Star Wars: The Force Awakens

My first thought after watching The Force Awakens was – I have to watch it again! If you feel the same, until we get a chance, here are some remarkable photos from the movie together with some surprising stories from behind the scenes. Don’t miss the hints about Rey’s true father and the videos towards the end, which are as close as it gets to going to the movie again. Enjoy!

 

In Love with Rey

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 1 - Rey Skywalker with Eyewear
My daughter’s reaction is priceless. I watched the movie with my 8 years old daughter and her first reaction was: “I loved 2 things about the movie. First, the entire movie. Second, that the main character is a girl!”. She’s in love with Rey.

 

Is BB-8 Real?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 2 - BB-8 in X-Wing
What makes it look so real? The production had a preference for using real locations and miniature models over green-screens and computer-generated imagery whenever possible in order to make the film aesthetically similar to the original Star Wars trilogy.

 

Wow! And don’t miss the hints about Rey’s father…

This is a long post for true fans with heavy high-resolution photos. To prevent the page from loading too slow, I had to split it into a gallery. What’s next? Kylo Ren!

The New Face of Evil: Kylo Ren

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 3 - Kylo Ren on Starship
Kylo Ren’s real name is Ben Solo. Although it is never fully stated the implication is that he was named after Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi.

 

The New Non-Jedi Hero: Finn

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 4 - Finn with Resistance Soldiers
Even his parents didn’t know! John Boyega, who plays Finn, was so nervous and frightened at the prospect of not getting the role that he didn’t tell his parents that he had been cast until after a cast photo was posted online by the official Star Wars twitter page.

 

Can you believe the story about Poe Dameron’s Uncle?

The New Pilot: Poe Dameron

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 5 - Finn and Poe Dameron
He got his uncle into the movie! After he was cast, Oscar Isaac, who plays Poe Dameron, revealed to director J.J. Abrams that his uncle is a huge Star Wars fan. As a result, arrangements for Isaac’s uncle to visit the film set were made. To the great surprise of both Isaac and his uncle, Abrams then asked if he would be interested in appearing in the film as an extra. Isaac’s uncle quickly agreed.

 

The New X-Wing

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 6 - X-Wing shoots Tie Fighter
Have you noticed the unique design? The new version of the X-Wing includes an element that Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston originally designed for the original first Star Wars movie but was never used. Specifically the circular engines that split into two half circles. The classic trilogy design had two cylinders on each side. A new aspect that has been added for The Force Awakens is that the wings themselves split vertically as well as horizontally, with the front of the wing pushing down and the back half up.

 

Coming up Next: The TIE Fighter…!

The TIE Fighter

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 7 - Tie Fighter above water

 

Captain Phasma of The First Order

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 8 - Captain Phasma of the First Order
I love the gender balance in this movie. Even the bad guys are often girls.

 

Who is my favorite couple?

My favorite couple: C-3PO with the Red Arm Reunites with R2-Ds

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 9 - C-3PO with Red Arm and R2-D2
Cast Details: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Tim Rose (Ackbar), and Mike Quinn (Nien Nunb) are the only actors to reprise their roles from the original “Star Wars” trilogy while Daniels, Baker and Mayhew are the only actors to reprise their roles from the prequel trilogy.

 

Did you know Luke could have been out?

Who was a better pilot?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 10 - Poe Dameron
Before Poe, we had Luke. Mark Hamill claimed that George Lucas nonchalantly told him over lunch that a new Star Wars trilogy was going to be made by Disney, and that if he did not want to be involved, Luke Skywalker would simply be written out of the script. However, Hamill immediately agreed to reprise the role.

 

What’s Next? J.J. Abrams on Set

J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan on Set

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 11 - JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan on set
The first J.J. Abrams film not to have a musical score by Michael Giacchino. Aptly enough, Giacchino stated in an interview that he would rather hear the music of John Williams in a new Star Wars film than his own. Giacchino’s name shows up in episode VII’s credits as a stormtrooper.

 

Did you know that J.J. Abrams needed to be persuaded?

J.J. Abrams Declined?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 13 - JJ Abrams and Daisy Ridley on set
He had to be persuaded. After publicly declining to direct a new Star Wars film, J.J. Abrams was visited at his Bad Robot office by Kathleen Kennedy. Their negotiations lasted over a month, during which time, Abrams’ central concern was the vast magnitude and cultural significance of the project.

 

What’s Next? Photos from the Movie

Kylo Ren with Stormtroopers

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 12 - Kylo Ren and Stormtroopers
I already want to watch the movie again…

 

Finn and the Crashed TIE Fighter

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 14 - Finn and crashed TIE fighter
I jumped in my sit!

 

What’s Next? Rey saves BB-8

Rey Saves BB-8

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 15 - Rey and BB-8 with scavanger Teedo
BB-8 is better than Jar Jar, right? An article in the June 2015 edition of Vanity Fair states that J.J. Abrams had an idea to place Jar Jar Binks’s skeleton (as an Easter egg) into a few seconds of the film. This would be set in a desert.

 

Did you know she cried?

Rey Cried…

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 15 - Rey anf Finn run from stormtroopers
She actually cried… Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, cried the first time she watched the trailer. She captured a video of the reaction, and posted in on her Instagram account.

 

Crazy story about last minute notice…

Last Minute Notice

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 16 - General Hux of the First Order
Surprise, you’re a general! Because of the secretive nature surrounding the film, several cast members found out that they had gotten parts in the film with very short notice. Domhnall Gleeson, who plays General Hux, found out the day after he auditioned which was only one day before the table read.

 

What is Starkiller?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 17 - The First Order assembly
The name of the First Order’s weapon is “Starkiller”. This was Luke Skywalker’s original last name when George Lucas wrote the Star Wars story.

 

What’s next? The Finalizer!

The Finalizer Spaceship

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 18 - The Finalizer

 

TIE Fighter chases The Millennium Falcon into old starship

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 19 - TIE Fighter chases Millennium Falcon into old starship

 

TIE Fighter chases The Millennium Falcon

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 20 - TIE Fighter chases Millennium Falcon

As you can see, these photos from The Force Awakens are heavy. This is why I had to split the post into a gallery. Don’t miss the videos!

 

Next for More Fantastic Photos

Captain Phasma Walks

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 21 - Captain Phasma walks
She’s from Game of Thrones! In case you haven’t noticed it behind the mask, Gwendoline Christie, who plays Captain Phasma, also plays Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.

 

Rey offers her hand to Finn on Jakku

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 22 - Rey help Finn on Jakku

 

Daisy almost had a panic attack…

Daisy Ridley’s Near Panic Attack

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 23 - Rey on Jakku
In an interview with Daisy Ridley during The Force Awakens press tour, she recounted her first day on set, where she nearly had a panic attack when her performance wasn’t up to snuff. This is what Ridley state about the first day on set: “I was petrified. I thought I was gonna have a panic attack on the first day… J.J. [Abrams] …he probably doesn’t remember telling me that my performance was wooden. This was my first day! And I honestly wanted to die. I thought I was gonna cry, I couldn’t breathe”.

 

Where is BB-8?

BB-8 peeks behind a corner

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 24 - BB-8 peeks

 

Finn in a Stormtrooper Armor

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 25 - Finn in stormtrooper armor

 

When did they use flamethrowers before?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 26 - Stormtroopers gather
We knew about flamethrowers… Stormtroopers are seen using flamethrowers for the first time in this film – this method explains the state Luke finds his home in during A New Hope.

 

The passing of a lightsaber

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 27 - Passing the lightsaber

 

There are several hints for the Skywalker family connection…

The Hints for the Skywalker Family Connection

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 28 - Robotic hand on R2-D2 Luke Skywalker
This scene is a clear hint that Rey is Luke’s daughter. The robotic hand in Rey’s dream must belong to Luke. But it’s not the only one.

The camera pans across the living area of Rey and shows a shelf with a children’s doll that appears to be dressed in the orange flight suit of an x-wing pilot. Shortly afterwards when Rey is eating outside her home she puts on an x-wing pilot’s helmet. Both items appear to hint that Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker, who wore the flight suit and helmet in the original trilogy movies.

Oh, and also – notice the outfit. Rey’s clothing is very similar to Luke’s originals. And there are more hits… How many have you noticed?

 

Have you noticed what’s special about Finn’s number?

Finn’s Number Story

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 30 - Rey Finn and BB-8 run from blast
Have you noticed the number? Finn’s stormtrooper reference number FN-2187, is a reference to the cell 2187 which was Princess Leia’s original cell on the Death Star, the same cell which she was held captive in Star Wars episode IV – A New Hope.

Kylo Ren attacks with The Force

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 29 - Kylo Ren attacks with Force

 

Great Blast!

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 31 - Destruction blast

 

What happened when Chewie and Han boarded the Millennium Falcon?

Chewie, we’re home!

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 32 - Chewie and Han are home
Chewie, we’re home! According to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, when Harrison Ford and Chewbacca set foot in the Millennium Falcon set, every person on set was stunned. Kennedy claims that there must have been 200 people who were completely quiet, due to the iconic presence of Ford and Chewbacca back on Han Solo’s ship.

 

What’s next? Lucky Number Seven

Lucky Number Seven

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 33 - Opening
Number Seven. This movie marks the first time in franchise history that the Episode number matches the films sequential production & release. (i.e. Episode VII = Seventh Star Wars Film).

 

Behind the Scenes?

Behind the Scenes of The Force Awakens

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 34 - a photo of the slate from the first day of photography This is a photo of the slate from the first day of photography.

 

Pinewood Studios While Filming Episode VII

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 35 - Pinewook Studios

 

Script Reading with the Cast

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 36 - Script Reading

 

What’s Next? Even more amazing photos…

Finn on Jakku

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 37 - Finn in stormtrooper armor on Jakku

 

Poe Dameron Pilots his X-Wing

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 38 - Poe Dameron Pilot X-Wing
What’s in a name? Poe Dameron is named after J.J. Abrams’ former personal assistant, Morgan Dameron and his daughter’s stuffed panda bear named Poe.

 

BB-8 on Jakku – What’s the hurry?

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 39 - BB-8 on sand in Jakku

 

Rey on her speeder?

Rey on her Speeder on Jakku

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 40 - Rey on her speeder

 

Kylo Ren and the New Style Lightsaber

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 41 - Kylo Ren and lightsaber

 

The Millennium Falcon Battle with TIE Fighters

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 42 - The Millennium Falcon battle with TIE fighters

BB-8: From Sketch to Screen

Click to play video:


In this special Star Wars: The Force Awakens featurette, director J.J. Abrams, head of the creature shop Neal Scanlan, and the stars of the film discuss creating BB-8 as a practical effect, acting alongside him, and much more.

 

The Force Awakens: Official Trailer

Watching the trailer now is as close as it gets to watching the movie again:

The official trailer was published on Oct 19, 2015. The movie opened in theaters on December 18, 2015.

 

What’s Next? The Posters!

The Force Awakens: The Official Poster

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 43 - Official Poster
This the official poster. The film has a budget of 200 million dollars which is the highest budget of a Star Wars film so far.

 

The Character Series of Official Posters

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 44 - Character Poster Rey

Rey (Skywalker?)

 

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 45 - Character Poster Leia
Leia looks great! In summer 2013, it was revealed both Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill had begun a vigorous regimen of diet, exercise and stunt training to prepare for their roles of Leia and Luke, respectively.

 

What’s Next? More Posters!

The Force Awakens: The Character Posters

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 46 - Character Poster Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren / Ben Solo

 

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 47 - Character Poster Han Solo
Han Solo / Ford was injured. While filming in summer 2014, Harrison Ford broke his ankle on the door of the Millennium Falcon. About a year later, J.J. Abrams revealed that he broke his back while trying to help get Ford out from under the door.

 

Star Wars VII The Force Awakens 48 - Character Poster Finn
Finn

 

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More From Briff.me – The Previous Episode Secrets

Click to complete the background story with…

Star Wars Secrets: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Secrets Episode VI Return of the Jedi - Header

Full credit: The photos and rights belong to Star Wars.

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