First Order Navy

Following the Galactic Empire's crushing defeat during the Battle of Jakku and its subsequent surrender to the New Republic through the signing of the Galactic Concordance, the Empire reorganized itself into a military government called the First Order. This new entity eventually solidified its political influence within the galactic frontier of the Unknown Regions. In that remote area, shielded from the scrutiny of the New Republic, the First Order rapidly expanded its military capabilities and delved into some of the former Empire's most closely guarded military secrets, all in an effort to reclaim power. Through Project Resurrection, the First Order Navy managed to build hundreds of ships within the Unknown Regions, including the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought. By the time of the Battle of Starkiller Base, the First Order possessed enough capital ships to potentially regain control of the entire galaxy.

Approximately thirteen years before the destruction of the Hosnian system, the First Order started funneling billions of credits to the previously insignificant Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di and his cartel via a militia known as the Amaxine warriors. Rinnrivin's cartel was active in smuggling and gambling within New Republic territory, with the Amaxines acting as their financial backers and partners. Moreover, Rinnrivin's cartel and the Amaxines engaged in raiding legitimate commercial shipping and demanding protection money from merchants. The resulting profits were directed to shadow corporations located in the Outer Rim Territories and to Centrist sources like Lady Carise Sindian, who then transferred these funds back to the First Order. The First Order used these funds to rebuild the old Imperial fleet, which then formed the basis of their own navy.

Despite its undeniable strength, the First Order Navy was still only a small portion of the Imperial Navy that it was based on.

Around three decades after Endor, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer became the most modern vessel in the Order's arsenal. However, older designs such as the Imperial-class continued to serve in the First Order's Navy and were maintained by automated repair drones.

During the Cold War, the First Order engaged in minor conflicts with both the New Republic and the Resistance, a private military force established by General Leia Organa to monitor the First Order's activities. In 33 ABY, a First Order boarding party, supported by TIE fighters, captured the freighter Yissira Zyde close to Suraz 4. The New Republic's Rapier Squadron, led by Commander Poe Dameron, responded, but they were unable to prevent the theft. Later, Dameron initiated an unauthorized mission to locate the Yissira Zyde and encountered several First Order capital ships, including three Star Destroyers, four Lancer-class frigates, two Maxima-A class heavy cruisers, and one Dissident-class light cruiser.

As a response to Operation: Sabre Strike, the First Order fleet deployed several ships, including a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer and a Nebulon-K frigate, to stop the Resistance from capturing Senator Erudo Ro-Kiintor's luxury yacht Hevurion Grace, which carried proof of the senator's collaboration with the First Order. Despite their efforts, Dameron successfully escaped with the ship and returned to the Resistance. Consequently, the Resistance obtained information about the explorer Lor San Tekka, who possessed the key to finding Luke Skywalker.

During the attack on Demir, First Order starfighter forces fought against the Demirian in support of First Order ground troops. After Captain Phasma used her forces as bait to lure the Demerians out of their stronghold, a starfighter assault was launched, destroying all enemy forces.

During the First Order's operations, naval forces blockaded the Otomok system, and at least three Resurgent-class Star Destroyers were dispatched to Hays Minor to seize control of the planet's mines, and OreDiggers were deployed. During the occupation, rebels, including the Tico family, fought back against the First Order, but the planet was ultimately destroyed.

During the hunt for Lor San Tekka, the First Order fleet sent the Maxima A-class heavy cruiser Ravenous to assist First Order Security Bureau Agent Terex in locating the explorer first. The Ravenous and its TIE fighters engaged Poe's Black Squadron in a dogfight above Ovanis. After Black Squadron departed with information from the Crèche elder, Terex and his surviving troops were permitted to contact the Ravenous for extraction. The Resistance fighters allowed them to leave to avoid provoking a conflict between the First Order and the New Republic.

In 33 ABY, Kylo Ren led an invasion of Benath to halt their expansion in the region. An admiral joined Ren, and a First Order starship provided support to ground troops. The battle concluded with a First Order victory.

Later, a Maxima-A class heavy cruiser commanded by Malarus was sent to reprimand Agent Terex for his unauthorized campaign to destroy the Resistance. Malarus' cruiser appeared near the end of Terex's battle with Poe's Black Squadron and destroyed Terex's starship Carrion Spike. The heavy cruiser's TIE fighters then eliminated the remaining "Uglies" of the Ranc Gang before deploying a landing party to apprehend Terex.

Before the Hosnian Cataclysm, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer traveled to Jakku to attack Tuanul village, where Poe was meeting Lor San Tekka. After Poe escaped with the defecting stormtrooper Finn, the Finalizer engaged in a brief dogfight with their stolen TIE/sf space superiority fighter, which crashed on Jakku. Despite sending a landing party, Finn managed to escape with the scavenger Rey and the BB-series astromech droid BB-8, who was carrying the map to Skywalker.

Soon after the Hosnian Cataclysm, the Star Destroyer Retribution participated in the Battle of Kestro along with its starfighter complement. The Retribution was infiltrated by the Resistance and eventually forced out of hyperspace near the Battle of Starkiller Base. Following the destruction of Starkiller Base, surviving First Order forces regrouped near a planet, including the Finalizer, and the First Order Navy initiated a full-scale invasion of the galaxy, with Rey estimating that the First Order would control all major systems within weeks. Around this time, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Thunderer was sent to the planet Castilon to secure the Colossus after Resistance sympathizers managed to overthrow the First Order garrison there. Ultimately, the Colossus escaped into hyperspace with Resistance members onboard.

Before the Resistance could fully evacuate D'Qar, a First Order fleet of three Resurgent-class Battlecruisers under General Armitage Hux entered the system, joined by the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix, which destroyed the Resistance base. During the battle, the Fulminatrix was destroyed by the Resistance Cobalt Squadron, though the squadron was destroyed in the process. Although the Resistance fled into hyperspace, the First Order was able to use a hyperspace tracker to pursue them.

A larger First Order fleet, consisting of thirty Resurgent-class ships led by Supreme Leader Snoke's Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy, ambushed the Resistance fleet. Launching an attack on the fleet, the First Order reduced the Resistance forces to three capital ships and dispatched Kylo Ren's personal squadron, whose attack run killed several command crew, including Admiral Gial Ackbar. Over the next eighteen hours, the First Order pursued the Resistance through space, waiting for them to exhaust their fuel. The Resistance fighters evacuated to the planet Crait on a fleet of thirty U-55 orbital loadlifters. However, the slicer DJ revealed the Resistance's plan, and the First Order bombarded the loadlifters, destroying all but six.

In response, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo piloted the MC85 Star Cruiser Raddus, the Resistance flagship, into the Supremacy, severely damaging the massive warship and destroying twenty other Resurgent-class Star Destroyers. Meanwhile, Snoke was killed by his apprentice Kylo Ren, who then claimed the title of Supreme Leader. Ren subsequently led First Order ground forces against the Resistance during the Battle of Crait but failed to eliminate the rebels due to Luke's intervention.

Despite the loss of the Supremacy and a contingent of Resurgent-class Star Destroyers, the Finalizer remained intact. The First Order launched an offensive across the galaxy, with the Maxima-A class heavy cruiser Fortitude participating in the Battle of Ikkrukk, although it was destroyed. The Finalizer later became part of a flotilla consisting of at least seventeen Resurgent-class ships and a Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought that pursued the remaining members of the Resistance. Evidence was discovered that the Resistance had received assistance on the Mid Rim planet of Tah'Nuhna. Consequently, the flotilla traveled there and destroyed the planet through bombardment by starships and TIE/se Bombers, with snowtroopers massacring civilians.

Shortly afterward, a fleet of at least twelve Resurgent-class warships arrived over Mon Cala, acting on intelligence that the Resistance was present. After killing General Nossor Ri, a fleet of Mon Cala warships led by Aftab Ackbar managed to escape the planet's surface from the far side and jump to hyperspace, although the First Order managed to destroy a Nebulon-C escort frigate. Now aware that Mon Cala supported the Resistance, the First Order prepared to make an example of them.

Around this time, the First Order light cruiser Ladara Vex was dispatched to Minfar to retrieve the Echo Horn. Despite receiving reinforcements via a Resurgent-class, the Ladara Vex was destroyed by Resistance members and sympathizers, while a fleet of starships sent by Aftab arrived and destroyed the Star Destroyer. Some time later, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer was attacked by a Resistance fleet consisting of various capital ships and starfighters over the planet Batuu. After the Finalizer sustained serious damage during the battle, the Steadfast became the Supreme Leader's new flagship.

During the conflict with the Resistance, the Thunderer—a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer under the command of Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny—was dispatched by Captain Phasma to hunt down the mobile refueling platform Colossus. The inhabitants of the Colossus, led by Jarek Yeager and Captain Imanuel Doza, evaded First Order fleet forces on several occasions at various locations, including the Ileenium system and Aeos Prime. A sizable First Order fleet later devastated the surface of the planet Aeos Prime to punish the indigenous Aeosians for sheltering the Colossus, prompting First Order TIE Fighter Pilot Tamara Ryvora to defect to Team Colossus, who had by then joined the Resistance. Pyre and Tierny's Star Destroyer and forces were annihilated by the combined forces of the Colossus and Resistance in the Barabesh system.

In the year 35 ABY, First Order TIE/sf and TIE/wis fighters were deployed against a Resistance team led by Poe Dameron that obtained critical intelligence from the Resistance informant Boolio at the Sinta Glacier Colony, who had acquired it from the disaffected General Armitage Hux. First Order forces failed to prevent the Resistance team from escaping back to the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss, suffering several losses. As a result of this intelligence leak, the Resistance discovered that Darth Sidious had returned from the dead with a Sith armada known as the Final Order.

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren confronted the Emperor on Exegol, where he discovered the Xyston-class Star Destroyers that made up the Final Order. Sidious offered to make Ren his successor, granting him control of the fleet in exchange for killing Rey. While some within the First Order welcomed the chance to bolster their forces, others were wary of the Sith Eternal, a group of Sith cultists who served the Emperor and created the Final Order. General Domaric Quinn, a member of the First Order Supreme Council, objected to aligning the First Order with a Sith cult, while Allegiant General Enric Pryde favored the additional resources that their allies would provide to the First Order. Ren viewed the Sith fleet as an opportunity to transform the First Order into a genuine empire, thus reinstating military control over the galaxy.

Following Ren's redemption, the Sith Eternal forces, along with Pryde, were defeated by the Resistance and the Citizens' Fleet at the Battle of Exegol. In the aftermath of the Emperor's second death, various worlds rose up against the First Order. First Order warships were shot down on Endor, Jakku, and Bespin.

In order to crew their various starships, the naval forces of the First Order made use of a wide range of personnel, from the pilots of TIE fighters to the First Order fleet gunners manning the weapons batteries. The First Order considered its TIE Fighter Pilots to be crucial to its military operations, and prospective pilots were sometimes identified as children. They were then subjected to a rigorous training regime, often within the confines of warships. Throughout their service, they faced constant evaluation to ensure their reflexes, eyesight, and coordination remained at peak levels. The First Order also accepted adult recruits into its TIE pilot ranks. TIE pilot helmets with red markings indicated the pilot's affiliation with the First Order Special Forces, signifying their place within that elite unit. Special Forces pilots reported directly to the command structure overseeing the Starkiller operation.

Fleet gunners in the First Order served on the navy's Star Destroyers, including the Supremacy, which served as Snoke's flagship. These gunners wore helmets equipped with a face visor that displayed targeting information. Other support roles within the navy were filled by personnel such as First Order technicians.

Vast numbers of officers, enlisted personnel, and stormtroopers were stationed aboard First Order warships like the Resurgent-class Star Destroyers and the Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnoughts. A Resurgent Star Destroyer, for instance, carried a complement of 19,000 officers, 55,000 enlisted personnel, and 8,000 stormtroopers. This included two fighter wings. Dreadnoughts had an even larger crew, consisting of 53,000 officers, 140,000 enlisted personnel, and 22,000 stormtroopers.

The First Order High Command, a leadership council that included General Hux and the Supreme Leader, directed the First Order Navy. The fleet had at least two corps, including the First Order starfighter corps, which acted as the Starfighter Corps, and the Transport Corps. The Transport Corps also consisted of pilots, but they operated shuttles instead of starfighters.

The naval assets could be commanded by officers holding the rank of general or colonel, as well as officers of various ranks, including lieutenants and captains. The First Order Navy had constructed hundreds of capital ships at its peak.

Starkiller Base, the First Order's headquarters and the location of the Supremacy, was a devastating superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems.

The First Order utilized Station Theta Black for mining dedlanite, a material used in the construction of blasters. The First Order briefly occupied the Colossus, and also used the Titan, another supertanker fuel depot. The First Order also maintained control over the old Imperial shipyards orbiting Fondor.

The capital ships of the First Order Navy ranged from Star Destroyers to Star Dreadnoughts. The Supremacy, the First Order's flagship, was the only Mega-class Star Dreadnought in their fleet. The navy also had Siege Dreadnoughts, specifically Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnoughts of the Mandator line. Star Destroyers included Resurgent-class Star Destroyers, as well as Imperial-class Star Destroyers from the era of the old Empire. Maxima-A class heavy cruisers were also part of the First Order's naval strength.

The First Order Navy possessed a wide array of smaller warships, including frigates, light cruisers, and other vessels. Frigate models included the Lancer-class frigate and Nebulon-Ks, while light cruiser models included Dissident-class light cruisers First Order Light Cruisers, and the older Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser. Other vessels included First Order landing platforms, a First Order tanker, First Order bomber, and the modified IPV-2C Stealth Corvette, Carrion Spike.

During the blockade of the Otomok system, the First Order repurposed MG-100 StarFortress SF-17 aircraft into "OreDiggers," using them for mining operations. The First Order utilized a starship model during the battle against Benathy.

The First Order Navy utilized various transports and shuttles. Transports included AAL-1971/9.1 Troop Transports, First Order dropships, and First Order gunships, while shuttles included Griffin-class light shuttles, Upsilon-class command shuttles, Xi-class light shuttles, and TIE/es assault shuttles. During the mission to Cato Neimoidia, the First Order stole Leia Organa's ship.

The First Order's starfighter inventory included standard TIE/fo space superiority fighters, First Order Special Forces TIE/sf space superiority fighters, TIE/ba Baron Space Superiority Interceptors, TIE/se Bombers, First Order bombers, First Order TIE/rb heavy starfighters, TIE/wi Interceptor, TIE/wi modified interceptor and the elite TIE/vn space superiority fighters. The First Order also stole the T-70 X-wing starfighter Black One during the mission to Cato Neimoidia.

Starfighters were organized into squadrons and wings. Tarkin's Revenge, at least one fighter wing, was given a designation that was not numerical. It was stationed at Starkiller Base.