One of the most interesting things about Star Wars: Resistance is that it can and has elaborated on things like the New Republic, Resistance, and First Order. We obviously are familiar with these in the sequel trilogy, but with Resistance set only a few months before The Force Awakens, it can fill in some gaps.
For instance, in the series premiere we got our first look at the New Republic in action, as well as getting more hints about the New Republic’s relationship with the Resistance. In the second episode, we found out more about the First Order’s plans for the Colossus, but there was also a line from Jarek Yeager that I found interesting.
A large theme in the episode, “The Triple Dark,” was Kaz struggling to balance his jobs as a mechanic and as a spy. At one point, he has a discussion with Yeager along these lines:
Kaz: “You and I know this isn’t my only job.”
Yeager: “But working here is part of your cover. You can’t fake it. You need to get your head on straight, kid. If anyone finds out who you really are, you’re on your own.”
Kaz: “What? You mean people wouldn’t like it if they knew I was Resistance?”
Yeager: “Kaz, the average person doesn’t even know about the Resistance. But its not the average person you need to be worried about.”
It’s that last part that I found interesting: “the average person doesn’t even know about the Resistance.” That’s pretty self-explanatory, honestly, and it gives us a better understanding of the state of the galaxy entering the sequel trilogy.
We know that the First Order is obviously aware of the Resistance, as is New Republic leadership. And it seems that the Resistance is not a secret, as we’ve discovered plenty of people who know about the Resistance. But on the edges of the galaxy, it doesn’t sound like the Resistance has become common knowledge. It’s the New Republic, and that’s it.
That actually makes some sense, though. Regarding the New Republic, it seems that the Resistance is merely tolerated: they’re not opposed to the Resistance, but they’re not exactly too supportive either. There are allies of Leia in the New Republic, but the government certainly wouldn’t broadcast the existence of this small organization. Regarding the First Order, the Resistance is in a cold war: there is no open warfare allowed, but the conflict is brewing and is inevitable. But the First Order also isn’t as well-known, which allows it to grow in the Unknown Regions without anyone knowing how strong they really are. In other words, the First Order won’t be broadcasting anything about the Resistance either, because they’re not totally out in the open yet. So there’s not a lot of ways for the average person in the galaxy to find out about the Resistance.
Those who are closer to the situation obviously know of Leia’s Resistance. The closer one is to the New Republic or the First Order, the more likely they are to know about it. But the average person won’t be too close to either of those, so on a station like the Colossus, the average person won’t even know what it is.
Before long, however, the Resistance would become the last hope of people who don’t even know they exist.
Star Wars Thoughts 