A quick thought on the opening crawl for TLJ. Someone may suggested this already but if so I’ll throw it back in the ring.
The First Order reigns. Unaware that Starkiller Base was destroyed, hundreds of New Republic worlds have surrendered to Snoke’s merciless legions in fear of total annihilation.
It could be worded differently, but I think emphasizing the important of Starkiller Base here would help strengthen the films generally as they are, as well as explain why the First Order would expend so many resources on building ‘another Death Star’.
When Starkiller Base destroyed the New Republic capital, not only did they destroy New Republic leadership, but maybe more importantly, they also set an example for the rest of the galaxy: if they oppose this new regime, their planet could also be destroyed by a hidden super weapon across the galaxy. There’s nowhere to hide.
Regardless of the scale of the First Order’s military (or the New Republic’s military for that matter), this fear alone would be enough for them to “control all the major systems within weeks”.
This also increases the importance of the Resistance and their survival. They are the only ones who know the truth. Leia may have sent operatives out to try and spread the news, but you know the First Order will be working even harder to discredit the truth as “fake news”. It also explains why their allies might be afraid to reach out and help them. For all they know Starkiller Base is still out there, and they can’t risk entire worlds for the lives of a small band of Resistance fighters.
It strengthens Luke’s significance in the story as well. Starkiller, like the Death Star before it, is a symbol of ultimate fear, and the only antedote to fear is hope, the ultimate hope of the Jedi. So the dichotomy between fear and hope becomes a clearer central theme, which has been fundamental to the Star Wars films since the beginning. You can see this already in the film when radio chatter on Crait is heard right as Luke walks in. Hope is returning.
This could potentially lead in well with the Rise of Skywalker, too. Since the Resistance survived and the truth has spread, planets throughout the galaxy have begun fighting back the First Order’s rule. And without the Starkiller Base to maintan that, a powerful hidden fleet would become that much more valuable to them.
Once the film releases in a few weeks, I’m sure we’ll have more ideas for the opening crawls once we have the entire picture of the Sequel Trilogy.