In case you hadn’t noticed, the folks behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been just a bit cagey when it comes to revealing details about the movie. Over the last couple of years, the studio and filmmakers have dropped a few hints about characters and plot, and footage featured in trailers have filled in some gaps, but still there are many, many questions for which we are waiting to hear answers – and there are some in particular that are bigger than others.
The wait is almost over, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be out in theaters in just a little over a month, but thinking about what we know of the film, and what we expect, we’ve compiled a list of 10 mysteries about the movie that we’re excited to see solved. Read on!
What’s the deal with Kylo Ren’s Darth Vader Obsession?
With the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ final trailer, we learned the ultimate motivation of Kylo Ren: to "finish" what Darth Vader "started." Not only are we curious as to exactly what the new villain means by this (exterminating the Jedi?), but we also want to know where his fascination with the deceased Sith Lord comes from. What is his personal connection to the character? And why is it that he needed to get his burnt up old helmet? This will all presumably be made clear when J.J. Abrams’ film finally arrives in theaters.
Where did C-3PO get that red arm?
Thanks to his silver boot, we’ve never really known C-3PO to just be one solid color, but in Star Wars: The Force Awakens we will see him get a different shade added to his palette. It seems that at some point during the 30 years since Return of the Jedi, the snooty droid managed to lose his arm, and needed to replace it with a shiny new red one. So what exactly went down? We will see this red arm in action in J.J, Abrams’ movie, but interestingly the backstory probably won’t be covered there. Instead, we will get the answer via a brand new Marvel Comic called "Star Wars Special: C-3PO" – which will be in stores on December 23rd.
What’s the status of Han Solo and Princess Leia?
As far as sci-fi romances go, the relationship between Han Solo and Princess Leia is certainly one of the greats. Classically, their relationship actually started off entirely hostile – with neither of them appreciating the other’s energy – but over the course of three films that changed a lot. By Return of the Jedi the two of them were openly in love… but what’s going on with them 30 years later in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So far we’ve only seen one shot of them together (with Leia resting her head against his chest), but are they married? Or did they never quite get to that stage? We’ll find out next month.
Who has been flying the Millennium Falcon?
Our first look at Han Solo and Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens came in the form of the duo re-boarding the Millennium Falcon and announcing "We’re home," but that left many fans wondering exactly when the ship and its pilots parted ways. It was rumored during production that Han and Chewie wouldn’t be at the helm of their famous vessel at the start of The Force Awakens, but what hasn’t been revealed is exactly who has been piloting it in the meantime. We’ve seen many shots of the Millennium Falcon flying around in the trailers, but we’re still waiting for our first look inside of the cockpit.
Do any of the younger cast members have Skywalker blood?
J.J. Abrams has gone on record saying that the last names of certain characters have intentionally been withheld in the run-up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but that only fuels are curiosity, wanting to know if any of the new, young characters might have Skywalker blood. When I say this, I obviously mean that they could either be children of Luke, or Princess Leia. Could Kylo Ren be Luke’s son? Might Rey be the daughter of Leia and Han? Given the history and legacy of the franchise, we expect at least some people to be related to others, but exactly who is linked with who is being kept secret for obvious reasons.
Who exactly is Supreme Leader Snoke?
Of all the characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens - including new and old – the first voice we heard in the marketing for the movie belonged to someone we still haven’t seen: Andy Serkis’ Supreme Leader Snoke. From what we’ve read in interviews and official information about the film, he is the top of the pyramid when it comes to the hierarchy of The First Order, and it seems that he has some ability to tap into The Force. But that’s all we know. We don’t know what he looks like, and we have no idea about any of his personal motivations or involvement with the plot. He, by himself, is one big mystery.
What exactly does the title mean?
Speaking of Supreme Leader Snoke, the only thing we’ve heard him talking about is that "there’s been an awakening," but that and the actual title of the film still have us doing a bit of head-scratching. Did the Force as an entity actually go to sleep after the end of Return of the Jedi? Or maybe the Force "awakening" is somebody making use of it for the first time in a long time (like Luke Skywalker, perhaps). With the exception of Attack of the Clones - which didn’t actually have any clones that attacked – the Star Wars movies have been pretty good at having their titles make a good amount of sense in retrospect, and we expect the same from The Force Awakens.
Are the Sith gone?
When Kylo Ren’s red crossguard lightsaber was revealed in the first Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer in 2014, many jumped to the assumption that the Adam Driver character is a member of the Sith – the same order that counted Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Darth Maul as members. As it turned out, however, this was a misconception, as J.J. Abrams shut that idea straight down. This has left us wondering if there are actually any more Sith in the Star Wars universe. Luke being alive presumably means he’s keeping the Jedi spirit alive, but we have no idea if the primary users of The Force’s darker aspects are still around.
Is Finn actually a Jedi?
The situation with Kylo Ren not being a Sith has left us being a bit more cautious about making big assumptions – which leads us to the subject of Finn. Many fans have ascertained that the John Boyega character must be a Jedi because we’ve see him wielding a lightsaber in both trailers and on posters, but what if that’s just a misdirect? It’s not like non-Force users can’t handle the weapon – as demonstrated when Han used Luke’s to slice open a Tauntaun in The Empire Strikes Back. The truth is that we won’t know the extent of Finn’s potential Jedi-ness until we see The Force Awakens.
Where is Luke?
We have finally arrived at the million dollar question: where the hell is Luke at the start of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Thus far, Mark Hamill’s face has not made an appearance in any of the marketing materials for the highly anticipated blockbuster, and the best look we’ve gotten was just a shrouded figure reaching out a robotic hand to touch R2-D2. What exactly happened to Luke after the death of Darth Vader? Did he cut off all contact with Han and Leia? Is he still a Jedi with power over the Force? We’ve gotten the sense that these will be the key questions that drive The Force Awakens, and we couldn’t be more excited for some answers.
