“Star Wars: The Force Awakens Final Trailer” The Screen Shot Breakdown

Speaking of the 30 years we’ve missed, Han’s speech here is so fascinating.  He speaks of the Jedi and the Empire as if they are myths and legends lost in the sands of time. But it’s one thing when you’re talking about a world where ages have come and gone, leaving, as the quote goes, memories that become legend, legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten. But this is not that. These guys are still alive, for heaven’s sake. It’s only been 30 years. The battle between the Jedi and the Empire is only a generation pass, in living memory. So how is it that no one knows what happened? The only logical explanation is that the facts of the battle were somehow suppressed. But by who? It’s not like the Empire, or the First Order, were functionally able to do thatat the time.

One theory would hold that the Rebels, once they brought down the Empire, had no plan on how to actually govern, and the universe basically descended into chaos, leaving recent history to be lost in the mess. But that’s only a theory.