THE FORCE AWAKENS ERA
Lor San Tekka, the old guy who gives Poe Dameron the map to Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts, isn’t a Jedi knight. He is, however, a follower of the Church of the Force, and holds similar ideals to the Jedi.
After a lifetime travelling the galaxy, he’s settled in Tuanul village on Jakku – which is where Poe Dameron finds him.
Rey was abandoned on Jakku by parents unknown. Bizarrely, they chose to leave her in the care of blobby criminal Unkar Plutt.
It seems, however, that Unkar Plutt did look after her a bit – he kept his heavies off her case because he knew how good Rey was at salvaging.
Niima Outpost, the home of Unkar Plutt and one of Jakku’s main settlements, is named after Niima the Hutt. She moved in after the Battle of Jakku, with much of Hutt Space in a mess after Jabba’s death.
The X-Wing pilot helmet Rey wears on Jakku belonged to a Captain Dosmit Raeh.
The Force Awakens does manage to squeeze in JJ Abrams’ trademark Kelvin reference – there’s a Kelvin Ridge on Jakku. (We’re yet to track down a nod to Slusho.)
Finn’s ID number, FN 2187, is also the number of Leia’s cell in A New Hope.
Han Solo’s stylish (okay, dad-) jacket in The Force Awakens is made of Nerf leather. Appropriate for cinema’s most famous Nerf Herder.
Han and Chewie’s transport is called the Eravana.
Rathtars, like the ones Han and Chewie are hauling, are thought to be related to Sarlaccs.
The golden dice in the Millennium Falcon cockpit celebrate the game of sabacc where Han Solo won the ship from Lando.
The red-armoured Guavian Death Gang soldiers who storm Han and Chewie’s cargo vessel are cybernetically enhanced, and have chemicals injected into their blood to enhance performance.
Maz Kanata’s planet is called Takodana. It was once on the frontline of a Jedi v Sith war.
The members of Maz Kanata’s house band are as follows: Taybin Ralorsa, Ubert “Sticks” Quaril, Sudswater Dillifay Glon and the spectacularly named Infrablue Zedbeddy Coggins.
In the Force Awakens novelisation, Unkar Plutt follows Rey to Takodana to demand the Millennium Falcon back – and ends up with his arm ripped off by Chewbacca…
Alec Guinness’s voice can be heard in Rey’s vision in Maz’s palace. He says “You will be tempted,” and – thanks to clever editing of an old recording of “Afraid” – “Rey”.
Ewan McGregor also provides an Obi-Wan line: “Rey, you’ve taken your first steps.”
And Yoda says, “Its energy surrounds us, binds us” – a line recycled from The Empire Strikes Back.
Other key sounds include a snippet of Vader breathing, and Luke’s pained yell of “Nooooooo!” from The Empire Strikes Back. Wollivan, one of the patrons of Maz’s castle, has Star Wars heritage – it’s Warwick Davis inside the costume.
Kylo Ren is the master of the Knights Of Ren, a Dark Side outfit overseen by Supreme Leader Snoke.
Snoke has decreed that no one in the First Order should speak Kylo Ren’s real name, Ben Solo.
Snoke believes Kylo Ren is the perfect embodiment of the Force – a balance between the dark and light sides.
Ren exists outside the normal First Order chain of command – much as his grandad Darth Vader did in the Empire.
Ren’s unconventional lightsaber contains a “stressed” kyber crystal – it’s so powerful that it needs those plasma vents on the hilt to let out some of the excess energy.
It’s based on an old Sith design.
Kylo Ren’s Star Destroyer, the Finalizer, is the first in the new “Resurgent” line.
The chromium plating on Phasma’s armour was taken from an unlikely source – a ship once owned by Palpatine.
The silver sheen nominally helps to reflect radiation, but mostly it’s just about looking damned intimidating.
She prides herself on knowing the serial number of every Stormtrooper under her command.
The First Order know that standards among the ranks of Imperial Stormtroopers were a little shoddy, so set stricter rules for their own troops.
They also care a little bit more about their pilots than the Empire did – TIE Fighters now come with deflector shields.
Resistance pilots are given a training exercise known as the “Porkins Belly Run”.
The planet that was used to build Starkiller Base was selected for its energy-transmitting crystal deposits.
The main planet you see blown up in The
Force Awakens is Hosnian Prime. At this point it’s the capital of the New Republic – after the fall of the Empire, the Republic decided to shift its centre of government to signify a break with the past.
The woman in the foreground is Korr Sella, Leia’s envoy to the New Republic.
The camel-like chap standing next to her is the soon-to-be-former Chancellor of the New Republic, Lanever Villecham.
The Stormtrooper who succumbs to Rey’s mind trick is played by Daniel Craig.
Other people in Stormtrooper armour include Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino.
The Resistance base is on the planet of D’Qar.
Poe Dameron’s black X-wing isn’t just stylish – the paint job helps scatter sensors.
This Resistance transport is made of old ships the underfunded outfit has salvaged – that’s a B-wing cockpit bolted to the side.
Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, plays Resistance officer Lieutenant Connix.
C-3PO now knows over seven million forms of communication.
His red arm isn’t a glaring continuity error. He wears it in honour of Omri, another protocol droid who sacrificed himself to save Threepio’s life during a mission for the Reistance. (We have no idea why Threepio’s gone back to a more standard gold arm at the end of The Force Awakens.)
Unlike his verbose golden colleague, R2-D2 is yet to have his memory wiped after seven decades of service.
Comic actors Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz (Parks And Recreation) were the “vocal consultants” for BB-8.
The planet where Rey meets Luke is called Ahch-To. It’s thought to be the home of the first Jedi temple.