The Force Awakens where the galactic empire stands in The Force Awakens

[The Dark Hero]

In reality if an emperor is dethroned the empire gets a new leader. Even though the galaxy rejoiced at the end of ROTJ. Because the emperor and his empire was defeated. Clearly in The Force Awakens the empire is still present in the galaxy. Which makes me wonder who is in control and why.

 

[Silvermoth]

I suppose what tends to happen is the revolution eats its own leaders so whatever comes next (as in the new Republic or whatever) becomes worse than the empire that preceded it.

Maybe that will happen?

 

[Spider-Who?]

Just like in real life, empires don't disappear in a day. Various leaders and groups fighting for power and influence in territories once belonging to the Empire...holdouts refusing to "bend the knee" to the New Republic...it's a big galaxy with a lot of possibilities for the empire to survive in one degree or another.

 

[Destructus86]

Yup...destroying a galaxy spanning Empire would create a power vacuum and every would-be dictator in the galaxy would be fighting for control. I expect we'll see plenty of infighting among the fragments of the Empire as well. Moff against Moff, Stormtroopers fighting each other in a galactic civil war.

 

[NotFadeAway]

I've had this idea that their should be a split galaxy to start the new trilogy, one half the New Republic, the other half the Empire. The New Republic would represent western democracy while the empire is a POS, evoking ideas the Soviet Union or modern day North Korea. Just a bleak, ruddy, starving hole with a fat military budget and a low standard of living.