We found every easter egg and reference in Star Wars: The Force Awakens!
This article contains majorStar Wars: The Force Awakensspoilers.
What will you find here?
Thats all theStar Warsbooks, comics, video games, and more that we could think of.
Weve caught a bunch of homages to the Original Trilogy of films, too!
Rey
Reys first appearance is inStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
There have been other characters named Rey or Rei inStar Warshistory, but none of any real note.
As youll discover, Finn is a much more popular name.
Reys outfit in the film is inspired by Ralph McQuarries early concept art for Luke Starkiller.
And her robes are very like Lukes inA New Hope.
Rey also owns her own speeder like Luke did inA New Hope.
Theyre different models, though.
Luke drives the X-34 landspeeder on Tatooine, while Reys is more of a speeder bike.
Rey saves BB-8 from an alien scavenger on Jakku.
That alien is called a Teedo.
This is the species first appearance.
The strange-looking plant Rey eats in Maz Kanatas castle can be found here on Earth.
Its called Romanesco broccoli or Romanesco cauliflower.
(That one is courtesy of Neil deGrasse Tyson.)
When Rey touches Lukes lightsaber in Maz Kanatas castle, she experiences visions of the past (?)
through the Force energy in the weapon.
you might also hear Luke yelling, NO!
after Vader reveals that hes his father inThe Empire Strikes Back.
Like Reys first adventure, Lukes adventure inA New Hopefeatures a rescue mission in a massive enemy base.
This is an inverse, though, since its Rey that needs to be rescued.
She doesnt, of course.
This will undoubtedly lead into Reys formal Jedi training.
Many could say that Lukes own training began when Obi-Wan gifted him with his fathers lightsaber.
It could also be assumed that the Acolytes of the Beyond acquired Darth Vaders charred helmet from Endor.
Kylo Rens cowl comes from his early days of Force training, according toThe Force Awakensnovelization.
It is not specified is he donned it during his training with Luke Skywalker or Supreme Leader Snoke.
The reason behind this is in fact that Vader/Anakin Skywalker is Kylos grandfather.
It is unclear whether Kylo can actually contact Vaders Force ghost in the movie.
It could just be another Force imprint on the helmet, of course.
The Force ghost is depicted as a man-machine hybrid, showing both phases of Anakins life.
The art piece was created by Iain McCaig.
you’re free to look at it above.
Luke was training a new group of young Jedi to form a new Jedi Order.
Leia regrets ever having let Ben go train with Luke.
Han mentions that his son had too much of Vader in him.
Kylos story is sort of a mirror image of Lukes.
Obi-Wan also claimed Anakin was killed by Darth Vader in the Original Trilogy.
Lumiya, by the way, is a badass Sith with the lightsaber whip.
She first appeared in Marvels originalStar Warscomics, in issue #56, under a false identity.
This isnt important at all, but just too cool not to mention.
Like Ben, Jacen started Jedi training at a young age at Lukes Yavin 4 Jedi Academy.
This was a big deal at the time.
Finn
Finn is quite new toStar Warscanon, first appearing inThe Force Awakens.
He is a First Order Stormtrooper, designation FN-2187 and known simply as Eight-Seven by his fellow soldiers.
Finn is in the trooper division led by Captain Phasma.
Finns 2187 designation is an homage to Princess Leias cell block on the Death Star inA New Hope.
Shes being kept in cell 2187.
Finns planet of origin and relatives are unknown.
Finn hits the same dejarik table on the Millennium Falcon that was first shown inA New Hope.
In that movie, Artoo played Chewie while on their way to Alderaan.
We see Luke use his jacket throughout Marvels newStar Warscomic series.
There have been several characters named Finn inStar WarsExpanded Universe history.
He appeared in Dark Horse ComicsStar Wars Tales#17.
Basically, there are a lot of Finns inStar Wars.
Finn is not the first Stormtrooper to become a deserter.
Many fans will also draw parallels to a Legends Kyle Katarn.
Personally, we dont think Mr. Abrams and Mr. Kasdan were thinking Katarn in this instance, though.
This will most likely change at some point.
John Boyega is the third black actor to play a major character in aStar Warsfilm.
Billy Dee Williams, who played Lando Calrissian inThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi, is the first.
Samuel L. Jackson, who played Jedi Master Mace Windu in the Prequels, is the second.
Both of Poes parents were members of the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War.
She also adventured with Princess Leia to Naboo during the Empires Operation: Cinder in the days after Endor.
you could read all of her adventures in MarvelsStar Wars: Shattered Empireby Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto.
Poes dad, Kes Dameron, also fought in the Battle of Endor for the Rebel Alliance.
Poe is the leader of Black Squadron, the fighter squadron that took down Starkiller Base inThe Force Awakens.
He is referred to as Black Leader.
Poe even gets his own trench to zip through.
The bad guys really need to hire a new engineer for these giant superweapons.
Poe flies a newer version (T-70) of the Original Trilogys X-Wing (T-65B).
His fighter is colored black and orange.
Previously, Puerto Rican actor Jimmy Smits portrayed supporting character Bail Organa inAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith.
Oscar Isaac may have had some say in where Poes canonical homeworld is.
This was later canonized when theShattered Empirecomic series showed Poes parents settling on Yavin IV.
In Legends, the Falcon even goes through several different names before being christened the Millennium Falcon.
And there are a few more names, too.
The ship has even had several different paint jobs, but now this is getting ridiculous.
The Millennium Falcon inThe Force Awakenshas a rectangular antenna as opposed to the round antenna from the Original Trilogy.
The ship lost its original antenna during the Battle of Endor inReturn of the Jedi.
There are too many to name here, so just go look them up yourself.
Or play BioWaresKnights of the Old Republicfor a really awesome take on space gangs.
The octopus-like creatures that Han and Chewie are smuggling in the cargo ship are called rathtars.
This is their first appearance.
Han delivers one ofStar Wars most famous lines: I have a bad feeling about this.
This line has become a pretty big in-joke in theStar Warsuniverse.
Needless to say, Han and Chewie go on many adventures in the post-Return of the JediLegends canon.
Interestingly enough, when its finally time to break up the duo, its Chewbacca that sacrifices himself.
In the firstNew Jedi OrderbookVector Prime, Chewie dies on the planet Sernpidal when a moon (!)
Thats not to say Han doesnt face much tragedy in Legends.
He is featured in the final issue ofStar Wars: Shattered Empire.
It is implied that this is Lukes first step to rebuilding the Jedi Order.
Shara then settles down on Yavin 4 with her family, where she plants the tree.
In Legends canon, Luke establishes the New Jedi Order on Yavin 4.
Of course, there are plenty of setbacks for Luke in that era.
It shouldnt be surprising that Lukes road will be quite rocky during the Sequel Trilogy.
My guess is no.
It is implied that Luke went into exile after his nephew Ben Solos fall to the Dark Side.
Lukes robes at the end ofThe Force Awakensare similar to Obi-Wans robes.
Luke has long hair and a beard in the final scene of the film.
But the beard kind of makes sense, doesnt it?
Lukes hideout is on the planet Ahch-To, according toThe Force Awakensscreenplay.
A new senate made up of representatives of all member planets is also formed in both instances.
The capital of the New Republic differs based on the canon.
This was established in Chuck Wendigs novelStar Wars: Aftermath.
On Hosnian Prime, we get a close-up of an unnamed woman right before the planet is destroyed.
We learned fromThe Force Awakensnovelization that her name is Korr Sella.
The New Republic was first introduced in 1991s Legends novelHeir to the Empireby Timothy Zahn.
These events took place five years after the Battle of Endor.
It is established that Princess Leia Organa has become a General and leader of the Resistance.
The Resistance is a small faction of soldiers operating loosely within the New Republic.
The Resistance uses the starbird symbol once used by the Rebel Alliance in the Original Trilogy.
The Resistance Base is located on the planet DQar in the Ileenium System in the Outer Rim.
The planet was first introduced in the novelLost Starsby Claudia Gray.
The Rebels then established an outpost there that eventually became the Resistance Base.
He absolutely definitely isnt a giant, at least.
So, to knock down the fan theory a little, Snoke probably isnt Plagueis in disguise.
But seriously, probably not the same guy.
His speech to Kylo Ren about Han Solo is even reminiscent of Palpatines instructions to Vader about Luke inESB.
In both cases, the relatives are goners.
It is unclear if the film is actually Snokes first appearance.
He is known only as The Operator in the book.
This could be Snokes initial step in his plan to retake the galaxy.
Captain Phasma is surprisingly the first Chrome Trooper inStar Warshistory.
This is perhaps an homage to the Chrome era of sci-fi serials such asFlash GordonandBuck Rogers.
That said, there have been precursors to this design in Legends canon.
For example, the Sith Troopers fromKnights of the Old Republicwore chrome armor.
While technically not the same, both units serve the same oppressive function.
There have also been other variations on the classic white Stormtrooper armor.
Interestingly enough, Phasmas armor is made from the hull plates of a Naboo starship.
An anonymous female Stormtrooper was first introduced in the pages ofStar Wars: LegacyVol.1 #0.
Of course, neither of these characters exist anymore, since the canon reboot.
Han, Chewie, Leia, and Luke were trapped in a trash compactor inA New Hope.
Abrams came up with Phasmas name because of his love for the moviePhantasm.
Its surprising that this idea was never put to use in the films untilThe Force Awakens.
He does have the shield, though!
Thanks toStar Wars Underworldfor pointing that out.
The First Order Star Destroyer inThe Force Awakensis calledFinalizer.
Fortunately for him, he is smart enough to run when things take a turn for the worse.
Tarkin wasnt so lucky.
Its mechanized planet design is most likely a play on the Death Stars resemblance to a moon.
LikeA New Hope,The Force Awakensends with the weapons destruction.
In the former, the Emperor simply abolished the Senate.
Starkiller Base is named after George Lucas original name for Luke, which was Luke Starkiller.
In the Legends video gameThe Force Unleashed, the main character is also named Starkiller.
And there have been plenty of other characters inStar Warshistory with the name, too.
The Separatists also had a superweapon called the Starkiller during the Clone Wars era.
This weapon first appeared in companion materials for the Wizards of the CoastStar Warsrole-playing game.
The Sun Crusher was introduced in the novelJedi Searchby Kevin J. Anderson.
Unlike Starkiller Bases massive scale, though, the Sun Crusher was no bigger than a starfighter.
One was the Star Forge in the firstKotORgame.
And theres also the Sun Razer from the comics based onThe Old RepublicMMO.
There are probably more, but you get the picture.
We see a ship graveyard left over from that battle in the opening scenes ofThe Force Awakens.
The Battle of Jakku made its first appearance in the novelLost Starsby Claudia Gray.
It is also playable in the video gameStar Wars Battlefront.
The final collapse, though, happened in the pages of Dark Horse ComicsCrimson Empire II.
The Remnant still followed doctrine of Emperor Palpatines government, but it did abolish slavery and anti-alien sentiment.
Imperial Admiral Gilad Pellaeon served as Supreme Commander of the Remnant in this time.
Later years saw the Remnant break away from the Galactic Alliance.
Actors/comedians Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz provided the voice of the new droid.
C-3PO has a red arm duringThe Force Awakens.
The films story truly begins when BB-8 has a chance encounter with the main character in a desert planet.
Thats exactly what happens with Artoo and Luke inA New Hope.
In certain Jakku scenes, you’ve got the option to see an arch in the distance.
That arch is based on Ralph McQuarrie concept art.
Thanks toStar Wars Underworldfor pointing that out.
He first appears inThe Force Awakens.
Maz Kanata, played by Lupita Nyongo, is a space pirate.
Maz Kanatas castle first appeared in The Face of Evil, a short story e-book by Landy Q. Walker.
The castle is on the planet Takodana.
Among the flags hanging at Maz Kanatas castle are the Mandalorian flag and the Ohnaka Clan flag.
These could be nods to Boba Fett and Hondo Ohnaka respectively.
In the story, theyre looking for kyber crystals that once belonged to the infamous Sith.
Upon entering the castle, one of the first aliens you sees is called a Hassk.
This creature is an homage Ralph McQuarries original concept art for the Mos Eisley Cantina inA New Hope.
The cantina music you hear in Maz Kanatas castle was not composed by John Williams.
Its a piece composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, currently making waves on Broadway withHamilton.
Miranda and J.J. Abrams sang the vocals for the song.
Admiral Ackbar is now part of the Resistance.
We see him act in this capacity inStar Wars: Aftermath.
Greg Gunbergs character is Temmin Snap Wexley, a character first introduced inStar Wars: Aftermathby Chuck Wendig.
Abrams father, Gerry, makes a cameo as Resistance Captain Cypress.
Hes also appeared in the directorsStar Trekmovies.
Warwick Davisthe Ewok Wicket from Return of the Jediappears in Mazs castle as a character named Wollivan.
This may be a play on George LucasTHX1138.
Comedian Judah Friedlander (30 Rock) cameos as one of the patrons of Mazs castle.
John Saavedra is an associate editor at Den of Geek US.
Find more of his work onhis website.
Or justfollow him on Twitter.
Additional reporting by Megan Crouse.
This article originally ran in December 2015.
