Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ending - 10 Implications For Episode VIII

7. The First Order Survived, But The Republic Is In Pieces

Thanks to the quick-fire editing of the climax, it wasn't exactly clear whether many of the First Order's foot-soldiers actually made it off the Starkiller base, but it seems unlikely that the entire force has been wiped out. Having only just introduced the idea of stealing children from families to be indoctrinated as troopers (presumably only from planets where everyone looks like normal humans), and with Finn's history still looming large, they can't just tighten the enemy forces to a handful of survivors. Presumably, we'll get some insight into the First Order's home-land, possibly a look at their child-catching behaviour and another plan for universal domination. Hopefully we won't see them unveil that other Starkiller base they just handily didn't mention in The Force Awakens. Because some rhyming is too much. And then there's the question of the New Republic. it might have been quietly glossed over (thanks to Abrams' desire not to get bogged down in politics no doubt), but there's a big narrative question now. Who is running the galaxy?