Originally Posted by
ClanAskani
TLA fails to add much to the information about what happened in the time between ROTJ and TFA. How does the Empire return as the First Order? How is Snoke involved?
Canto Bight doesn't help add anything to this since the New Republic was only taken out by the First Order at the very end of TFA. Paige and her sister likely are from a Republic run world. The First Order isn't responsible for their problems. The First Order doesn't run Canto Bight - the Republic did. So all those arms shipments - those were the fault of Republic leaders like Leia, Holdo and Mon Mothma.
Rian needed to have set his politician commentary in a different time since it doesn't work in TLJ. The First Order isn't running these worlds - it's a foreign invader who's been off building strength for an invasion and just blew up the legitimate government. All Rian did was set-up how corrupt and incompetent the New Republic was and how they allowed arms dealing and slavery to happen.
Makes you really want to read about all of Leia and Luke's adventures battling the evil New Republic in the years between ROTJ and TFA doesn't it? That's fine if you want to add in real world commentary, but this is suppose to be escapism fantasy. Mon Mothma as the leaders who allows slavery and arms shipments isn't what I want in Star Wars.
I don't think Rian ever thought for 5 minutes about what happened between ROTJ and TFA. He was too busy figuring out other themes with the assumption the First Order = The Empire = The Bad Guys and treating the story as if the rebels never won in ROTJ.