I think I'm going to keep all my characters strictly independent, until one of them develops an interest in a faction through roleplay and storytelling.
That was a thoroughly enjoyable read!
There is a book that supposedly details the rise and fall of the New Republic because of the First Order. Not sure if it's out yet, but it's canon.
I think Luke might very well be a Dark Side character in this new film, if the film follows the whole misinformation thing that Empire Strikes Back did when the reveal of who Luke's father was came to be.
I'm not too worried about this. According to canon (Clone Wars), Falleen was one of the first worlds part of the Galactic Republic. Even if it's not in this upcoming timeline, I still wanna play one of those smexy lizard-peeps.