100 Fun Facts About Star Wars: the Force Awakens

Which general leads the Resistance while searching for her missing twin brother?

Leia Organa founded the Resistance herself after the New Republic's leaders dismissed her warnings about the First Order.

The Force Awakens opens thirty years after which film?

Return of the Jedi ended with the Empire beaten, yet three decades on its remnants have regrouped as the First Order and hunt the vanished Luke Skywalker.

What keeps Rey waiting on the desert planet Jakku when The Force Awakens begins?

Hope that her family will return keeps Rey on Jakku, and she insists on going back mid-adventure until Maz Kanata tells her that whoever she is waiting for is never coming.

What does Poe base the name Finn on?

His serial number began FN, and Poe turned the letters into a name because the First Order had never given the stormtrooper one.

What kind of vehicle do Finn and Poe steal to escape the First Order?

A TIE fighter was no use to Finn alone: he had no pilot training, which is why he broke Poe out of his cell before deserting.

Which ship do Rey, Finn and BB-8 steal to escape Jakku?

The Millennium Falcon is the ship Rey calls garbage, and they take it only because the one she wanted is blown up first; Han and his co-pilot reclaim it minutes later.

What is Starkiller Base?

A planet converted into a superweapon, it earns its name by draining a star for power, then fires across the galaxy to wipe out several worlds in one shot.

Which planetary group, home to the New Republic capital, does Starkiller Base destroy?

The Hosnian system held the New Republic's Senate and fleet, so its loss in a single shot leaves the Resistance to face the First Order without any government behind it.

On which forest planet does Maz Kanata keep her castle?

Takodana has stayed neutral through centuries of galactic wars, which is why smugglers and spies gather at the castle, until the First Order attacks it hunting for BB-8.

Which First Order villain do Finn and Han ambush and force to lower Starkiller Base's shields?

Captain Phasma lowers the shields at blaster-point, and Finn, the deserter she once commanded, has her dropped into a trash compactor.

Who plays Maz Kanata?

Lupita Nyong'o played the goggle-eyed pirate through motion capture, and Abrams modelled Maz on Rose Gilbert, his late high-school English teacher.

What is Kylo Ren's birth name?

Ben Solo is the name Han shouts across the bridge inside Starkiller Base; his son seems ready to come home, then runs him through.

Who plays Kylo Ren?

Adam Driver had seen big-budget movies trade character for spectacle and was no easy yes; it helped persuade him that Abrams's first words were about character and story.

Who shoots and wounds Kylo Ren immediately after Han's death?

Chewbacca fires his bowcaster in fury, and the wound is why Ren is bleeding, unsteady and pounding his side through the lightsaber duel in the snow.

What part of Starkiller Base does the Resistance target to destroy it?

The thermal oscillator keeps the star's stolen energy contained, so once Poe's pilots blast it apart the whole base collapses in on itself.

Which long-dormant droid wakes at the end to supply the rest of the map to Luke Skywalker?

R2-D2 had sat in low-power mode ever since Luke vanished; when he finally stirs, BB-8's fragment slots into the larger chart he projects.

On which planet does Rey finally find Luke Skywalker?

Ahch-To holds the first Jedi temple, which is why Luke picked the remote ocean world when he went into exile.

Who plays Rey in The Force Awakens?

Daisy Ridley had only small TV parts behind her, which is what Abrams wanted, yet on her first day he told her that her takes were wooden.

Whose performance in Attack the Block did Tom Cruise urge Abrams to watch, leading to a Star Wars casting?

John Boyega's own telling is that Cruise, then editing a Mission: Impossible film with Abrams, told the director he had to watch the kid in it.

Who plays Poe Dameron?

Oscar Isaac was pitched a Poe who died early in the film; Abrams then reworked the script so the pilot survives to lead the final attack.

Which actor plays Supreme Leader Snoke through motion capture?

Andy Serkis began work without knowing what Snoke would look like; the design kept shifting through the shoot and on into post-production.

Who plays General Hux?

Domhnall Gleeson shot the rally speech at several pitches, and Abrams chose the biggest, telling him this was Hux's moment in the film.

Which Game of Thrones actress plays Captain Phasma?

Gwendoline Christie took a part first written for a man; Lawrence Kasdan says that once someone suggested a woman, the whole room agreed at once.

Which two comedians are credited as 'vocal consultants' for BB-8?

Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz each played a part: Hader's spoken voice sounded too human, so he worked a talk box hooked to a sound-effects app on Abrams's iPad, while Schwartz's readings helped the editors with the cadence.

Which Shaun of the Dead star plays Unkar Plutt, the junk dealer who buys Rey's scavenged parts?

Simon Pegg is hidden inside the hulking suit of a junk boss who pays Rey in food rations, then offers sixty portions for BB-8, a deal she refuses.

Which James Bond actor cameos as a stormtrooper who falls for Rey's mind trick?

Daniel Craig asked a friend on the crew at Pinewood, where Bond also shoots, to get him into the film, and was handed the stormtrooper scene within days.

Which daughter of Carrie Fisher appears in The Force Awakens as Lieutenant Connix?

Billie Lourd was first called in to read for Rey, because Abrams still hadn't found his lead; he gave her the small Resistance part instead.

Whose voice delivers Obi-Wan Kenobi's 'these are your first steps' in Rey's vision?

Ewan McGregor's new recording follows a single word from the late Alec Guinness: editors clipped 'Rey' out of his old reading of 'afraid'.

Who wrote the first screenplay for The Force Awakens before leaving the project in late 2013?

Michael Arndt asked for far more time than Disney would give, so Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan stepped in and talked out a new draft on long walks.

Why is Luke Skywalker absent until The Force Awakens' ending?

Whenever he entered the story he took it over: early drafts brought Luke in midway, and the first writer found viewers stopped caring about the new lead.

Which director turned down The Force Awakens rather than shut down his own Disney film?

Brad Bird says Kennedy and Lucas did come to him, but he was deep into Tomorrowland and their schedule meant shutting down one dream to join another.

Who suggested J.J. Abrams to Kathleen Kennedy as director of The Force Awakens?

Steven Spielberg told her only one director should take on the task; Abrams at first politely said no, and Kennedy had to come back and win him round.

What does Finn let Rey believe about him when they meet on Jakku?

He is with the Resistance, Rey assumes, and Finn goes along with it; at first only BB-8 hears the truth, that he is just trying to get away from the First Order.

What role did George Lucas have on The Force Awakens?

Creative consultant in the early stages was the whole of it: he handed over his own treatments for the sequels, and Disney decided not to use them and wrote its own.

What kind of wrecked Imperial war machine has Rey turned into her home on Jakku?

An AT-AT walker lies toppled in the dunes and Rey lives in its husk, fitting out her shelter with the same Imperial wreckage she strips for a living.

Where did principal photography begin in May 2014?

Large sets, a market and a shuttle-like ship were built in the desert, and explosives created a 'blast crater'.

What injured Harrison Ford on set at Pinewood, halting production for two weeks?

A hydraulic door fell on him and broke his leg; Abrams cracked a vertebra trying to lift it off his star and hid the injury from the crew for months.

Skellig Michael, where The Force Awakens' final scene was shot, lies off the coast of which country?

Ireland let the crew onto an early medieval island monastery, a World Heritage site, and drew objections from conservation and heritage groups worried for its nesting seabirds.

What format was most of The Force Awakens shot on?

35 mm film was a turn back, since the last two prequels had been shot digitally; Panavision even built new lenses to recall the warmth of the original trilogy's glass.

Which Broadway songwriter co-wrote the cantina band music in The Force Awakens with J.J. Abrams?

Lin-Manuel Miranda pitched himself to Abrams at the interval of his own show, not knowing John Williams had already said he would rather not write the cantina tunes.

Which conductor led the opening and end title music of The Force Awakens at John Williams's request?

Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, thought the call was a joke and then had to keep it secret; his arrival surprised even the session players.

Which Force Awakens sequence used stop-motion animation overseen by original Star Wars veteran Phil Tippett?

The holochess game lasts only three shots yet took Tippett's studio about a year: Abrams wanted the monsters animated by hand, frame by frame, as they were for the first film.

What opening element does The Force Awakens lack, unlike every earlier live-action Star Wars film?

The 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare went because Disney, not Fox, now released the films; Disney then left its own castle off as well, so only a silent Lucasfilm logo remains.

During which broadcast did the final trailer for The Force Awakens debut in October 2015?

Monday Night Football showed it at half-time on the day advance booking opened, and several ticket sites crashed under the rush.

What happened on 'Force Friday', months before The Force Awakens reached cinemas?

Its toys went on sale at midnight, after an 18-hour relay of YouTube stars unboxing them live, starting in Sydney and ending at Lucasfilm in San Francisco.

Which film's U.S. opening-weekend record, set six months earlier, did The Force Awakens break?

Jurassic World had edged past The Avengers by barely a million dollars that June; The Force Awakens beat it by almost forty million, a margin of nearly a fifth.

Which film was the top-grossing Star Wars release worldwide before The Force Awakens roughly doubled its total?

The Phantom Menace needed a 3D re-release in 2012 to edge past a billion dollars; The Force Awakens passed two billion in under two months.

Which film's all-time U.S. and Canada box-office record did The Force Awakens break within three weeks?

Avatar had held the title for nearly six years and had needed most of a year, plus a re-release, to build the total that fell in the newcomer's third week.

Which country was The Force Awakens' largest market outside the U.S. and Canada?

United Kingdom cinemas out-earned even China's, where the saga had little history: the original trilogy never reached Chinese cinemas until a festival screening in 2015.

Which Oscar did The Force Awakens lose to Ex Machina?

Visual effects went to Ex Machina, a robot drama made for about $15 million, in one of the night's upsets, and The Force Awakens lost all five of its nominations.

Whose burned helmet does Kylo Ren keep as a treasured relic in The Force Awakens?

Darth Vader's helmet belongs to his grandson: Kylo Ren idolises the fallen villain and is afraid he will never be as powerful.

How was the rolling droid BB-8 mainly brought to life on the set of The Force Awakens?

As a rod puppet: performers steered BB-8 by hand for most of his rolling scenes and the rods were erased afterwards, while a remote-controlled version handled other shots.

Which part of C-3PO is a mismatched red colour when he reappears in The Force Awakens?

His left arm is red because J.J. Abrams wanted a visible hint of adventures in the decades since the earlier films, though actor Anthony Daniels said he disliked it.

Why does the stormtrooper Finn break Poe Dameron out of his cell in The Force Awakens?

He needs a pilot: Finn was never taught to fly, so deserting the First Order depends on a prisoner who can fly them both out.

What unusual feature sets Kylo Ren's red lightsaber apart from older designs in The Force Awakens?

A crossguard of two short side blades works as a vent, because the weapon is built around a flawed crystal that would overload without them.

What does Starkiller Base drain for power before firing its weapon in The Force Awakens?

Its own sun is drained and the energy held inside the planet, then fired through hyperspace as a beam that can wipe out distant planets in a single shot.

Which rival space franchise had J.J. Abrams already rebooted before directing The Force Awakens?

Star Trek came first: Abrams directed the 2009 reboot and its sequel, then brought the same costume designer and film editors across to the rival galaxy.

What belonging of Poe Dameron does Finn find in their crashed ship on Jakku in The Force Awakens?

His jacket is all that Finn can pull out before a sinkhole swallows the wreck, which is why he believes Poe died in the crash.

Which company's sale to Disney in 2012 cleared the way for The Force Awakens to be made?

Lucasfilm was sold by George Lucas himself, who had spent years denying he would ever make a seventh episode.

In what form does Supreme Leader Snoke appear before Kylo Ren and General Hux in The Force Awakens?

A giant hologram is all the film shows of him, and his scarred face was kept out of sight entirely until audiences saw it in cinemas.

With no lines as Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens, what did Mark Hamill read at script readings?

Stage directions were Mark Hamill's job at the readings, which J.J. Abrams said kept him involved in a film that holds his character back until the last scene.

Which tentacled predators is Han Solo hauling for a collector when he appears in The Force Awakens?

Rathtars hunt in packs and are so dangerous that rich collectors want them as exotic pets, so Han had agreed to deliver some to a king.

In The Force Awakens, what does Han Solo say drove Luke Skywalker to vanish into exile?

A student turned on him and slaughtered the others, ending Luke's attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order before he exiled himself.

What weapon does Rey fight with on Jakku before she ever holds a lightsaber in The Force Awakens?

A quarterstaff built from scrap is what Rey uses to see off the thugs sent to steal BB-8, and those years of practice help when she first swings a lightsaber.

Which star of The Exorcist plays the old explorer Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens?

Max von Sydow's explorer hands Poe Dameron the map fragment that starts the whole plot, then is cut down by Kylo Ren minutes into the film.

Which co-writer of The Empire Strikes Back returned to script The Force Awakens with J.J. Abrams?

Lawrence Kasdan had argued decades earlier that Han Solo should die to raise the stakes, and with this script he and Harrison Ford finally got their wish.

Which director took over the saga for The Last Jedi, the direct sequel to The Force Awakens?

Rian Johnson was already comparing notes with J.J. Abrams during production, and George Lucas reportedly preferred Johnson's follow-up.

The Force Awakens got a full video game adaptation in 2016 as part of which long-running series?

Lego Star Wars got the full adaptation, with much of the film's cast recording new dialogue and an added prologue set decades before the story begins.

Which fish-faced Rebel commander from the original films helps plan the attack in The Force Awakens?

Admiral Ackbar came back with his original performer and voice actor, and one co-producer called seeing him on set the moment that meant the most to him.

Which Nordic country supplied landscape footage shot before main filming of The Force Awakens began?

Iceland was filmed first: a crew gathered landscape shots there to use as scenery, ahead of the official start of photography.

Which production company led by J.J. Abrams, the maker of Lost, co-produced The Force Awakens?

Bad Robot gave up part of its own building as a small studio for the shoot, and J.J. Abrams later edited the film at its Santa Monica headquarters.

Which ensemble's unbroken run on live-action Star Wars scores ended with The Force Awakens?

London Symphony Orchestra players had recorded every earlier episode, but this score was taped in California by freelance musicians in twelve sessions spread over five months.

Which charity benefited from the J.J. Abrams contest offering a walk-on part in The Force Awakens?

UNICEF received the donations, and the winner earned a visit to the set, a meeting with the cast and a moment on screen.

Which portrait photographer shot the cast for Vanity Fair's cover story on The Force Awakens?

Annie Leibovitz's photos ran in May 2015, when Vanity Fair became the first magazine to devote a cover issue to the film, seven months before it opened.

Star Wars Celebration, where the second Force Awakens teaser debuted in 2015, was held in which California city?

Anaheim hosted the opening panel where nearly eight thousand fans leapt to their feet, and the teaser passed 88 million views within a day.

New character names in The Force Awakens were first revealed on mock versions of which collectible?

Trading cards were the playful choice: eight mock Topps cards put names to the new faces a full year before the film opened.

Which actor who once played Wicket the Ewok cameos inside Maz Kanata's castle in The Force Awakens?

Warwick Davis plays a tavern-dweller named Wollivan, and he announced he was in the film months before anyone knew which part he had.

Which major awards was The Force Awakens ineligible for, its December release coming too late?

The Golden Globes had already closed their nominations, yet the Critics' Choice board held a special vote to add the film to its best picture slate.

Where does Finn plan to flee, leaving Rey behind at Maz Kanata's castle, in The Force Awakens?

The Outer Rim is where Finn hopes to vanish from the galactic war, but when the First Order storms the castle and kidnaps Rey he vows to rescue her instead.

Jakku in The Force Awakens has often been called a lookalike of which other Star Wars desert planet?

Tatooine is the usual comparison, since Rey's sandy backwater echoes the home that Luke Skywalker longed to leave in the very first film.

What does junk boss Unkar Plutt hand out to Rey in exchange for her salvage in The Force Awakens?

Food rations are what Unkar Plutt pays out, and he sends thugs after any scavenger who trades elsewhere or bargains too hard.

In what state is Finn left at the end of The Force Awakens after his duel with Kylo Ren?

In a coma: Finn is badly injured fighting Kylo Ren with a borrowed lightsaber, and he does not wake until the following film.

How did Finn become a First Order stormtrooper, as his backstory in The Force Awakens explains?

Trained from birth: the First Order raises children to be soldiers, yet Finn's first real battle is enough to awaken his conscience.

What does Kylo Ren freeze in mid-air using the Force early in The Force Awakens?

A blaster bolt hangs frozen in the air, a feat one critic singled out as proof of how formidable Kylo Ren's command of the Force is.

On which famous Los Angeles street did a giant white tent cover the premiere of The Force Awakens?

Hollywood Boulevard was tented over from Orange Drive to Highland Avenue, with more than five thousand guests spread across three neighbouring cinemas.

Which comics publisher released a six-issue adaptation of The Force Awakens during 2016?

Marvel ran its adaptation from June to November 2016, starting half a year after the film itself had opened.

What fate did the script of The Force Awakens first plan for Poe Dameron before a rewrite?

Killed off early: that was the plan when his actor was offered the part, but a rewrite let Poe survive the crash and return later in the film.

Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens is named after Morgan Dameron, who held which job for J.J. Abrams?

His assistant lent the hero a surname and also appears on screen herself, playing a Resistance officer.

Stars of which hit martial-arts film play members of the Kanjiklub gang in The Force Awakens?

The Raid made stars of Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, who turn up as Kanjiklub gangsters set on settling a score with Han Solo.

Which working title did The Force Awakens carry for most of its development?

Shadow of the Empire was used inside the studio for a long time, and the real title was only announced in November 2014, days after filming wrapped.

What kind of ensemble performs John Williams's theme for Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens?

A men's chorus of twenty-four voices sings the theme, part of a score that ran to 175 minutes before J.J. Abrams re-edited the film.

Which veteran Star Wars poster artist made a commemorative Force Awakens poster for D23 Expo?

Drew Struzan's painting was a gift for those at the August 2015 event, while the cinema poster unveiled two months later was a separate design.

At which Jakku settlement, named for a Hutt, does Rey trade her salvage in The Force Awakens?

Niima Outpost is little more than a bazaar and a patch of hard dirt that passes for a spaceport, all under the thumb of junk boss Unkar Plutt.

Which former English airbase, known for 1980s peace protests, hosted sets for The Force Awakens?

Greenham Common, where a women's peace camp once protested against cruise missiles, was dressed with sets of several spaceships in September 2014.

From which lush planet does the Resistance launch its Starkiller Base strike in The Force Awakens?

D'Qar was first surveyed by rebels decades earlier and chosen for its obscurity, but the First Order tracks the attackers home and the base has to be abandoned.

Which author, ghostwriter of the original Star Wars novelisation, also novelised The Force Awakens?

Alan Dean Foster wrote the 1976 book credited solely to George Lucas, and this time his print edition was held back until January 2016 to protect the plot.

Which composer, who went on to score Rogue One, cameos as a stormtrooper in The Force Awakens?

Michael Giacchino plays a trooper designated FN-3181, and he suited up again for another cameo when J.J. Abrams returned to the saga in 2019.

A Finnish YouTube star famous for viral vocal impressions created what for The Force Awakens?

An alien language was built by Sara Forsberg, who spent 18 months on the job and borrowed from tongues such as Hindi and Gujarati.

Which original-trilogy hero misses The Force Awakens because Denis Lawson turned the part down?

Wedge Antilles, who helped blow up the second Death Star, sat this one out after Denis Lawson said that reprising the role would have bored him.

What old trade has Han Solo gone back to when Rey and Finn meet him in The Force Awakens?

Smuggling became his living again after his son was lost to the dark side and his relationship with the boy's mother foundered.