I heard somewhere recently that it was weird for Starkiller Base to not be dark after destroying Hosnian Prime. If it uses the power of the sun, can target planets in other systems, and is not established as being mobile… would it not have used the sun for the initial use?
The idea discussed earlier about having the Resistance attack Starkiller in the hopes of preventing the destruction of Hosnian Prime might be able to kill two birds with one stone. It would seemingly imply that the station was constructed as a one-off way to attack the Republic’s capital. The Resistance may destroy the base, but it’s bittersweet since they did not do it in time to prevent it from achieving its goal. It might be emotionally resonant to intercut Han’s death, Rey’s rage at Ren, and Hosnian Prime together. Interesting possibilities.