>>104480133Sorry for the long post, as I've thought about how to change the first order for a long time:
Make them very different than the Empire. Don't make them this massive imperial-esq uniform totalitarian empire, because it doesn't make sense in the context of the world. Instead, make them this small but elite band of super soldiers, sort of like the mandalorians. They aren't made up of canon fodder, as each soldier is a dangerous adversary even to a Jedi. Tech wise, I like the idea that they've gathered old imperial technology like ships, carriers, destroyers, and such, but they have added onto it to make each one powerful. A single upgraded tie-interceptor has the ability to take down a New Republic cruiser. Have their gear be very worn down, angular, and industrial, not the clean shiny ships and armor we see in the film. Make their armor a bit more bulkier and give variety to the soldiers. Kind of like the clones in the clone wars, they'll have nose art and iconography on their ships and weapons, or scratches and scars from countless black ops-level missions.
Lastly, their ideology is entirely anti-force. As in, no Jedi or Sith. They aren't ruled by a mysterious cloaked sithlord, but instead a straight-laced intelligent military officer
preferably someone like Thrawn. That could be the push for a nice trilogy, of this elite band of imperial radicals pushed over the edge by the amount of death and destruction caused by force users. I don't know, I just want something more interesting than what we got.
