NeverAreGreat said -" And it’s just a shame, since the seeds of greatness are within TFA from the beginning. A Republic split between a strong, centralized ‘Imperial’ government and a united confederation of self-ruled star systems would provide ample opportunity for conflict." …funny he should mention that , and while I feel that you should not need a novel or comic etc to explain the movie to you , I also feel that they can be quite an enjoyable experience at times . The novel Bloodline was a great read in my opinion and is premised on this exact scenario . It is part of the "official " canon back story to TFA . I have the audio book and it is a fantastic production. puts me in a mood to watch TFA and Last Jedi again…http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bloodline_(novel)