A plot hole concerning the New Republic from Star Wars: The Force Awakens has finally been cleared up eight years after the film’s initial release. The Force Awakens proved the cyclical nature of the galaxy, as the New Republic faltered, the First Order rose in place of the Empire, and the former Rebel Alliance became the Resistance. Given the galaxy’s history, one would think that the New Republic would have been prepared for any emerging Imperial-like threats. And yet, it was clear that the New Republic and the Resistance were two different entities, prompting questions of why the New Republic didn’t have its own defensive fleet, especially during such a tenuous period in the galaxy.
Now, Star Wars audiences have finally been provided with an answer. The Star Wars: Timelines book, written by Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, and Clayton Sandell, details the entire timeline of the Star Wars galaxy and includes never-before-seen canon details. This includes the extent of the New Republic’s resources by the time of The Force Awakens and why Hosnian Prime was specifically targeted by the First Order.
The New Republic Did Have A Defense Fleet... But It Was Destroyed
Star Wars: Timelines confirms that the New Republic did have its own defensive fleet, which was stationed on Hosnian Prime. Until now, many thought the New Republic had disarmed its fleet entirely – this was evidenced in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3 “The Convert”, in which Elia Kane (Katy M. O’Brian) briefly states that the ships from the Rebel Alliance are due to be decommissioned after they’ve finished stripping the Imperial ships. This was a direct result of Chancellor Mon Mothma’s Military Disarmament Act, which sought a peaceful future for the galaxy in which conflicts would be settled through negotiations and compromise, not brutal force.
Though Mothma’s intentions were irable, it seemed to be an unusual and dangerous strategy, just as the First Order soon proved. Though it’s now been confirmed by the Star Wars: Timelines book that the New Republic wasn’t left completely defenseless and did still have some sort of fleet (and, of course, the New Republic Rangers who featured heavily throughout The Mandalorian season 3 were active throughout the galaxy as well), it was clear that this wasn’t enough. Leia Organa began the new Resistance in direct opposition to the New Republic’s disarmament policy, though because there were so few battle-capable ships left, it wasn’t enough to stop the First Order before it showed its true strength.
Star Wars Has Finally Explained The REAL Reason Hosnian Prime Was Destroyed
The Star Wars: Timelines book has made it clear why the Hosnian System was chosen as Starkiller Base’s first target. Not only did the destruction of Hosnian Prime destroy the last remaining defensive fleet the New Republic had left, but it also wiped out its entire governmental structure and political leadership. The annihilation of Hosnian Prime meant the end of the New Republic and weakened the Resistance as a whole, too, as some New Republic senators had taken to ing Leia in her efforts.
Starkiller Base’s first attack was the First Order’s official declaration of its power. Before then, it had been keeping itself in the shadows, advertising itself as a mere nuisance as opposed to a bigger threat. Though Leia saw the danger, Mon Mothma and the rest of the New Republic’s leadership were intent on keeping the galaxy peaceful; but it was not to last. The New Republic, though not entirely without a defensive fleet, couldn’t match the might the First Order had been amassing since the days of the Empire, especially once most of its infrastructure was destroyed by Starkiller Base in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
