Call yourself a die-hard Star Wars fan? Consider yourself a genius like a Jedi or as smart as a Sith? Perhaps you’ve returned to Star Wars after a long hiatus of 30 years. Whatever the case, we’re guessing there are few details and secrets that you might not have noticed in the most recent installment of the Star Wars saga.
From homages and references to the original films to random little hidden secrets, here are the best Star Wars: The Force Awakens Easter Eggs you might have missed…
1. Finn’s Stormtrooper ID
Here’s a Force Awakens Easter egg you might not have noticed! Finn’s stormtrooper ID number was FN-2187, right? Well, that is the same number as the cell block where Princess Leia is imprisoned in A New Hope!
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2. Daniel Craig’s Appearance
This random Star Wars fact will leave you a little mind blown. Remember the stormtrooper guarding Rey’s cell that succumbed to her Jedi mind trick? You’ll never believe who was behind that stormtrooper mask. None other than Daniel Craig! Not only that, but his name was “Stormtrooper JB – 007”! It looks like a Jedi has the power to defeat James Bond, too!
3. Maz Kanata’s Chest
Remember when Obi Wan Kenobi handed Luke the lightsaber from a wooden chest in A New Hope? Well, we’re guessing it may be the same chest Maz Kanata keeps Luke’s lightsaber in in The Force Awakens.
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4. Kylo Ren’s Scar
Another Star Wars Easter Egg to add to the collection! During that epic scene in The Force Awakens when Rey and Kylo Ren are battling, the villain receives a scar across his face just like his grandfather’s, Anakin Skywalker.
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5. Snoke & Darth Plagueis
Could it be that Snoke is actually Darth Plagueis? In Revenge of the Sith, you may recall the moment Palpatine tells Anakin about Darth Plagueis, a powerful Sith Lord. This Sith Lord who “learned to conquer death” and then was “killed” by his pupil, Palpatine himself may in fact be the Supreme Leader in Episode VII. What suggests this theory? Snoke appears to be missing his lower jaw, which is similar to an injury Darth Plagueis received while training Palpatine. Snoke’s theme music played during The Force Awakens is very similar to that played when Palpatine tells the story of Darth Pagueis in Episode III.
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6. Maz Kanata’s Flags
If you kept your eyes peeled during this particular scene, you’d have noticed that the symbols on the flags hanging outside Maz Kanata’s castle include the Mythosaur skull from Boba Fett’s uniform, Ziro the Hutt’s Black Sun tattoo, Hondo Ohnaka’s pirate symbol and many Podracer’s flags.
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7. Chewie’s Chess Game
When Finn accidentally bumps into the Millennium Falcon chess game, it picks up right where it left off in A New Hope. The piece that got defeated by a larger piece in A New Hope, gets its revenge in The Force Awakens. Chewie’s still a kid at heart. We loved seeing him get excited over the game again.
8. Carrie Fisher’s Daughter
It’s a family thing! Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd makes a small appearance in the Resistance headquarters. In fact, she’s also wearing Princess Leia’s signature buns!
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9. The Millennium Falcon
The Millennium Falcon gets slammed again! Rey is heard disparaging it by calling it “garbage” in the same way Luke called it “a piece of junk” and Leia “a bucket of bolts” in the original trilogies.
10. The Millennium Falcon’s Antenna
Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that The Millennium Falcon had a rectangular antenna in The Force Awakens. That’s because its original, circular antenna was knocked off in the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi.
11. “We Think They may be Splitting up”
When Rey had escaped captivity at the Starkiller Base, a stormtrooper is heard saying, “We think they may be splitting up,” on his comm system. This line was lifted straight from A New Hope during the escape from the Death Star.
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12. Podracer Cameos
Call yourself a true dork of the dark side? That means you would have spotted the few Podracers in the background of several scenes that take place on Jakku.
Lucasfilm
13. Nien Nunb’s Appearance
Remember Lando’s co-pilot, Nien Nunb? We bet you didn’t miss his appearance in The Force Awakens! Nien Nunb appeared as a Resistance fighter along with the puppeteer who originally controlled the character, Mike Quinn.
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14. “I Have a Bad Feeling About This”
As a running gag in all Star Wars films, the phrase “I have a bad feeling about this” was once again mentioned in The Force Awakens by Han Solo.
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There were 22 hidden Easter Eggs in “The Last Jedi”, too! Did you spot them all?
15. Rey’s Helmet
According to the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary”, Rey’s helmet belonged to an X-wing pilot named Captain Dosmit Ræh, who flew for the Tierfon Yellow Aces.
LucasFilm / Penguin Random House
16. Rey’s Alliance Pilot Doll
Rey may apparently have never met a Resistance fighter but then why does she own a small Alliance pilot doll? This doll seen in her quarters on Jakku suggests she’s possibly had run-ins with the New Republic.
LucasFilm / Penguin Random House
17. Chewbacca’s Reaction
Did Chewbacca’s reaction when first meeting BB-8 ring a bell? Well, the Wookiee’s reaction is very similar to his interaction with a mouse droid in A New Hope.
18. Kylo Ren’s Name
Star Wars geeks – did you clock this small teaser? The name Kylo Ren is almost exactly the same as ‘Kybo Ren’ – a pirate character who was one of the main villains in Droids (1985).
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19. Rey’s Outfit Inspiration
Did you know George Lucas and Star Wars concept artist, Ralph McQuarrie originally had the idea of making Luke a woman? McQuarrie even drew potential outfits for this so-called female Luke. Obviously that idea didn’t go to plan but in The Force Awakens, Rey’s outfit was in fact inspired by these early outfit drawings.
LucasFilm
20. BB-8’s Design
BB-8’s design was also inspired by Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art for R2-D2.
Ralph McQuarrie / Lucasfilm
21. Rey’s Village Archway
The archway at the entrance of Rey’s village was originally designed by Ralph McQuarrie as part of the exterior of Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine.
Ralph McQuarrie / Lucasfilm
22. Snowtrooper’s Chest Emblem
There’s another connection to McQuarrie’s original designs. The Snowtrooper’s chest emblem in The Force Awakens is exactly the same as McQuarrie’s original Snowtrooper design.
Ralph McQuarrie / Lucasfilm
23. Starkiller
Dedicated Star Wars fans would know that the name of the First Order’s weapon – Starkiller, has a history. “Starkiller” was actually the name of a character trained by Darth Vader in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. It is also the original surname name that George Lucas initially wanted to give Luke.
Lucasfilm
24. Alec Guinness’ Cameo
Next time you watch The Force Awakens, you might want to keep an ear out during this particular scene! When Rey has visions while touching Luke’s lightsaber, the voices she hears are rather familiar. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan is heard saying, “Rey … these are your first steps.” The word “Rey,” is actually the voice of Alec Guinness, taken from a line when the late actor said the word “afraid.” COOL!
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25. “A New Hope” Easter Egg
Did anyone catch this small nod to A New Hope? During Rey’s escape on the Starkiller Base, she overhears a conversation between two stormtroopers who discuss the new “BT-17”. This refers to a scene in A New Hope where Obi-Wan Kenobi overhears two stormtroopers having a similar conversation about the new BT-16 while disabling the tractor beam on the Death Star.
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26. Han Solo & Chewie’s Crossbow
The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars movie that shows Han Solo using Chewbacca’s laser crossbow. He even admits to Chewie that the weapon is somewhat impressive!
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27. Luke’s Droid
On the Millennium Falcon, in The Force Awakens, Finn takes the remote training droid Luke used in A New Hope out of a bag and inspects it.
Lucasfilm
28. Admiral Ackbar’s Return
You must have been blind to miss Admiral Ackbar make a return in The Force Awakens, along with the actor that portrays him, Tim Rose!
Lucasfilm
29. Pink R2
Wow! A pink R2 called R2-KT makes a very brief appearance in Episode VII!
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30. “The Return of the Jedi” Easter Egg
Luke’s lightsaber gets trapped in the snow when Finn is disarmed in The Force Awakens. This mirrors the moment Luke’s lightsaber also got stuck in the snow in The Return of the Jedi during the Wampa cave scene. What’s even more interesting is, the first object Luke moved using the Force was the lightsaber out of the snow. Isn’t it interesting that Rey’s first object to move with the Force was also the lightsaber, and out of the snow too?
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31. Luke & a Gravestone?
We don’t know if you noticed it too but wasn’t Luke standing by a grave stone at the end of Episode VII when Rey finds him? Whose gravestone could it be? His wife’s? Or is it part of a Jedi temple? What do you think?
Did we miss any hidden details in Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Let us know what you noticed in the comments below…
These aren’t the only cool Easter Eggs in the Galaxy. Believe it or not, Marvel enjoys hiding small references to Star Wars in their movies, too!
Great list! Thanks for the info.