A year after its decisive victory at the Battle of Endor as depicted in Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance reorganized itself into the New Republic. The goal of the New Republic was to restore the democratic rule of the galaxy that had existed under its predecessor state, the Old Republic. The Republic pressed its advantage against the Empire by pursuing shattered imperial forces across the galaxy. The Republic placed its first capital on the planet Chandrila, but later would decide to rotate its capital among the Republic's many member planets in order to symbolically differentiate itself from the Old Republic, rather than being seated on the planet Coruscant, the capital planet of the Old Republic and later the Galactic Empire. The restored Senate oversees the stripping of strong executive powers from the chancellor and heavy demilitarization after a peace treaty is signed with the Empire after the Battle of Jakku that effectively reduces it to a rump state in the Outer Rim of the Galaxy.
''The Force Awakens'' (2015)
As depicted in the film, , as well as surrounding published material, which takes place approximately three decades after the events of Return of the Jedi, the New Republic has defeated the Galactic Empire and placed itself as the ruling government of the galaxy. Despite this, thousands of Imperial loyalists, bureaucrats, and military officers retreated into the unexplored regions of the galaxy in hopes of rebuilding the Old Empire, as it was being called, and restoring Imperial rule to the galaxy. These individuals were able to form the First Order, an offshoot of the Empire seeking to destroy the Republic and rule the galaxy. For the three decades preceding the film, the First Order operated secretly in the unexplored regions, rebuilding its army and starfleet, in hopes of resurrecting the Empire. Inspired by the ideology of the Old Empire, the First Order constructed Starkiller Base, which hosted a massive superweapon that was capable of destroying entire star systems at once. The superweapon was built into a mobile planet from the unexplored regions of the galaxy, and would travel across multiple star systems to draw their sun's energy in order to charge its weapon. In The Force Awakens, the First Order's General Hux, who commands Starkiller Base, has its superweapon fire on the Hosnian system, which includes Courtsilius, Raysho, Hosnian, Cardota, and Hosnian Prime, the capital planet of the Republic at the time. The weapon is successful, and destroys a portion of the Republic's defense fleet and Senate, the ruling legislative body of the Republic, as well as the system itself, killing billions of citizens. However, Starkiller Base is later destroyed by the Resistance, a splinter of the Republic's military and protagonists of the film, during a battle shortly after the destruction of the Hosnian system.
''The Last Jedi'' (2017)
It is revealed in the sequel that the New Republic was disbanded after the destruction of the Senate. The First Order, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Snoke, begins seizing military control of the galaxy as Republic systems either choose to capitulate to the reigning First Order or resist their conquest. Vice Admiral Holdo asserts to the Resistance that their mission is to survive and restore the Republic, thereby suggesting that it has collapsed entirely as the Resistance begins to be referred to as rebels. However, the novelization of The Last Jedi states that some Republic commanders survived the Hosnian Cataclysm and have returned to their homeworlds. Leia sends Resistance agents to those worlds to galvanize support.
Legends
Following the Alliance to Restore the Republic's victory at the Battle of Endor, which is depicted in Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance temporarily reorganizes into the Alliance of Free Planets. The new Alliance serves as a provisional government which eventually transitions into the New Republic. Later, the New Republic is threatened by the Dark Empire in the 3-part graphic novel of the same name. Later, in the process of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, the New Republic is destroyed. Later, at the end of The New Jedi Order, the New Republic is reborn as the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. After Disney's acquisition of the franchise, the Expanded Universe was rebranded as Legends and declared non-canon.
