How was the First Order financed?

looting of natural resources of some doomed planets.

 

Maybe the empire changed it's name to the FO to give the Republic a false sense of advantage so the funding was never lost, they could raided Palpy's fortune to stay active.

 

So did I, when the empire lost at Endor, Coruscant was took back, so the empire should have been financially crippled, maybe Leia or Hux will give us a scene were the FO's debut took place.

 

Well I think the FO was originally meant to be similar to a (violent) hippy comune. Rax in the novel Aftermath mentioned the (then) GE had to BUY their weapons. Rax said we need to make their own. That saves $$$$$.

It seems most of the FO military is similar to Ottoman Janissaries. Basically soilder/slaves raised from birth. That saves $$$.

Although we may not see it ever on film the FO fleet is mostly made from already built GE ships. That's saves $$$.

And what ever they want they take by force. (No pun intended)

 

Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting the Ottomans to make an appearance, but I ain't mad.

 

"Subverting the New Republic
In the years leading up to the destruction of the Hosnian system, the First Order quietly bidded its time preparing for its eventual war with the New Republic. To generate funding to refit and rearm the former Imperial fleet, the First Order used a militia group called the Amaxine warriors as proxies to fund the Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di's cartel. Seven years prior to the "Napkin Bombing" at the New Republic senatorial complex on Hosnian Prime, the First Order used the Amaxines to inject billions of Credits as start-up capital into Rinnrivin's cartel, turning the hitherto minor cartel into a major crime syndicate. Establishing a mutual relationship with the Amaxines, Rinnrivin embarked on lucrative smuggling and gambling operations with the proceeds being channeled through shadowy corporations and Centrist sources back to the First Order, which used the money to rebuild its fleet."

Everything we know about the First Order is here:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/First_Order

 

The FO was repurposed from the remnants of the empire. Officially, the empire was restructured into the new republic to ensure a smoothe transition. But with funding that I'm sure that Palpatine hid and his secret facilities that he probably had, then that's what they probably used
.

 

My understanding is that the First Order is much smaller (and poorer) than the Empire was, as the New Republic is also smaller than both the Empire and the Old Republic. The First Order does seem to control though a section of the galaxy, probably beyond he Outer Rim, in the so-called Unknown Regions, where I assume they can raise taxes and loot planets for their natural resources. In between the FO-controlled region and the New Republic territory, there seem to be several neutral star systems. Maybe Episode VIII will elaborate further on that.

 

1. Forced labour, deep mining and rare (earth) mineral exploition (provides The First Order an unfair advantage in the intergalactic markets)
2. Unlimited access to the Republic common market as regulated in the Galactic Concordance treaty
3. Bilateral trade agreements with individual members of the New Republic (divide and rule). Nurture discord and competition between members of The New Republic
4. Heavy arms and weapons industry fuels internal economy
5. Military biliting, requisitioning and head taxation. The burdon of a massive army is carried by the population in general and not necessarily by the 'State". Furthermore, the 'Mamluk' type military does not need to pay its soldiers with wages.
6. Disownment (periodical)
7. Banking -providing loans and subsidies to members of the New Republic and non-aligned planets
8. External income: systematically plundering and ransacking conquered territories by formal (state) and informal means.
9. Corruption within the New Republic senate.
10. Indirect financial flows: Republic and non-aligned NGO's (Banking clans, consortia) under the indirect supervision/control/sponsorship of The First Order. Anything to make the Galactic and Republic's economy work in the First Order's favour.

This is how you organize a massive militaristic state like the First Order and get stinking rich in the process.

 

Galactic War Lords. They don't really need to be financed, just need to have enough resources to take resources and labor from others (which it seems they have the ability to do and have been doing for 20 or so years). That would be my guess

 

I thought that Finn was a janitor?

 

I would have to say that the First Order must have been backed up by many loyalist systems. When we talk about the Empire, we usually see things from the Rebels point of view and instantly label them as the bad guys and nothing more yet to many people in SW, the Empire was actually the good guys and it was the Rebels who were trying to mess everything up. Let's quote old Ben by saying that it all depends on a certain point of view. Let's now look at things through the eyes of two classic alien races:

Wookies and Trandoshans!

While the Wookies were treated as trash by the Empire and used as slaves, Trandoshans weren't and they were even employed by the Empire to help them hunt down the Wookies. For a Wookie it would be crazy to wish for the return of the Empire and I'm pretty sure non of them would ever help fund anything that had to do with their return. The Trandoshans however benefited greatly from the Empire as it made legal many of the atrocities that they did against their hated Wookie enemies. Had the Trandoshans known that the First Order would give them the same rights that the late Empire gave them, I'm pretty sure Snoke would be able to count on Trandosha for funding. This same thing would happen from each and every system that had much to gain from the Empire.

While some worlds were reduced to nothing or enslaved, other worlds prospered as the Empire opened up great job and education opportunities to many systems. Imagine how much money did the shipyards that worked for the Empire make or those who built it's blasters, armors or droids. It is with these people in mind that I can guess who funded the FO.

 

I was surprise that was the level of employment he was put, I always thought that was reserved for droids.