Supreme Leader

The Supreme Leader was the absolute ruler of the First Order, a successor state to the Galactic Empire. Invested with absolute power, these self-appointed rulers controlled every aspect in the First Order, but could also delegate authority to officers in the military. In addition, the First Order utilized propaganda to promote unconditional loyalty to the Supreme Leader, particularly in the case of next-gen stormtroopers who were conscripted at birth to become soldiers of the First Order and its rulers.

The First Order was an offshoot of the Contingency, a secret plan devised by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine to destroy the Empire, while simultaneously rebuilding it in the Unknown Regions, where a select number of Imperial officers and military personnel escaped in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War. Palpatine, who was the public persona of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, created an artificial Force-sensitive Strand-Cast known as Snoke to rule the First Order as his proxy. During the New Republic Era, Snoke outmaneuvered his rivals and secured absolute power as Supreme Leader of the First Order. As a ruler, Snoke controlled the First Order from his flagship, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy, instead of a planetary capital. Snoke also delegated authority to General Armitage Hux and other high-ranking officers, allowing them to lead his armies while he focused on spiritual matters of the Force.

The First Order-Resistance War began in 34 ABY, after Snoke authorized General Hux's plan to overthrow the New Republic by destroying its capital of Hosnian Prime. The Supreme Leader then directed his forces to conquer the galaxy and defeat the Resistance. However, during the Battle of Oetchi, Snoke was assassinated by his dark side apprentice, Kylo Ren, who usurped his Master's title as the new Supreme Leader. Although the Resistance escaped destruction in the Battle of Crait, the First Order succeeded in conquering much of the known galaxy under Ren's leadership. In 35 ABY, Ren discovered that Sidious was secretly resurrected on Exegol, where the Sith Eternal cult created a vast armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers collectively referred to as the Final Order. Ren sought to control the Sith fleet and rule the galaxy as the new Emperor, until his return to the light side of the Force as Ben Solo. Despite the loss of Ren, Sidious retained control of the First Order through Allegiant General Enric Pryde, the highest-ranking member of the First Order Supreme Council, who pledged his loyalty to the Dark Lord of the Sith. However, their forces were defeated by the Resistance and its allies in the Battle of Exegol, preventing the return of the Sith and precipitating a galaxy-wide uprising against the First Order.

Text and facts from the “Supreme Leader” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.