Star Wars: How is the First Order Funded?

At the end of Return of the Jedi, Star Wars fans saw the Rebel Alliance strike a crippling blow against the Galactic Empire, resulting in the Death of Emperor Sheev Palpatine, the destruction of the second Death Star, along with the Executor and a much of the Imperial fleet stationed at Endor. Of course, Darth Vader also died, moments after his redemption, meaning the Empire, for all intents and purposes, was decimated. The Rebellion had won, and peace could be restored to the galaxy.However, in 2014, the first trailer for The Force Awakens was unveiled, revealing The First Order. While this new galactic threat isn't the Empire, it appears conspicuously similar, sporting stormtroopers, TIE Fighters, Star Destroyers, and Starkiller Base. The Empire had indeed been defeated (not at Endor, but at the Battle of Jakku, a short time later), and the Rebellion became the New Republic, ruling for years of relative peace, but The First Order did eventually rise from the ashes of the Empire, obviously maintaining many aspects of its fascist intentions and stark aesthetics.Related: Star Wars: Origins of the First Order RevealedThe biggest difference is that the roles are now reversed. The New Republic is the galaxy-spanning organization at the start of The Force Awakens, and The First Order is in a similar position to the Rebel Alliance in the original trilogy, so why does it seem so much better equipped? Shouldn't the fact that it no longer occupies the galaxy's economic powerhouse planets or production centers be a major hindrance to its growth? The First Order boasts armies of stormtroopers, a fleet of Star Destroyers and TIE fighters, a massive superweapon, and The Last Jedi will feature a mega-star destroyer called the Supremacy, so how is this all financed?

Origins of the First Order

Star Wars Star Destroyer Inflictor on Jakku

After the Battle of Endor, Emperor Palpatine's plan, referred to as "The Contingency" went into effect, with the remains of the Empire guided by the mysterious Gallius Rax from Jakku. Abducted as a small boy, Rax was a former slave trained by Palpatine from a young age specifically for the task of shepherding the Empire to its ultimate demise because Palpatine, while overconfident, couldn't tolerate the idea of defeat, and set forth plans to destroy both the Empire and its opposing force, leaving chaos in his wake.

However, this plan also laid a path to the future. Working closely with Grand Admiral Thrawn, who originally hailed from the Unknown Regions, Palpatine used an outpost on Jakku to map a navigable pathway beyond the edges of the galaxy into unknown space to continue his quest for knowledge and power. He also sensed a deep source of dark power from outside the galaxy, and obviously hoped to claim it for himself.

After the Empire made its last stand at Jakku, the Empire's top brass abandoned the remaining Imperial forces to be defeated by the New Republic, fleeing into the Unknown Regions where Emperor Palpatine had already stashed some handpicked portions of the Empire, including his own Super Star Destroyer, The Eclipse. Jakku was supposed to explode, fulfilling the last component of The Contingency, but New Republic forces were able to prevent the event, allowing the New Republic to live on as well.

In secret, this last remnant grew and reformed itself into what was eventually The First Order, presumably aided by forces from the Unknown Regions (which is probably where Snoke comes into play), before eventually venturing back into the known galaxy once more to retake it from the New Republic.

How is the First Order Funded?

The First Order may have come into some resources to continue to grow as it gestated in the Unknown Regions, and Snoke clearly has a love for opulence, suggesting he comes from and/or possibly has access to vast riches, but the First Order also has another major financier hidden within the New Republic itself. A number of planets have become dissatisfied with the perceived inefficiency of a decentralized government and desire to return to a system led by a single strong ruler, believing that simply replacing Sheev Palpatine with a more benevolent figure will ensure a better result.

This slow split caused a rift in several centrist systems to begin secretly colluding with a cartel to funnel money through the gambling operations on the planet Bastatha, funding a group called the "Amaxine Warriors," a proxy military group with First Order affiliations intended to pave the way for the First Order's eventual resurgence. This operation of funneling finances likely means these systems intend to more fully finance the First Order once it emerges, meaning after the destruction of Hosnian Prime at the hand of Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens, The First Order could have a number of friendly systems ready to rally to its cause without the pressure of The New Republic.

Outside of direct (or indirect) financing. the First Order also gains money and resources by conquering small worlds outside the purview of the New Republic. Oftentimes they're backwater planets without any major established civilization, but there are still resources to be gained and collected from such endeavors, especially when it comes to planets that have military technology and ships for the First Order to commandeer and repurpose or sell.

Where Do All the Stormtroopers Come From?

Now we know how The First Order has so many resources to build ships and weapons, but what about the troops? We know they aren't another clone army, and without a number of planets under its control, conscription isn't exactly an option. The answer is actually much darker, as most of the First Order stormtroopers are basically brainwashed slaves.

Brendol Hux, the father of Armitage Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), was formerly in charge of one of the Empire's finest stormtrooper academies and was one of the few officers to make the jump from the Empire to the First Order. He designed a completely new training program for the First Order to create more dedicated and loyal soldiers, and it started at an early age. The First Order would invade planets with primitive societies and round up all the children, sending them to a First Order Star Destroyer where they spent their lives listening to First Order propaganda and training to be a First Order killing machine. While they were essentially soldier slaves, their quality of life in the first order was far higher, and often more rewarding, than their typically rough lives on the backwater planets they came from.

These soldiers were all trained by "Cardinal," one of the original First Order "recruits" from Jakku, he was hand-picked by Brendol Hux and climbed the ranks until he was placed at the head of the academy and given crimson red stormtrooper armor. He held this position until Phasma, who also came from a primitive society, killed him to take his place.

Given the near complete devastation of the New Republic during The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and especially Episode IX could see an especially resurgent First Order, possibly returning to a place of power and using more expected means of financing and recruitment, but the rise to power will remain as an example of the cunning and the brutality of the First Order.

NEXT: Andy Serkis: Snoke is More Powerful Than Darth Vader & The Emperor