NumberWan

@@Syko As far as I remember, Chewie wasn't CG there. At least Peter Mayhew participated in the making, and commented that it was great to return as Chewie for Episode III. The Kashyyk scenes weren't that real though, however the scenery was based upon the real place in Asia (I can't remember, perhaps Thailand or Southern China). @ Chewie is actually quite old. We can't say he is in his 60s or 80s. But for a wookie his age is somehow like 50s perhaps. I guess he is close to the age, when you don't allow the anger to get over you, but simply let the sadness be the only one with you, when you experience losing a close friend. As for Rey, a lot implies, she is Luke's daughter. I simply follow the line, spoken by Kathleen Kennedy, who said, that Episodes VII-IX are the story of the Skywalker family. A continuation of their story. Rey is the primary character. And even without it, we can see a lot of traits, that can be spotted in the Skywalker line and those, who are related to them. And she even takes a lot from Luke. We can guess, that they want to continue the main theme from previous 6 episodes - the family line, but step away from Father-Son concept, closer to Father-Daughter and maybe even Niece-Uncle (etc). After rewatching Episode VII I thought, that Han might think, that the girl reminds him of someone familiar. More than that she reminds him of the son, of what his son could have been. It is also a pre step, so to speak, to that Rey will prove to Kylo Ren by her actions and other things, that he isn't the only one powerful in the Force to be compared to Skywalkers and Darth Vader himself. More than that - following the Dark Side won't make one as powerful as the former Sith Lord. It takes much more than training at the Academy, killing all the Jedi and then studying under some mysterious Leader Snoke. As for Finn - I actually like him. I can't say that his appearance is because of some "musts". I see it that all the characters, starting with Jedi and ending with simple droids do have a development in their persona in the films. In one way or another we learn a great deal about them without following any books or games: some things are obvious in the episodes themselves. Star Wars already presented us with the stormtroopers and main primary goal. We also got a chance, how the helmet "is put on". Now it is time to see, "how it is taken off". And it is time to explore the depths beneath the stormtrooper helmet.

@@Acrobat Given the fact, that wookies can live up to centuries, it is true. Besides a Finnish actor was a replacement (in certain action, I assume) with Chewie, and Peter Mayhew served as an assistant, while also wearing the costume in other scenes. Just a little off top, but when they were making Episode I, they used added a few Kashyyyk senators in the Galactic Senate scene, and for that they asked some of the team to bring their own wookie costumes from home. As according to the latest info, it seems, that Kashyyk stays under control of the First Order, while planets such as Naboo, Taris, Corellia and others are part of the New Republic.

One of the drawbacks of the film is probably, that some things are never truly explained in Episode VII, while all other episodes actually had the in-film backstory, which you learn from the story itself, without reading much of additional material. I, being a fan, understood a lot from reading various articles about characters and places. When I watched the destruction of Hosnian Prime, it wasn't clear for me, what and who was actually destroyed in that scene. Korr Sella, a character, which I'd observed through the rumors long before December 17th, had a small cameo at best. Probably it would be better, if we saw Leia talking to Korr Sella in the film. Seeing the New Republic a bit more would also have a more crucial effect. In Episode IV we don't see Alderaan per se, but we see Leia Organa. Her feelings about the planet give the whole tragedy a rightful impact. When Taris is destroyed in KOTOR1 it is our own very personal connection to this planet, that plays a role, that it was difficult to believe, that the ecumenopolis was wiped out by Darth Malak. I expected Maz Kanata to be a bit more active even after the battle of Takodana. I hope we do see her in the next chapters. And surely the above mentioned Phasma - it is only revealed in additional materials, why she is so special. She takes pride in remembering the codenamed of the troopers. And her armor was somehow made of the chromium, used originally for the Palpatine's personal yacht (perhaps from the Pre-Clone Wars era).

@@Ping I am not that sure about Chewie's role, but it seemed he was – this time - a bit more active as a talker (had his own phrases, albeit translated by Han), and had more stormtrooper count than in Episode IV for instance. I can't remember him shooting anything except the stormtroopers in Cloud City and scout troopers on Endor. Here he actually takes a nice shot when hitting Kylo Ren. I am positive, that this little moment actually saves the scene with Han Solo. It could be considered as many fans reaction, streamed with a bowcaster. I watched the film twice now, and actually I like it more after some time. Now with the film seen I always pay attention to details: the planets in the film weren't that interesting, if you ask me, but most scenes were quite full of many details, be it the aliens in the background, or some beasts like a bird on Jakku, some alpacas and turkeys in the village. Also droids and various artifacts (as seen in Maz Kanata's Castle). The only sad thing about the film for me was - the unexplained moments with Poe (he says, that he managed to escape) and Phasma (the joke was good, but the character played a much smaller role in the film than I expected). They also deleted several scenes. For instance Maz Kanata was supposed to travel to D'Qar (Resistance Base) and deliver the lightsaber to Leia, and then only after that the weapon would find itself in the hands of Finn.

I feel okey with Hayden as Anakin ghost, to tell the truth. I do like the old Anakin though, I like it a lot, but it didn't feel right to me just like some people say, that seeing Hayden is equally strange. In any case the old Anakin has nothing to do with the badly damaged Vader without helmet, if you ask me. They even look differently, even though it's still Sebastian Shaw. In Episode VII Darth Vader had some "messages" for Kylo Ren, but some time before the event sin the film, they stopped. It is claimed, that Vader thaw nothing to do with that: it's all Snoke's doing. I feel, that if Anakin was to appear in Episode VIII, then it would wiser to include a more unclear image there. Like in this picture of Revan: It would be also more interesting, that Luke is contacting someone, but others - like Rey and the viewers - would have to guess, telling by the stance and the words spoken by the spirit, that it is truly Anakin. This would be not just more like a mystery in Star Wars (like it was in Episode V), but also would prove to be the best choice for those, discussing, which Anakin is better to be seen, old or young one.

@@dark_apprentice It's just a rumour for now. No official information. I also believe that even if that is true, we won't be knowing anything of it for a long time...

Oh this is definitely a joke. One article posted several Concept arts, which suggest, that Luke was playing a bigger role in TFA in the initial script. More than that – Anakin Skywalker's ghost was supposed to appear somewhere in the film

@ I thought of a similar scenario to come. I also thought, that Rey was at the Jedi Academy, but too little to be remembered by Kylo, as he left probably before she was born or when she was 2. When she turned like 6 or 8 the attack occurred, resulting in the death of the Jedi and Luke's wife, while he was away. Possible Lor San Tekka (it is confirmed, that he had a bigger role than what we see in the film, and early speculation even suggests he was a good friend of Rey, who told her all the stories about the Jedi and Luke Skywalker) brought Rey to Jakku, or maybe he suggested Jakku as a hideout, or maybe he took upon the role like that of old Ben Kenobi to watch the young girl from afar. Taking her to Tatooine was too dangerous, as Kylo probably knows of Luke and Anakin's story. It is also quite symbolic, that as there was no chance to make the film in Tunisia, so there is no Tatooine. Jakku is a new place that can be shoot only in a new location. The statue, seen in the screen with Luke in the end, is also seen, when Rey moves through the old ruins. Camera somehow focuses on it on one occasion. I wonder whether it was made specifically for the film or was there already. This could mean as an old memorial of the first Jedi Temple. And now they confirmed, that they removed one scene from Episode IV: I was looking forward to seeing this one actually. Hey, and where is Consteble Zuvio without sense of humour?

Now that Kylo lost his helmet on Starkiller base, perhaps he will be using something new? He also has the scars now, so probably he will be covering his face with a new mask. Or perhaps he won't need one, since Snoke wants to complete the training of his student.

@ That wasn't a claim, but a theory, which I saw a few times on the different sources. More like speculation really, but it sounded reasonable at the time. With the release of the film we now know, that Hux has no connection to SKywalkers, as some expected. But perhaps is can be related to the former Imperials of the old Empire. A few of my friends asked, whether they missed someone of the old Imperials in Episode VII, I mean, have there been any old guys, which can be familiar? I can only remember a few young ones, while there also was an older commander with grey hair, but not from the OT. @@Garyn Dakari True and not. While many ideas from the old Canon are no longer related to the new films (and new canon), a lot of the old canon is going back still. Mon Mothma was only partly known to those who wasn't a fan of EU, her role was developed greatly in books and games. However the new Visual Dictionary places her in the same position as before: She was the first Chancellor of the New Republic, while in older sources she was the first President of the New Republic. The flags at Maz's Castle also indicate various fractions, some of which appeared long before any cancellation of the old canon. This was known even before December 2015. The new official Galactic map doesn't forget about Bothawui, Dantooine and Rakata Prime (yes, Rakatan Empire existed before the Republic). We can be sure, that TFA actually boasts quite a lot of references even to the old EU canon. We'll simply have to pay attention The latest theory to rise in the net is actually about Rey: some claim, that she was brought to Jakku by Kylo Ren long before the events of the film. She doesn't remember, while Kylo doesn't want to. I don't believe in this one. The fact that he says somewhere "It's her" doesn't mean he played a role in her earlier life. I am more confident, that Rey might have been a child during Ben's years at Luke's Academy, but he might have seen her there once or twice. If we theorize, that Rey is indeed Luke's offspring, then she might have stayed with her parents at the Jedi Academy. Kylo kills all the Jedi and presumably her mother, while Luke is away and is saved by someone else, most likely not a Force-user... And thus she ends up on Jakku.

It is possible, that wanted the lightsaber to be ignited in the hands of Luke in Episode VIII. We already know, that in September or so they were making a scene there with Mark Hamill. So the moment with Luke in the next chapter is more important than in Episode VII, which serves more as a bridge between the generations and timeline. As for Mara, the idea wasn't dropped completely (before cancellation of the Clone Wars many ideas were found in the script-sketches from EU). Some believed Mara is still somewhere there in the story, but by the time of TFA she is dead. General Hux - unknown earlier - was believed to be her and Luke's son, who was disappointed in the Rebellion and his father, but didn't hold grudge against the Jedi, it was more like a conflict with a father and a desire to join the Empire, the powerful party (as it seemed to him) to be farther from the father, who failed (and failure led to mother's death (Mara)).

@@Garyn Dakari When I was making a "script" puzzle, as I call it, I found several characters who know more than others. Snoke and Maz Kanata are confirmed now to be the ones, knowing a lot. Maz surely knows of the Jedi Order specifics and she even had some dealings with them, not being a Jedi though. A page from the book shows, that Kanata kept her Force powers a great secret during the Imperial rule and only after the death of Palpatine she felt more freely to claim anything (yet still cautious). I can't remember in the film, but a bust, which seems to be standing originally behind Jocasta Nu when she talks to Obi Wan in AOTC, is now in the possession of Maz Kanata. Snoke on the other side is more aware of such things as Sidious's backstory, his plans for the Galaxy and possible involvement with Plaguies. Lor San Tekka wasn't known at the time, but in early rumors he was like an old hermit, who makes rare contacts with town. Rey would come to him to listen to the stories. Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from Episode V was believed to belong to him at first, not Kanata. Then at one point he disappears in the story and appears in the end of Episode VII like leaving the main stage to search for something. And the viewers receive some sort of a hint, that he is a double character, well, not what we expect him to be, with the mystery left for Episode VIII. However he is not a latent Dark Side user. It seems more of Lor San Tekka will be found in the book. Some posted partly the text from it already. The script also mentioned, that aside from the main villain (now known as Kylo Ren) there was a different character - a young noble man, formerly from the Empire, who was much interested in the old relics such a Vader's helmet. Being of aristocracy and quite wise this unknown person was believed to be from Serenno, and a far relative of count Dooku (this rumour was probably based due to the release of the small novel about Crimson Corsair. Perhaps he was replaced by Kylo and General Hux (the latter reminds the noble guy in manners and style).

@@Garyn Dakari I actually agree with @@Syko – J.J. wanted to make the movie closer to the Original Trilogy. Many fans despised the idea, that the Force could be explained by some midichlorians, but J.J. said, that he wouldn't change the rules of the Creator, simply omitting the midichlorians (it doesn't mean they don't exist, it's just that after the fall of the Empire a lot of things are forgotten and there is nobody to remember). Abrams also said, that he's making the story based on the idea, that all can open the Force for themselves in one way or another. This is the general idea in ANH, and Yoda also proves that in TESB: that the Force is everywhere, in the trees and stones, around us. Luke didn't know of the Force, as he stayed on Tatooine with his Uncle and Aunt. While he knows some stories, Owen must have allowed only a portion of it to flourish. Most of his friends however are not talking about the Jedi much, I guess, as the older generation tries to stay silent about these things, while the new ones haven't heard about it and are more fascinated by the Rebel Alliance and getting into the Imperial Academy (or dealing with real stuff, "here on Tatooine"). Watto and Jabba do know such things, because they must have encountered it before. Watto is a Toydarian, so it could be in their culture to explore this trait of Force immunity. Jabba Hutt is quite old not to know about the Jedi powers, as he's been active long before the Clone Wars. His species being immune can also be aware of their traits and that could be a known fact as part of their bringing up. I don't think Rey doesn't know at least some things about the Force and the Jedi, she confirmed that in the dialogue with Han Solo. She never used that, but certain situations (stressful escape, meeting with Kanata, lightsaber visions and the encounter with Kylo himself) exposed her to the channelling of the Force through herself too. In early rumors about the script there was a thing, that Lor San Tekka was presumably a friend of Rey, who collected various old things, including from the war. Being a veteran with cybernetics he would tell Rey of the Clone Wars and of the Galactic Civil war. But not being a Jedi he didn't help develop Rey her abilities, hidden deep inside her. That was a starting point.

This one is funny.

I don't think the First Order were the ones to create the Starkiller. More likely they used someone else's design. In Episode II it was a Geonosian prototype (I always wondered, whether these aliens wanted to make the halls and dark metal walls with white lights on them), in EU Bevel Lemelisk was the original creator of the two Death Stars as well as several other Absolute weapons. In most cases he was too fond of making the weapon quite dangerous, often forgetting about the security. Retcon made it so, that geonosians created the schematics for Death Star I, while Lemelisk worked a lot to develop it into something else. I doubt it will play a big role in Episode VIII, but perhaps Starkiller is something found by the First Order during their retreat, and actually not the only finding, left by many factions long before the Clone Wars. Snoke might be the key here, as he is believed, as according to Andy Serkis, that he is quite aware of all of the events from previous films I-VI, and can be possibly even as old as Maz Kanata (so more than thousand years old). People speculate, who Rey's parents could be. It was left as a question for us on purpose. There is a page from the Visual guide, which describes some of the things we see in young girl's possession on Jakku. Notice the doll and the helmet. They can hint on her parents relation to the Alliance, or she is simply fond of the aventures told by Lor San Tekka (or some other guy). In one of the sources it is said, that Kylo Ren could hear some "messages" from his grandfather when spending time with the mask, however by the time of Episode VII these are gone. So even though Kylo tries to get an advice from Vader, it is actually very much silent despite all his efforts. There is a speculation, that there's no real connection with former Sith lord and Kylo was actually deceived by Supreme Leader Snoke, who sent his own messages during such times instead of Vader.

I feel now, that I was right to read spoilers - for myself. =) It explains some things, which somehow are omitted in the film. Currently I want to hear the opinions of two people I know, which have been the fans of Star Wars for quite a long time. They watched Episode IV-VI back in early 1980s and despite anything said about the prequels, they actually enjoyed them. Episode VII has a few things, which can be called the traits of 2010s, which is only natural for sure. One thing that you can't help noticing is that TFA has a lot of female parts. It's okey, and I like it, but it is also unusual, because the Empire only relied on human males previously, but now there are several female commanders in the film. The Resistance also boasts a few like Dr.Kalonia, who treats wounded Chewbacca. The discussion, whether Episode VII has to look like the Original Trilogy or whether it is a mistake, that TFA reminds A New Hope too much, well there was this video - just a reminder for all of us of what fans asked for from J.J.Abrams LONG before Episode VII. Watch the video and decide whether he complied with their request. https://youtu.be/_joDNOpeWWo

More things. That just surely reminds me of what is seen on Coruscant in the Jedi archives, where Obi Wan talks to madam Jocasta Nu. And they even made something about Kylo Ren and his weapon.

I found this page from the upcoming encyclopedia on Episode VII. Seems we now know the name of the new Chancellor of the New Republic (Personally I would prefer seeing the President of the New Republic like in EU, though this office can still exist as close to that of a ViceChair in the Old Republic). It also seems that Episode VII is the first since Episode VI not to feature any of the old planets. Tatooine had this role in Episode I, Naboo was in Episode II. Alderaan in Episode III, even though it isn't seen anywhere else except from space in ANH. Notice, that there are two senators – one from Taris and one from Naboo

@ As the history of the Galaxy has it - the destruction of a planet caused various reactions. When Alderaan was destroyed, it made members of the Alliance even more confident in fighting the Empire. Some systems would join them in the upcoming years, while some planets tried to stay aside. Imperial propaganda, however, is almost likely to have put those vents in the best light to spare the reputation, while intimidating the disloyal ones. If you remember the EU case: Taris – then you'll find a curious situation, that on Manaan some of the Selkath call this news a Republic anti-Imperial propaganda, while the Czerka Corporation says, that they won't cease their agreements with the Sith, because making business with someone is a completely different situation and doesn't necessarily relate to the politics. I guess destroying Coruscant would be a very foolish move: fans would never forgive that, but they can surely accept the idea, that Coruscant is no longer the capital of the Republic. Besides so much happened there, it has some meaning for the future stories. The character of Korr Sella is believed to be on Hosnian Prime, when the blast penetrates the atmosphere and crushes both the skyscrapers and the rock, disintegrating the planet almost in an instance. Today it was confirmed, that Daniel Craig does indeed play a stormtrooper in The Force Awakens - actually the soldier, stationed to guard captured Rey, when she uses Jedi Mind Trick on him to be freed. You know, I actually found something remarkably familiar about his movements and the way he leaves the room. Perhaps that is because I watched Spectre not so long ago and surely rewatched some other Bond films with Craig to better see the continuity. Craig goes uncredited though. There are new pictures/concepts. Actually one of the variants for the new stormtrooper looked like this:

Oh, the whole scene with those disgusting creatures was out of place, if you ask me. The only sweet moment here was with Han Solo and Chewie meeting the new heroes. I also like the Guvians (guys in red armor), but other gangs don't look that good. The creatures were too bizarre, they look like a mix of a monster from Prometheus and Men in Black. I wasn't convinced that they were from Star Wars. The scenes with them were intense, and the way Rey deals with them wasn't bad though. The way Han dealt with one of them was also interesting. I suddenly thought that I miss the gold old mynocks from Empire Strikes Back. All this reminds me, that I must rematch the six other films before walking into the cinema again soon.

I am glad that wasn't Coruscant, but the new capital of the New Republic. The info from the latest sources says, that the Republic uses a different planet due to elections traditions: depending o the results of the elections to the Senate, one of the major Core worlds offers their capital as the headquarters for the Republic. Thus Coruscant is not a capital by Episode VII.

@ Snoke... The similarity between the OT and the new episode is somehow inevitable: Star Wars has always been about family and legacy. It's like a fateful move, which shows us, that different people of different social status (royal family, soldier, smuggler, farmer, etc) act the way they act due to unexplained, but still understandable things. It's like an unspoken legacy, the hidden bloodline, which makes its way through all the obstacles, be it the Trade Federation blockade, the run through the Death Star trench or the maneuver between the relics of the old battle between the Empire and the Rebels. So the similarities here can be justified, even though Episodes VIII and IX are far away, perhaps they will look absolutely different. Episode VII might have made a good path to them now.

@@Noodle Well, they aren't the only ones, who praise the film. There are certainly people who would hate it. A few people I know got a chance to see the movie on pre-premiere a few days ago and they said, they really hated it. Some said, that the film is too disneyish ("It's classic Disney stuff" - the quote). This in no way spoils the experience for me, as I am prepared for many things in the film anyway. And I know a few things I really want from Star Wars - are present in it. Seeing a copy of a New Hope isn't what I expect to see though. There are many positive reviews, such as from «The Hollywood Reporter» and «The Guardian», but they are not that simple. Such words as a reboot or a stylistic similarity to [steven Spielberg] have been mentioned. One of the Russian SW fans was not that positive, giving more or less a neutral review: I think there is duplicity to all these: in many cases people judge Star Wars as a film, just a film. Often aside from the Saga and of course they never connect it to the Galaxy. And I might be impartial here, because I would judge the film by the continuity, the legacy, the Galactic feel, though cultural and philosophical (as well as socio-political) aspects are of relevance to me.