Secretly built by Darth Sidious and his Sith cultists on the planet Exegol, the Final Order--also called the Final Order fleet, Sith Eternal fleet, Sith fleet, Sith armada, New Order, New Empire, or Sith Empire--represented a colossal fleet composed of Xyston-class Star Destroyers. The Final Order, accompanied by an army of Sith troopers beyond count, was the realization of a grand plan spanning over a millennium, and a conspiracy cultivated for decades. Each Star Destroyer was armed with an axial superlaser capable of obliterating entire worlds, and the Final Order aimed to subject the galaxy to the eternal dominion of a revived Sith Empire through military might.
While the Resistance fought the First Order—essentially a continuation of the Galactic Empire—the Sith Eternal, followers of the Sith religion, dedicated themselves to forging the largest armada ever seen in galactic history. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren learned of the Final Order's existence from the reborn Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, who implored Darth Vader's descendant to seize the fleet and rule the entire galaxy as the new Galactic Emperor.
Even though Ren rejected the dark side of the Force, Sidious' schemes progressed with the aid of Allegiant General Enric Pryde. The Derriphan, one of the Star Destroyers that formed the Final Order, exhibited its destructive capacity to the galaxy by destroying the planet Kijimi. To thwart Sidious' ambition of establishing a new Sith Empire, the Resistance navy ventured into the Unknown Regions in a desperate attempt to prevent the Final Order from launching.
Ultimately, the Battle of Exegol resulted in a resounding defeat for Sidious and his adherents, as the Resistance and a Citizens' Fleet completely annihilated the Final Order. Consequently, the First Order military faced open attacks from uprisings on numerous worlds across the galaxy, including Bespin, Jakku, Endor, Naboo, Corellia, and Coruscant.
Under the command of Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the Final Order represented the Sith Eternal's immense, world-destroying fleet. This cult possessed 1,080 Xyston-class Star Destroyers, whose overall design mirrored that of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers utilized by the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy. Additionally, the Final Order had AAL-2100/9.5 atmospheric assault landers and TIE/dg starfighters at its disposal. However, the Xyston-class Star Destroyers were larger, featured red highlights along the hull of their vessels, and were fitted with a massive axial superlaser capable of annihilating entire planets, taking the place of a standard Imperial-class Star Destroyer's primary hangar area. These Star Destroyers carried TIE/dg starfighters, distinguished by their triangular wings and red accents, capable of ship-to-ship combat, and Sith troopers, including the Sith Jetpack Troopers variant, deployed via AAL-2100/9.5 atmospheric assault landers and organized into traditional Sith legions. Each legion, named after deceased Sith Lords, consisted of five thousand soldiers.
The Final Order, comprising ranks such as Petty Officers, lieutenants, and captains, was staffed by Fleet technicians and Sith Eternal officers.
The Sith cultists conceived the Final Order as the concluding phase of Darth Sidious' Contingency—the Dark Lord of the Sith and Galactic Emperor's plan to establish perpetual Sith rule across the galaxy. With the First Order gaining prominence under Darth Vader's grandson, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the Emperor broadcast his threat of retribution throughout the galaxy, which led Ren to seek out Sidious and attempt to kill him in 35 ABY. Using a Sith wayfinder that once belonged to his grandfather, Ren located the mythical world of Exegol, the base of Sidious and the Sith Eternal. Within the Sith Citadel, he uncovered numerous secrets, including the origins of his predecessor, Supreme Leader Snoke, Sidious' resurrection in a cloned body, and the hidden heritage of the Jedi apprentice Rey. Furthermore, Ren discovered that he was destined to inherit the new Sith Empire envisioned by the cultists and their master.
Snoke had served his purpose by dying at the hands of his apprentice, as the Sith Eternal had created the former Supreme Leader to ensure that Ren would become a worthy successor to the Sith legacy. Upon Ren's arrival on Exegol, Sidious revealed the Final Order as a formidable armada poised to conquer the galaxy under Ren's command as the new Emperor, supported by an army of countless Sith troopers. However, Sidious imposed a condition: Ren had to extinguish the Jedi Order by killing Rey before Sidious would grant him control of the Final Order.
Despite Sidious' plans for Ren, the Skywalker heir abandoned the dark side and the First Order, embracing the light side as Ben Solo. Allegiant General Enric Pryde, aboard his Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast, reaffirmed his loyalty to the Emperor he had previously served. With Pryde's support, Sidious decided that the time had come to unleash the Final Order from Exegol. Although both the First Order and the Sith Eternal were derived from the Emperor's Contingency, pragmatic First Order officers struggled to cooperate with the fanatical Sith Eternal cultists but had no choice to avoid incurring Darth Sidious' wrath.
Following the Emperor's instructions, General Pryde deployed a Xyston-class Star Destroyer, the Derriphan, from Exegol to demonstrate force by destroying a planet near the Resistance with its axial superlaser. They selected Kijimi as their target, and the capital ship's superlaser emitted a red beam that struck the planet's surface, using red bolts of energy to hit the planet. Enormous shockwaves rippled across Kijimi, and the laser beam eventually penetrated the planet's core, tearing it asunder. The Sith Eternal broadcast the destruction of Kijimi throughout the galaxy, declaring the Resistance defeated and demanding unconditional surrender from all worlds, promising the eternal flame of the Sith.
The warships in the fleet were too numerous to simultaneously depart from Exegol without a guiding navigational beacon, so they relied on a navigation signal to coordinate their initial launch from the Sith world. A navigation tower had been constructed on the planet for this purpose, although other ships could fulfill this role in emergencies.
Despite the decades of investment in constructing this immense force, the Final Order's objective of retribution was never realized. A small force from the Resistance fleet, commanded by Generals Poe Dameron and Finn, confronted it. Although this initial force was almost completely destroyed, a "Citizens' Fleet" consisting of thousands of armed civilian vessels led by General Lando Calrissian emerged from hyperspace above the destroyers. Exploiting a vulnerability in the Xyston-class design, where their planet-killing cannons served as weak points, the strengthened Resistance fleet quickly overwhelmed the Sith fleet. The Steadfast, the armada's flagship, was also destroyed, preventing any of the destroyers from escaping the battle.
Consequently, the Final Order suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Exegol, its warships reduced to wreckage on Exegol's surface. With the Sith fleet vanquished, the First Order faced widespread revolts throughout the galaxy.
The Final Order made its debut in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, the concluding installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
While the Final Order is part of Star Wars Canon, the Dark Empire organization from Tom Veitch's Star Wars: Dark Empire comic book series in Star Wars Legends shares similarities with it. Like the Final Order, the Dark Empire was led by a resurrected Emperor Palpatine and sought to dominate the galaxy like its predecessor, the Galactic Empire, and reestablish Sith rule. Furthermore, both had a group of dark side warriors within their ranks (Knights of Ren/Dark Side Elite), share an alternate name with "Empire" in it (Sith Empire and New Empire for the Final Order, and the Empire Reborn for the Dark Empire), both possessed starships equipped with superlasers and a fleet tasked with retaking control of the galaxy from a secret Sith planet (Exegol/Byss, and both attempted to bring a Jedi over to the dark side (Rey/Luke Skywalker).