter crashed into it ; effectively neutralizing the Amaxine Warriors and Rinnrivin Di . In the Galactic Senate , Senator Organa presented evidence about the Amaxine Warriors and Rinnrivin Di ' s syndicate and warned that the New Republic needed to be ready to face threats to its existence . A penitent Casterfo also came to her defense by present visual recordings of the Amaxine Warriors ' military stockpile on Daxam IV . This angered Lady Carise , who fabricated evidence linking Casterfo to the Amaxine Warriors . Lady Carise also hired the Amaxine leader Hadrassian to assassinate Tai - Lin Garr . Due to Casterfo ' s purported links to the Amaxines , he was arrested for allegedly masterminding the Amaxine Warriors and arranging the assassination of Tai - Lin Garr . While most of the public accepted Casterfo ' s guilt , Senator Organa realized that Lady Carise was responsible for framing Casterfo and convinced the Elder Houses to strip her of all her royal titles . With the Senate unwilling to take external threats seriously , Senator Organa founded the Resistance , a private military outfit formed to defend the New Republic . Rising tensions . In 34 ABY , thirty years after the Battle of Endor , an uneasy peace existed between the New Republic and the First Order , the latter of which had been formed from the remnants of the " Old Empire . " In defiance of the Galactic Concordance , the First Order began rebuilding its military and acquiring advanced weapons and starship s . First Order forces also frequently crossed the Trans - Hydian Borderlands and launched several incursions into Republic space . Despite mounting reports of First Order re - militarization and aggression , the Galactic Senate and Republic Command refused to take forceful military action against the Order . The New Republic Defense Fleet was ordered not to seek engagement with First Order forces and to patrol Republic space . While patrolling the Mirrin sector , the New Republic starfighter commander Poe Dameron and his Rapier Squadron responded to a distress call from the freighter " Yissira Zyde " above Suraz 4 . The freighter was carrying a cargo of 46 high - powered charging array s , which could be easily converted to military use . During the ensuing Suraz engagement , Rapier Squadron managed to shoot down several First Order starfighters but were unable to prevent the hijacked freighter from jumping into hyperspace . One pilot Muran was also killed during the dogfight . In response , Dameron reported the skirmish to Major Lonno Deso and advocated tracking down the ship and investigating why the First Order was interested in it . Deso , however , ordered Poe not to pursue the First Order , citing the New Republic military ' s purely defensive policies . Defying Major Deso ' s orders , Poe undertook an unsanctioned mission to track down the " Yissira Zyde " . Facing sanction from the Republic military for disobeying orders , Poe left the Republic Starfleet and joined the Resistance at the advice of General Leia Organa . Poe was also joined by his remaining Rapier pilots Karé Kun and Iolo Arana , who shared his sentiments . Later , General Organa obtained intelligence that the Hevurion senator Erudo Ro - Kiintor was secretly colluding with the First Order by sabotaging motions in the Galactic Senate . Lacking hard evidence , Leia dispatched Poe and his former Rapier Squadron colleagues on a to steal Ro - Kiintor ' s starship " Hevurion Grace " and obtain its computer s . Despite opposition from the First Order , the Resistance pilot s managed to steal the " Hevurion Grace " and expose Ro - Kiintor ' s collaboration with the First Order . In addition , Leia found information leading to her brother Luke and sent Poe on a quest to find Lor San Tekka . Search for Lor San Tekka . Following the events of , Poe Dameron was ordered by General Organa to form a small squadron of no more than four pilots and a technician . Dameron formed his Black Squadron , consisting of himself , Captain s Karé Kun and Temmin Wexley , the Duros L ' ulo L ' ampar , Jessika Pava and the Abednedo technician Oddy Muva . Tracing Lor San Tekka ' s whereabouts , Black Squadron traveled to the planet Ovanis where he encountered the Crèche cult , who worshiped a large blue egg . The Crèche elder told Poe that Tekka had visited them a long time ago . However , the First Order learned of their presence on Ovanis and dispatched Agent Terex to recover the information that Dameron had obtained from Senator Ro - Kiintor . Black Squadron was subsequently caught up in a dogfight with First Order stormtroopers and TIE fighters . Amidst the fighting , the Crèche egg hatched and unleashed two large winged creatures that fought each other . Dameron gained the upper hand over Terex in a fight and managed to force the First Order Security Bureau agent to call off his forces . Unwilling to provoke a war between the First Order and the New Republic , Dameron reluctantly released Terex after the Crèche had departed with one of the creatures to find a new home . Continuing their search for Lor San Tekka , Dameron and Black Squadron bribed their way into Megalox prison on the high gravity world of Megalox Beta . They wanted to question Grakkus the Hutt , who had encountered Lor San Tekka a long time ago . However , the First Order learned of their presence and dispatch Terex to obtain the information first . Grakkus agreed to give the information but only to whoever broke him out first . Despite Terex convincing the local crime bosses Papa Toren , Kan Be , and Isin to recruit gangsters into storming Grakkus ' fortress , Dameron managed to shut down the gravity field around Megalox with the help of BB - 8 and the astromech droid s . Donning gravity belt s , Dameron and Black Squadron managed to rescue Grakkus and escape offworld . On the way , they stopped a vengeful Terex from attacking the prison ' s space station and shuttle s with his starship " Carrion Spike " , which had once belonged to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . After returning to D ' Qar , Grakkus provided the Resistance with information on Tekka ' s last known whereabouts . While Dameron wanted to resume the search for the explorer , General Organa instructed him to investigate how the First Order had learned of their trip to Megalox Beta . Violations of the Galactic Concordance . Later , the Squamatan " Galaxy Beacon " journalist and former New Republic Starfleet member Suralinda Javos discovered that the First Order was illegally building military installations , shipyards , weapons research facilities and a mysterious project in violation of the Galactic Concordance . She arranged to meet with Dameron on the Inner Rim gas giant of Pheryon for a meeting . She wanted Dameron to bring him to General Organa so that she could sell her the information in order to boost her journalistic career . However , Dameron and Javos were ambushed and captured by the First Order intelligence agent Lieutenant Weel and his stormtroopers . Javos was captured but managed to kill Weel and free Dameron . During the return journey , Javos experienced a change of heart and decided to join the Resistance . At the request of General Organa ' s spymaster C - 3PO , Dameron along with BB - 8 and the technician Oddy Muva embarked on a mission to Kaddak to retrieve a member of the Resistance spy droid network who had obtained information on the First Order including the location of Supreme Leader Snoke . Unknown to Poe , Oddy Muva was an unwilling spy who had been blackmailed by Terex into spying on the Resistance . Terex had taken Oddy ' s wife Sowa Chuan captive aboard his flagship " Carrion Spike " . Terex also returned to Kaddak and retook control of the Ranc gang . Against the orders of Captain Phasma , Terex embarked on a rogue mission to destroy Poe and the Resistance . His plan involved feeding the Resistance BX - series droid commando N1 - ZX with false intelligence and following Poe ' s ship back to the Resistance base . Terex planned to use the Ranc gang to wipe out the Resistance , eliminating a major threat to the First Order . As planned , Dameron and his team recovered N1 - ZX and escaped Kaddak . Oddy then embarked on a mission to rescue his wife and infiltrated the " Carrion Spike " . While traveling through hyperspace , Dameron rightfully suspected that Terex had planted the information and traveled instead to a remote desert planet . Terex and his Ranc pursued Poe ' s T - 70 X - wing fighter to the desert world . After crash - landing , Poe and the droids fled into the caves . Terex led a landing party while Oddy freed Sowa and the other slaves . Shortly , Poe ' s Black Squadron mates arrived and engaged in a dogfight with Terex ' s fleet of " Uglies " . With Temmin ' s help , Poe managed to install Mister Bones ' s personality template into N1 - ZX , who killed Terex ' s landing party before being disintegrated by Terex himself . In space , Black Squadron provided covering fire for Oddy and the slaves ' escape pod s . L ' ulo L ' ampar was killed during the dogfight . The tide of the battle soon turned in Black Squadron ' s favor when First Order forces under Commander Malarus arrived and wiped out Terex ' s Ranc gang fleet . Malarus had arrived to apprehend Terex for disobeying orders . With both sides seeking to avoid open warfare , Poe allowed Commander Malarus to arrest Terex . Incident on Jakku . Dameron eventually discovered Lor San Tekka was living in the village of Tuanul on the planet of Jakku and went to meet with him . Lor San Tekka entrusted him with a piece of the map leading to Luke . However , the First Order tracked them down to the planet and dispatched several assault landers to the planet . The local villagers , who were members of the Church of the Force , made a valiant effort to fight off the attackers but were massacred by the First Order . Dameron gave the piece of the map to his droid BB - 8 telling him to get as far as away from the village as possible and that Dameron would come back for him . After the villagers had been subdued , Kylo Ren himself arrived on the planet and had Lor San Tekka executed after he did not reveal the location of the map . Angered , Poe attempted to shoot Kylo Ren , but his laser was held off by Kylo Ren ' s use of the Force , and he was captured . Kylo Ren then ordered the massacre of all of the villagers , with the First Order stormtroopers firing on them and burning down their houses with flamethrowers ; stormtrooper FN - 2187 did not fire any shots , and he became disillusioned with the First Order . Dameron refused to give up any details under torture while aboard the " Resurgent " - class Star Destroyer " Finalizer " , but Kylo Ren eventually figured out that the map was in the droid . He dispatched some stormtroopers to Jakku to locate and capture the droid . Unbeknownst to both Dameron and the First Order , the droid had fallen into the hands of a scavenger named Rey . Eventually , Dameron was able to escape with the assistance of FN - 2187 , who told him that he was rescuing him because he was doing what was right . FN - 2187 ' s decision to aid Dameron was influenced by a moral dilemma he had encountered during an earlier First Order operation to put down a strike at Pressy ' s Tumble . FN - 2187 assisted Dameron in reaching a TIE fighter , and they shot their way out of the hangar while also destroying the ventral cannon s of the " Finalizer " . During this action , Dameron decided to call FN - 2187 by a nickname , " Finn , " which he adopted as his name . They escaped to Jakku , but their TIE fighter crashed in two separate areas . The main body of the fighter crashed in a sinkhole , leading Finn to believe that Poe was dead . He wandered towards the nearest village , where Rey was fighting off some thugs who set out to steal the valuable droid BB - 8 for their boss . BB - 8 noticed that Finn was wearing Dameron ' s jacket , so he identified him as a thief , leading to Rey attacking him . However , Finn lied and told her that he was with the Resistance , and that the droid contained a piece of a map that needed to reach them . Just then , TIE fighters and stormtroopers arrived and began to attack . The two of them bypassed the old " Millennium Falcon " to reach another ship , but when that ship was destroyed , they entered the " Falcon " and tried to escape . Rey and Finn succeeded in destroying the pursuing TIE fighters and left the planet with BB - 8 , but before they could leave the system , they were sucked into the freighter " Eravana " by Han Solo and Chewbacca , former owners of the ship . The duo met Rey and Finn , and Han Solo was initially opposed to taking part in the conflict and helping them , but he later agreed . While aboard the " Eravana " , the quartet ran into trouble when the Kanjiklub and the Guavian Death Gang confronted Han Solo about his debts , and this led to a stand - off . Rey decided to close the blast doors to separate Han Solo from the two gangs , but she accidentally released three rathtar s , giant monsters that had killed most of Han ' s crew when he captured them . Han , Chewbacca , Rey , Finn , and BB - 8 narrowly escaped , with Finn almost being eaten by one . The four of them left the ship as the rathtars attacked the gangsters , but not before Bala - Tik reported Han Solo ' s escape to the First Order . Hosnian Cataclysm . Han Solo took them to Takodana to meet the pirate Maz Kanata , who could help them with reaching the Resistance . During this visit , Finn decided that he would flee to the far end of the galaxy when Han Solo warned him that Rey would find out about his lies , and Finn revealed his true identity when Rey tried to convince him to stay . Rey was shown by Maz the lightsaber of Luke Skywalker while Finn was preparing to leave , but she had a vision of death and sadness , worsening her mood . She told Maz that she would not go anywhere near the lightsaber again , and she left for the woods , running away with BB - 8 and a pistol that Han had given her . Meanwhile the First Order finished building Starkiller Base , a facility much larger than the Death Star that had the capability of destroying whole systems . General Armitage Hux gained the permission of Supreme Leader Snoke to test the weapon , and he gave a speech to the First Order ' s army , announcing that the New Republic would be destroyed with the new weapon . The weapon destroyed the Galactic Senate at Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian system , showing the capabilities of the superweapon . This was also able to destroy a significant portion of the New Republic Starfleet and resulted in the death of Chancellor Lanever Villecham , and the destruction of the planets could also be seen from Takodana below . Aftermath . A First Order spy on the planet alerted the First Order to the presence of the droid , so Kylo Ren dispatched several stormtroopers and TIE fighters to the planet . They destroyed much of the castle and killed several people , and Maz Kanata decided to entrust Luke ' s lightsaber to Finn . Rey , Han , Chewbacca , and Finn fought against the stormtroopers until X - wings of the Resistance arrived and destroyed many starfighters . Rey was captured by the First Order , however , and the First Order took her back with them to Starkiller Base . Dameron was able to reunite with Finn , embracing each other as friends . Kylo Ren decided that the droid was unimportant , as Rey had seen the map ; he abandoned the search for the droid and decided to interrogate her . However , she resisted his torture , and read his thoughts instead . Meanwhile , Han , Chewbacca , Finn , and Dameron all headed to the Resistance base on D ' Qar to meet with General Organa for a counter - attack against Starkiller Base , while Finn sought to rescue his friend . On D ' Qar , Organa , Gial Ackbar , and other Resistance leaders were planning an attack on the Starkiller Station to prevent other systems from being destroyed . Finn made a special request to Organa , asking her to rescue Rey . She allowed Han , Chewbacca , and Finn to embark on this mission , which would also include destroying the shields so that the X - wings could destroy the base . The three of them were inserted onto the cold planet , and they captured Captain Phasma and forced her to shut down the shields . This allowed for the X - wings to begin their attack , and the trio set out to find Rey . They met up with her after she escaped , having used a mind trick to force a stormtrooper to let her escape with a weapon . They planted explosives in the base , but as they were about to leave , Han encountered Kylo Ren , Han seemingly convinced Kylo Ren to rejoin him , but Kylo Ren impaled him with his lightsaber , and Han fell into the abyss below . Chewbacca wounded Kylo Ren with a bowcaster shot , and he detonated his explosives after killing many stormtroopers . Chewbacca , Rey , and Finn made it out of the base , and Ren went after Rey and Finn . They dueled , with Rey being injured and Finn fighting Ren with Luke ' s old lightsaber ; later , Finn was slashed on the back , forcing Rey to fight Ren . At the same time , the X - wings went in and destroyed the weak center of the base , leading to the base using its own abilities against itself as the planet quaked . General Hux was ordered by Snoke ' s hologram to get Kylo Ren and flee the base ; Kylo Ren dueled Rey and failed to convince her to join the dark side . Rey slashed Kylo Ren and nearly killed him , but an earthquake separated them . Chewbacca arrived in the " Falcon " and rescued the injured Finn and Rey , and they left the planet with the X - wing squadron as the planet exploded . They returned to the base , with the happiness of victory being replaced by despair over Han ' s death . General Organa embraced Rey . Finn was taken to a medical center and regained a heartbeat , and R2 - D2 woke up for the first time since Luke ' s disappearance to show an incomplete galactic map . BB - 8 revealed the missing piece , pinpointing Luke ' s location to the Resistance ; Rey , along with the mourning Chewbacca , set out with the " Millennium Falcon " to the location . She found Luke on an island on Ahch - To , an ocean planet that she had dreamed about , and she silently took out Luke ' s lightsaber and offered it to him , with Luke turning around and considering it . War had returned to the galaxy . Behind the scenes . The cold war was first indirectly mentioned in " " , was formally mentioned in the 2015 reference book " " , and made its first appearance in , where it transitions into open warfare between the First Order and the Resistance . The cold war was most likely named after the between the and the for geopolitical expansion , which lasted from 1947 to 1991 .