Well, I know, but they haven't put it in the movies yet and I consider anything not in the movies as lesser canon, tbh. I know the old system of the EU is no longer valid and the new shit is essentially as canon as canon gets...
Its probably easier for you to not notice since you don't keep track of the shitfest that is the Expanded Disney Universe (I like that term) outside of what's posted here, but shit from there gets dropped a lot in the new films... Even Wendig was jumping with glee at seeing his self-insert and things from his novels added to the films (I've posted about this before) and other media. Same with EA games, Marvel comics and other writers. Honestly removing the old canon tiers system and calling out retcons only to follow that up by creating a singular mandatory "CANON" to shove all their new shitty media into was just one of the stupidest things Disney has done with SW. For example, every time they do something stupid or inconsistent in their films or in their new cartoons, games or books, they say
"its not inconsistent or stupid, you just have to read this other book/play this game/buy this comic to understand why TFA, RO, TLJ, Rebels, Resistance and Solo do this and that and why the First Order took over after TFA or why Rey can use the Force, etc since we are too lazy to work it into our films". That's not how the old Films or the old Canon worked, Disney.
I personally liked a large chunk of the EU (for those new to the thread, it means everything outside of the films, like video games, cartoons, comics, books, RPGs, Filoni Wars, etc) before Disney, but George never relied heavily on them as pillars that were necessary to tell the story in his films, as the EU existed as an extension of the films for people who wanted to learn more about the amazing setting George created. Again, they were not pillars that were necessary for the films to be enjoyed, the expanded media were "branches" on the "tree" that was George's original concept, with fruits a plenty to continue telling the story of the characters and the universe, but it wasn't mandatory to eat a lot or all of the fruits to understand the story carved on the trunk like with Disney, and it wasn't even mandatory to look at the story on the trunk to enjoy some of the fruits whether they were delicious, okay or rotten. They were just sweet bonuses that helped to deepen things for those who wanted them, and some of them could have George's complete involvement and did have some importance with the films like prequel EU material, but they weren't mandatory, they were just there to pick if you wanted them or not, with any references between each other being superficial and non-mandatory. You could play one game or read one comic and if they had references to events from each other's stories, you didn't have to worry about understanding the references since they're mentioned in the same vague fashion as "Dantooine" or the "Imperial Senate" are in A New Hope. You might not know what Dantooine is, but you don't need to know for the sake of the story, its just there to make the world feel bigger. So if you hear Revan (KOTOR) or Uncle Owen (ANH) talking about wanting to visit Corellia for a vacation, don't worry, you don't need to go read about Corellia, you just figure its somewhere nice to go.
But with Disney its the complete opposite. You wanna know why the Galaxy is still such a mess? "Buy this book gaiz!" Wanna know why the First Order came back full force? "Buy this comic gaiz!" You wanna know why Rey can use the Force? "Buy this hawt ReyxKylo softcore erotic novel gaiz!" You wanna know why Admiral Holdo is such a fucking bitch and took Ackbar's place? "Buy this fucking audiobook!" You wanna know why Finn doesn't act like a brainwashed trooper? "Buy this essential 100 page guide on the First Order!" A movie that requires you to go out and buy more stuff to "get it" is just lazy and uninspired, while a true work of inspired fiction can inspire others and create depth (Hell, George already had Coruscant, Boonta and so much more world building set up as far back as the 70s). And in regards to the second question concerning the First Order's return, there's no real answer; in the Marvel comic Leia, Ackbar and Rey just don't care how the First Order came back, they just simply go "Does it matter?". I think it really should fucking matter how your enemies were able to regroup and come back stronger than ever in less than a few days or how they were even able to become a force greater than the galactic government in the first place despite being a fringe group that had all its resources destroyed in the shitty EA games' storyline.
It's just a big pile of bland greys without anything thought provoking or inspiring.
Look on the less dark side, if IX is really as much a shitshow as it seems to be, we'll get a good laugh out of the colorful chaos and butthurt that ensues while we can hope that the backlash will be enough to put this once beloved franchise to rest so we may forget the shitpile Disney has turned it into. I mean seriously, casting the guy from Dr. Who to play Palpatine and then have him use time travel. If 100% true (and Inverse has been partly right with their previous film leaks and spoilers), IX will be just one big chaotic shitpost. So if its really as bad as it seems, hell even I might watch it just to see this cinematic Hindenburg.
