Why are the Rebels still called rebels in the The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi? [duplicate]

Why are the Rebels still called rebels in the The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi? [duplicate] - Young Tattooed People in a Sandlot

In the original trilogy (A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi) calling Luke, Leia, Hans, etc made sense. They're rebelling against an evil empire.

In the latest set of Star Wars movies, they are still called The Resistance (and generally see themselves as such), and the First Order routinely calls them "Rebel scum".

Except if my understanding of the plot is correct The First Order is actually the rebel scum! They destroyed the capital, then used their fleet of ships to began taking control of the galaxy in between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

It seems like it would make more sense for the First Order to use "democratic scum", "government scum". Even during a civil or revolutionary war, the insurgents don't call the other side rebels - they call them Brits, Northerners, etc, not rebels.

Has this ever been addressed either in Star Wars media or in cast and crew interview?

EDIT: Out of universe calling people rebel scum is part of Star Wars. There is a reason many of the walk-ways in Star Wars don't have guard rails - I wondered if this is the same.



Best Answer

After following some links in the comments, I managed to find a good answer to the "Rebel Scum" comments from the First Order.

Based on The First Order Wikipedia Entry and this entry Battle of Jakku the Star Wars fandom wiki, here is why the First Order still use "Rebel Scum"

Post Return of the Jedi, mounting military losses and defeats took a heavy toll in the Imperial Empire (a.k.a The Emporer and Darth Vader's government). This forced the Imperial Empire Government to sign a peace treaty essentially splitting up the galaxy and recognizing the Resistance, now called the New Republic, and ceding most of the former Imperial Empire to the New Republic.

Several lieutenants and sympathizers still loyal to the Imperial Empire went off to a corner of the galaxy and formed the First Order. Apparently, the treaty didn't have a disarmament clause, as they took the Storm Troopers and what was left of the Imperial Empire fleet with them.

Since the First Order sees itself as the Imperial Empire, they'd call members of the New Republic "Rebel Scum" who unfairly took their planets from them.




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Does Star Wars Rebels take place after Clone Wars?

To put it another way, Rebels begins14 years after the end of The Clone Wars, which is set from 22 BBY to 19 BBY. That not only means that there are 14 years between the two shows that are ripe for exploration, but that when we meet Ahsoka, Maul, and Rex again on Rebels, they're a bit older.

Why is The New Republic called the Resistance?

The Resistance stood as a check against the First Order and opposed it in open warfare after it destroyed the Republic and moved in to seize military control of the galaxy.

What is the difference between the Rebellion and the Resistance Star Wars?

The Rebellion was formed after the Empire had taken over and destroyed the Republic. They were rebelling against the powers that be, The Resistance was formed while the new Republic was in power to resist against the advances of the First Order. They are not one and the same.

Where does Star Wars Rebels fit into the timeline?

Meanwhile, Star Wars Rebels begins its story only five years prior to A New Hope. This means that the events of Star Wars Rebels takes place in the year 5 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin), and that is four years after Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is set in 9 BBY.



Mark Hamill Hates Star Wars The Last Jedi




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