First Order (SWAU)

The **First Order**, commonly referred to as simply the "**the Order**," was a political and military faction that came into existence after the usurpation of the Empire of the Hand by Snoke, the reborn Darth Plagueis, and its reformation into a military junta bent on retaking the galaxy. The disappearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn led to a coup by officers influenced by Snoke, who took control of what remained of the regime. In the decades following, the First Order continued rebuilding strength by salvaging old Imperial shipyards in the outskirts of the galaxy, establishing treaties with the Chiss Ascendancy and assembling an armada that could crush the New Republic threefold. When the First Order was found by Jacen Solo, whom Snoke successfully turned to the Dark side, the final stage in the Supreme Leader's plan begun. Snoke's new apprentice, rechristened Taren Caedus, would then lead the Sacking of Coruscant, the spearhead in the First Order's invasion of the galaxy.

## Organization

### Government

The First Order was a military junta that took heavy inspiration from the old Galactic Empire. Its head of state, head of government was the Supreme Leader, an office held by Snoke that wielded ultimate authority over the entire First Order. Snoke delegated power to a number of high-ranking officers and advisers, effectively removing any distinction between the military and the state. Second to the Supreme Leader was Taren Caedus, who existed outside of the formal command structure much like Darth Vader of the former Empire. He frequently came into conflict with military officials owing to his own ego and distaste for bureaucracy, which led to bats with General Hux. Hux was head of the First Order High Command, the overseers of the entire military, and held considerable influence over the Order due to his effective command and respected reputation. The two, along with Captain Phasma, formed the unofficial triumvirate in command of the First Order's military. Caedus' existence in their ranks kept an element of fear in the upper echelon as well as serving as the "face" of the First Order.

The First Order lacked a planetary capital, with the Supreme Leader overseeing his organization from the throne room in his capital ship, the *Supremacy*. As such, the capital constantly moved and the administration of the government existed on an amalgam of planets within First Order territory, each led by a governor who was largely left to their own devices provided they don't try and subvert Snoke's authority. This was reinforced with fear of the First Order Security Bureau, a shadowy intelligence service that acted as a secret police throughout First Order territory, enforcing the Supreme Leader's authority through death squads.

### Foreign affairs

Being a secluded regime in the Unknown Regions, the First Order's contact with the regimes of the known galaxy was limited; with regards to official correspondence between governments, the First Order had no contact with the rest of the galaxy outside their space. As such, their violations of the Galactic Concordance and the amassing of a galactic armada went completely unnoticed by either the New Republic or the Imperial Remnant. The First Order did have correspondence, however, with the previously undiscovered Chiss Ascendancy. Formerly a part of the old Empire of the Hand, the Chiss were rather cold with the new regime and maintained their independence from Snoke. Instead of conquering them, which the First Order was in no position to do initially, Snoke explored diplomatic options. Trade between the two began and after the First Order's role in the Yuuzhan Vong war, the partnership strengthened, culminating in a treaty that helped the First Order rearm in order to execute their grand plan to retake the lost territories of the Empire.

In an effort to subvert the New Republic, the First Order had implanted dozens of agents within the Senate and channeled funds through third-party corporations to corrupt Republic senators. This allowed them to block motions for greater support of the New Republic Starfleet and gridlock the Senate for many years. The First Order saw the New Republic as its primary obstacle to restoring order to what they viewed as a lawless galaxy. About thirty years after the Battle of Kashyyyk, the First Order launched a preemptive strike on Coruscant that successfully crippled the New Republic's leadership and catapulted the galaxy in the Second Galactic Civil War.

### Military

The massive militarization effort of the First Order continued throughout its existence in the Unknown Regions. Military bases and shipyards, through their partnership with the Chiss Ascendancy, were constructed and churned out some of the most technologically marvelous weapons and starfighters that made up the First Order Military. Secret sales of weaponry to the First Order were conducted via the Sonn-Blas Corporation, a subsidiary of BlasTech Industries and Merr-Sonn Munitions. The military boasted a large standing army, the most pivotal part of which was the Shock Trooper Corps, an elite branch of the military that was formed in the image of the old Stormtrooper Corps. These black and red-clad soldiers became the image of the First Order Military and were led by Captain Phasma.