The Star Wars franchise is easily one of the most recognizable names in all of entertainment. Beginning in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and continuing most recently in 2017 with Star Wars: Episode XIII – The Last Jedi, the franchise has ascended from mere entertainment and entered the realm of being an almost essential part of American culture. Let’s be honest, whether or not you’ve seen any of the films, everyone at the very least knows what Star Wars is and can probably misquote a very famous Darth Vader line about parentage. The most recent entry, Star Wars: Episode XIII – The Last Jedi, marked the ninth live action film and the eighth story detailing the Skywalker sag. Countless books, comics, and cartoons have gone on to deepen the Star Wars in an effort to reach and even larger audience, making Star Wars one of the few franchises that truly stands the test of time and spans multiple generations.

In 1977, the world was introduced to the Skywalker family in, what was then, a groundbreaking feat of special effects, filming, and epic storytelling. Many told George Lucas that he was crazy and this wild idea of his would never be able to be translated to the screen, let alone be successful. Now, 40 years and nine films later, Disney has purchased his intellectual property and shows no signs of slowing down. While we all eagerly await the May release of Solo: A Star Wars Story here are 20 Things You Didn’t Know Happened Between Episode 7 And 8.

20 Han Solo's Send-Off

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We all shed a tear during that fateful scene towards the end of The Force Awakens when Kyle Ren put an end to his father, fan favorite hero Han Solo. A callback to the Anakin/Luke dichotomy, it was heartbreaking, shocking, and ultimately very fitting. Han was a character that was absolutely larger than life, a veritable living legend in the galaxy far, far, away: everyone knew his name.

It is only fitting that a man such as he be sent off in the grandest of fashions.

While it was never shown on-screen, you can be certain that the Resistance granted Han Solo a beautiful celebration of life in honor of everything that he’d done to further their cause. Without Han there is, arguably, no Poe Dameron, no Luke Skywalker, and definitely no Ben Solo.

19 New Heroes

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The Force Awakens introduced us to Rey and FN-2187 (Finn), as the two main protagonists to this portion of the Star Wars saga. Rey being an orphan, and Finn a former Stormtrooper, the two had no former allegiance with Resistance whatsoever at the beginning of the film.

However, by the time of the Last Jedi, Rey and Finn are considered heroes of the Resistance and their names are known to all.

The reason for this is simple: they destroyed Starkiller Base. After the destruction of the First Order’s not-so-secret weapon, neither Rey nor Finn was around to humanize themselves. Rey ran off to train with Luke and Finn got stuck in a coma; their stories of their deeds went unchecked and modern legends were born to replace the likes of Han, Leia, and Luke.

18 The First Order

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During The Force Awakens, the First Order is set up as the main antagonist that has taken the Empire’s place. However, unlike the Empire, the Order is by no means an established regime. Whereas the Empire was firmly rooted and the accepted authority in A New Hope, the First Order is still in its infancy, with groups like the New Republic and the Resistance openly against them.

It’s almost as if the First Order was an empire at birth, still conquering as it grows ever stronger.

However, with the Resistance on their last legs and the New Republic all but destroyed by the end of The Force Awakens, the First Order decides it’s time for the fatal blow. They brings they forces to the forefront in the opening scene of The Last Jedi.

17 Supreme Leader Snoke

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Considering the First Order can smell victory right around the corner, it only makes sense that their leader should accompany them with the remainder of their fleet. Supreme Leader Snoke resides on the large ship which is heavily in pursuit of the remainder of the Resistance fleet.

While you may not have thought twice about Snoke being present in person, take a moment to consider how monumental this is.

In the previous film, Snoke was only seen or communicated with through hologram. His broken and frail body gives the sense of vulnerability, as if unnecessary movement is something he’d rather avoid. The fact that by the opening of The Last Jedi he has arrived in person means that he feels as if victory is assured.

16 Kylo Ren's Failure

Star Wars The Last Jedi Screenshot Of Kylo Ren

Let’s face it, by the end of The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren has failed miserably. Not only did he allow the base to be destroyed on his watch, he also let Rey get away, and he allowed the remainder of the Resistance fleet to escape as well. Perhaps this is why Snoke came to the front lines!

With such monumental failure, it’s a sure bet that there will be some repercussions.

It looks as if that took the form of Kylo Ren losing some of his authority and esteem in Snoke’s gaze. General Hux has a more prominent role throughout The Last Jedi, Snoke is there in person, and Ren looks to be relegated to more of a pupil role as opposed to a Commander.

Still, Snoke is infinitely more forgiving than the Emperor was.

15 A Brave Little Droid

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At the end of The Force Awakens, R2-D2 finally awakens from his long slumber since Luke went into hiding and provides the crucial missing piece of the map which was necessary in order to find Luke. This means that, for years, the Resistance was without the colourful droid which delighted audiences for decades.

Between the two films, it’s safe to assume that the droid began to act more like its old self.

While R2-D2 may be mourning the loss of his best friend Luke, C-3P0, Leia, and Chewy are all ecstatic to have the droid back and moving around. Knowing Luke is actually alive would only serve to instill the droid with new hope. Finally seeing R2-D2 and Luke reunite onscreen was definitely one of the more moving moments in the history of Star Wars.

14 The New Republic

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After losing most of the fighting power during the attack on the base, the Resistance was left with a large void. It’s only natural that some of the leaders were lost in the fighting, leaving the Resistance in a very tough situation and lacking leadership. In The Last Jedi, it looks as if only General Organa and Admiral Ackbar are left to lead the Resistance.

With Admiral’s Ackbars death during the film and General Organa’s brush with death, we see the full ramifications of lacking a clear cut leader.

Poe and his sect make plans of their own while Finn is off on Canto Bright. It looked as if the Resistance was all but finished, lucky for them, the First Order was having some leadership issues of its own.

13 A New Generation Of Heroes

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As stated earlier, Finn and Rey are certified Resistance heroes by time The Last Jedi rolls around. So then it is no surprise that they would have inspired the next generation of Resistance fighters and heroes. For example, while Rose Tico had been a member of the Resistance for quite some time, the recent death of her sister shook her resolve to the cause.

Rose did not turn to the legend of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker to inspire her, finding purpose in the deeds of Rey and Finn: real-life heroes.

To her, they are the embodiment of what it means to fight for the Resistance, the reason her sister gave her life in service. Rose isn’t the only one either, many of the remaining young members of the Resistance had to turn to Rey and Finn for strength and inspiration.

12 Rey Trains Herself

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We all remember that excellent and amazing moment when Rey lands on the mysterious island where Luke is hiding out on and hands his lightsaber back to him. Talk about powerful.

We find out rather quickly in The Last Jedi that Luke has absolutely no interest in training Rey.

In fact, he’s been ignoring her and going about his day for quite some time. In the meantime, what does Rey do, pout? No, she trains herself! That’s right. Rey knows how dire the situation is back with the Resistance, and she spends what time she can doing whatever training exercises she can manage. In true Jedi fashion, perhaps this is just a test by Luke? Maybe, just maybe, it was Luke’s own special brand of Jedi training!

11 The Final Assault

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Coming out of deep space with Snoke in tow, the First Order's arrival bodes poorly for the Resistance. Despite the destruction of the base and Kylo Ren’s apparent failures, Supreme Leader Snoke decides to initiate the final assault himself. At some point between the films, the Resistance was forced to evacuate D'Qar base, which we had last seen them on and flee.

They apparently had been fleeing for quite a while; not only is the First Order hot on their tail, but they are dangerously low on fuel and manpower.

This all hints at a dangerous confrontation followed by a long pursuit. This final assault is almost completed, and likely would have succeeded if not for the madness which took place in Snoke’s throne room and Rey and Ren.

10 Destruction

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To be clear, the New Republic and the Resistance are two different entities that don’t always agree, hence the separation. The attack on the Republic base eliminated the leadership of the New Republic entirely. However, while the leadership and a significant percent of the population are gone, it would be false to say that the entire New Republic has been severely decimated.

Much like the Resistance, the Republic can be considered merely weakened, with loyalists out there somewhere, waiting with plans to continue the dream.

The sentiment echoed at the end of The Last Jedi applies to the remnants of the New Republic too. There will always be another generation, and they’ll need guidance. Those who survived the attack of the base are likely rebuilding their Republic as we speak.

9 Judge, Jury, And Executioner

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Although she has had minimum screen time, Captain Phasma has cemented herself as a fan favorite villain in Star Wars lore. By the time The Last Jedi rolls around, Captain Phasma has a deep hatred for Finn, known to her only as FN-2187. Their vendetta comes to a head when they go blow-for-blow on Supreme Leader Snoke’s ship.

However, after the events of The Force Awakens, we know that Phasma took Finn’s betrayal of the Stormtroopers personally.

As the commanding officer in charge of the Stormtroopers, she likely took the necessary steps to assure that this would not happen again. Phasma likely interrogated each trooper under her command, those she deemed fit for duty continued about their day. Those she deemed unfit, well, let’s just say they weren’t offered a cushy retirement package.

8 General Leia Organa

Princess Leia is one of the most well-known characters in all of Star Wars. Though she may technically be a Princess, she is not, and nor has ever been a damsel in distress. She always competes and contributes on the same level, if not more than, her male counterparts.

That’s why when the First Order initiates their final assault, it is Leia that everyone turns to for their safety and survival.

Leia implements a number of different plans and back-up ideas in order to escape their predicament successfully. She planned for an all-out attack on the First Order, for Rey being sent to fetch Luke, and for Vice Admiral Holdo as her stand-in, should anything happen to her. Leia is likely the only reason the Resistance found themselves with a chance to escape the First Order instead out outright destroyed.

7 A Secret Promotion

We’ve already covered Kylo Ren’s extensive list of accrued failures during The Force Awakens, which led to some serious consequences for him. Well, these failures may have resulted negatively for the First Order overall, but someone did indeed benefit from them: General Hux.

In Episode VII, Hux and Ren seem to be on relatively equal footing, with Kylo perhaps holding more authority.

By episode eight, this has all changed. It is evident when we see Kylo Ren actively participating in the pursuit, whereas General Hux seems to be leading it from the bridge. This dynamic continues until about three quarters of the way through the film when Kylo Ren decides he’s done playing the nice apprentice.

6 Maz Kanata On The Run

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Maz Kanata was another one of those newly-introduced fan favorite characters from The Force Awakens. Her seemingly illegal trade empire, her quirky nature, and her unashamed flirting with Chewbacca endeared her to many fans. However, in The Last Jedi, it looks as if Maz is no longer safe and sound in her hideout.

The First Order attacked the planet she was previously using as her base of operations; Maz had to flee in order to survive.

Where did she go? We don’t really know that but you can be sure that wherever she is, she’s busy. If Maz Kanata has the type of connections to get her hands on the Skywalker family lightsaber, she most assuredly is in the process of building up her power base once again.

5 Rebuilding

During the short interval between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi you can be sure that the Resistance tried everything. They tried to rebuild and recruit wherever possible, working hard to regrow any losses sustained in the seventh instalment of the series. Any survivors from the dismantled New Republic were welcome, any deserters from the First Order, or indeed anybody who was willing to help bring down the tyranny that was sweeping over the galaxy.

The battles between the Republic and the Resistance are ruthless; both sides need enough time to recuperate their losses.

While their efforts seemed to be in vain, there was most definitely an effort given and that can be seen by the final scenes of The Last Jedi as a new generation of Resistance fighters begins to take root.

4 C-3P0 Coloured-In

This one is more silly than anything, but at the end of The Force Awakens our old pal C-3P0 is seen with a red replacement arm instead of his regular one. However, by The Last Jedi, we see that his original arm has been returned!

Where did they find the time to spruce up C-3P0 in the midst of a dangerous attack from the First Order?

Whose idea was it? BB-8? I like to think that upon waking up R2-D2 saw his friends arm and immediately took matters into his own hands and found his friend a more suitable replacement part. Whatever the reason, we see a near brand new looking C-3P0 in the newer film.

3 Rey Feels The Dark Side

The Last Jedi shows us clearly that the allure of the dark side is seducing Rey, making her question her identity and her allegiance to the Light. During her time on Anch-To, the cave draws to her very strongly and shows that she has as much dark side in her as the light side.

It almost a certainty that she began to feel the pull of the dark side as soon as she landed.

We mentioned before that Rey had been training herself while waiting for Luke to come around on Anch-To, being as force sensitive as she is, Rey definitely felt the dark side growing in her. Her development as a double-sensitive Star Wars character is crucial to the franchise, helping to blur the separation of purely black and white sides.

2 Kylo Ren Feels It Too

Not only does Rey feel the pull to the dark side within her, Kylo Ren can sense it in her as well. At the end of The Force Awakens, Kylo tried to persuade Rey into joining him and the First Order. This initial offer was more of a blind offer than grounded in anything real.

In The Last Jedi Rey and Kylo share their odd force visions; Kylo Ren tells her that he can sense the confusion in her and in himself.

This means that during the short period of time between the two movies, Kylo sensed the same thing that happened to him happening to her. Kylo then decides his best course of action is to try and sway Rey to join him rather than fight him.

1 Luke Knows What's Happening

We were surprised to find that Luke actually knew all along. He knew about the First Order, their planned annihilation of other governments in the galaxy, about the destruction of the Resistance and about the end of the Jedi. Leia may have sent Rey to inform Luke of the perilous situation and bring him back, but it may have already been a moot point. Luke is the single most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, it’s proven that he has a force connection with Leia, he is very aware of the state he left the Resistance and the rest of the galaxy in.

But Luke unfortunately just doesn’t care anymore; he feels beaten down.

He’s not the same farm boy we knew before, he’s now the bitter old man we spent time with in The Last Jedi. Thankfully, Rey manages to reawaken the spark in him, and just in time too!