They say the best things come to those who wait. 10 long years after theStar Warsprequel trilogy wrapped up withStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and three years after Disney first announced their purchase of LucasFilm,Star Wars: The Force Awakensfinally hit theaters this weekend, and it’s taking the world by storm. We reported on Friday thatStar Wars: The Force Awakensis on track to be the biggest movie of all time, and today’s box office numbers revealed this blockbuster shatteredJurassic World’s opening weekend record with $238 million. As beloved as this blockbuster has become, it still didn’t provide fans with all the answers they were looking for. Be warned, if you haven’t seenStar Wars: The Force Awakensyet, there will beMASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW, so be sure to read on at your own risk.
Right from the start,Star Wars: The Force Awakenswas shrouded in secrecy, which spawned rumor after rumor from insiders and outsiders alike, all with new details on the casting, characters and the production, once principal photography got under way last year. Some of those rumors were proven to be true, such as the death ofHan Solo, while others were proven false, such as the opening of the film featuring a lightsaber that falls from the sky and lands on the desert planet of Jakku. Now thatStar Wars: The Force Awakensis finally here for all to see, we’re breaking down the biggest unanswered questions from directorJ.J. Abrams' immense sci-fi adventure, set in that beloved galaxy far, far away, filled with colorful characters, villainy and intrigue.
Star Wars: The Force Awakensintroduces three new heroes into theStar Warsuniverse,John Boyega’s Finn,Daisy Ridley’s Rey andOscar Isaac’sPoe Dameron, along withAdam Driver’s villainous Kylo Ren.Mark Hamill(Luke Skywalker),Harrison Ford(Han Solo) andCarrie Fisher(Leia Organa) are also reprising their iconic roles from the original trilogy. TheStar Wars: The Force Awakenssupporting cast includesDomhnall Gleesonas General Hux,Lupita Nyong’oas Maz Kanata,Gwendoline Christieas Captain Phasma,Andy Serkisas Supreme Leader Snoke andMax von Sydowas Lor San Tekka.
As you well know by now,Star Wars: The Force Awakensis just the beginning. This blockbuster will be followed by the first spinoff,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is currently in production and set to hit theaters on June 02, 2025. DirectorRian Johnson’sStar Wars: Episode VIIIis slated for release on June 10, 2025, withStar Wars Anthology: Han Solo Moviearriving on August 20, 2025 andStar Wars: Episode IXpremiering sometime in 2019. Lucasfilm is also developing aThird Star Wars Spin-Off Movie, which is presumably set to arrive in 2020.
Keep in mind, the aforementioned projects above are merely the ones that have been announced so far. Last month, a report surfaced that revealed Disney plans on putting out a newStar Warsmovie every year, indefinitely, until the demand for these bold adventures dries up with moviegoers. As of now, Disney and LucasFilm haven’t announced any formal plans for either movie or TV projects, but don’t be surprised if we hear about even more projects in the new year, perhaps even an update or two on theThird Star Wars Spin-Off Movie.Josh Trankwas initially set to direct, before he left the project earlier this year, and LucasFilm hasn’t announced his replacement yet. But still, what does the seemingly infinite potential of the burgeoningStar Warshave to do with these unanswered questions? Quite a bit, actually.
It would be one thing if the studio was planning a trilogy and three spinoffs, and that’s it, but we know that’s not the case. This means it’s possible some of these questions we’re seeking answers for may not be resolved inStar Wars: Episode VIII, or evenStar Wars: Episode IX. With that in mind, we present 15 unanswered questions fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens, and when we might find some answers to these burning questions. This is your absolute last warning for SPOILERS, so if you haven’t seenStar Wars: The Force Awakensyet, or if you aren’t averse to spoilers, then turn away now and come back after you’ve seen this epic blockbuster. We begin with with one of the new heroes introduced inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, whose journey will be followed very closely from here on out.
17[1] Who is Rey? Skywalker? Solo? Kenobi?
With just just one movie credit and a handful of TV guest spots to her name, British actressDaisy Ridleywas plucked from obscurity by directorJ.J. Abrams, when he cast her as Rey inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. If you think about it,Daisy Ridley’s journey somewhat mirrors that of her character, and while there is a lot we found out about Rey inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, her presence raises even more questions. We know Rey grew up on her own after her family abandoned her on the desert planet of Jakku. DirectorJ.J. Abramshas confirmed that Rey’s surname has been kept secret for a reason, hinting that she could be the offspring of either Han Solo and Leia, or Luke Skywalker himself. It’s also possible that she could be related, in some way, to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The exclusion of Rey and Finn’s surnames inStar Wars: The Force Awakenshas lead to much speculation, with many believing that they are related, in some ways, to original trilogy characters such as Luke Skywalker. However, there is another iconic character that Rey could be related to:Obi-Wan Kenobi. DirectorJ.J. Abramsconfirmed over the weekend thatEwan McGregorand the lateAlec Guinness' voice was used for different versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a scene where Rey experiences visions after touching Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber. This scene also featuresFrank Ozvoicing Yoda, but Obi-Wan Kenobi’s inclusion could hint that Rey is somehow related to the late Jedi master. Rey’s parentage was a major part of the story, since she didn’t want to leave Jakku in case her parents ever came back for her.
Of course, Obi-Wan Kenobi dies at the end ofStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, but he appears to Luke Skywalker in the form of a Force Ghost throughout the rest of the original trilogy. While we learned much more about this iconic Jedi in the prequel trilogy, there is never any indication that he bore any children. However, there is roughly a 20-year gap betweenStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the SithandStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, so it’s possible that he could have had a child, and that child may have given birth to Rey, which would help explain why Rey is so Force-strong. We don’t have any facts to back this up yet, but it’s an interesting theory to ponder moving forward.
It’s also possible that Rey could have been another child of Han Solo and Leia Organa, which would also explain why she’s so powerful with The Force. This would also make Rey the sister of Ben Solo, a.k.a. Kylo Ren, which makes their battle at the end ofStar Wars: The Force Awakenseven more intriguing. It would also continue a theme of secret siblings established in the original trilogy, and could provide for one ofStar Wars: Episode VIII’s most jaw-dropping moments, much like Darth Vader’s reveal of Luke Skywalker being his son inStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. There are hints of a kinship of sorts between Han Solo and Rey inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but it’s never explicitly said that Han is Rey’s father. Then again, this could give her even more motivation to fight her possible brother in the sequel, if she does learn that Han Solo is her father.
Rey is also the only character to interact with Luke Skywalker, at the very end ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens, although no words were spoken between them. There is so little we know about Luke’s journey inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, so it’s certainly possible that the legendary Jedi could have fathered Rey as well. There are a lot of tidbits throughout the movie that point this direction from the abandonment on a desert planet, to the tech-savviness, to the Rey’s strength with The Force. Is it that easy though? Hopefully we find out soon. It’s noteworthy to keep in mind that producerKathleen Kennedyrecently confirmed that this trilogy will focus on the Skywalker family saga, and since Rey’s family is such a big mystery, Luke may very well be her father.
16[2] Who is Supreme Leader Snoke and how did he build The First Order?
Much likeMark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker andMax von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka, one of the other characters we didn’t see at all until opening day ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensis Supreme Leader Snoke, portrayed by,Andy Serkis. The closest thing we got to a glimpse of Supreme Leader Snoke was a photo ofAndy Serkiswearing all of his motion capture attire, and his massive presence inStar Wars: The Force Awakensis quite surprising. Then again, we never actually see him in person, only portrayed through holographic messages, so it’s completely possible that there’s aWizard of Oz-type scenario unfolding, where the one behind the curtain, or hologram in this case, isn’t as mighty or powerful as believed. That’s just speculation on my part, though.
Regardless of Snoke’s stature, we know practically nothing about him inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, except that he has both Kylo Ren and General Hux to carry out his orders. All we know about the First Order is that it was made up of the discarded remnants from the Galactic Empire after their fall inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Since there is a 30-year time gap between this movie andReturn of the Jedi, it isn’t known if Snoke had any alliance to the Sith, who aren’t mentioned at all inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, except for Kylo Ren speaking to the burnt helmet of Darth Vader. Whoever Snoke is, his presence will certainly be looming large inStar Wars: Episode VIIIand beyond, especially after Snoke reveals at the end that Kylo Ren’s training is not yet complete.
153Who isMax von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka?
Earlier rumored to be named simply The Viccar,Max von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka is introduced fairly early on on the desert planet of Jakku. Lor San Tekka has acquired a data disk that Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is sent to retrieve, before The First Order attacks. He appears to be a very wise man, and it’s clear that he has some sort of connection to the events of the original trilogy, since he calls Leia (Carrie Fisher) “royalty.” We do know that Tekka and Kylo Ren have been acquainted, since Kylo Ren remarks how old he looks now. This connection could rule out the possibility of Lor San Tekka being a fake name, and one would assume that, if Kylo Ren knows this mysterious man, his mother Leia must certainly be acquainted with him as well. It’s also worth noting that Lor San Tekka appears to be the “old friend” who is mentioned in the opening crawl, but that’s about all we have to go on.
14[4] What is Poe & Ben’s relationship?
We first meet Poe when he travels to Jakku, to retrieve the all-important data disk from Lor San Tekka. Shortly after his arrival, he’s ambushed by a massive regime of The First Order, even though Poe is on his own, and the desert people of Jakku hardly seem equipped to defend themselves from anyone, let alone an army of First OrderStormtroopers. Poe is then captured and taken to Kylo Ren himself, who uses his Force magic to extract information from Poe’s mind. Why focus such a massive attack on just one man? True, Poe was retrieving a piece of the map that leads to Luke Skywalker, who Kylo Ren is trying to track down, but it still feels a bit excessive. One possible reason is that Poe and Kylo Ren have crossed paths before. Like most characters inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, we don’t get a ton of backstory on Poe Dameron, or Kylo Ren for that matter, aside from Han and Leia being his parents, so perhaps Kylo Ren captured Poe Dameron for another reason, unrelated to the map to Luke Skywalker.
13[5] What made Ben turn to the Dark Side?
Kylo Ren is evil, that much we know. For some unknown reason, he seems obsessed with finishing what Darth Vader started… but why? He was, after all, raised by two heroes, Han Solo and Leia Organa, but like most villains before him, he was seduced by the Dark Side and he joined Supreme Leader Snoke in The First Order. It was revealed that Ben killed all of the potential Jedi warriors that Luke Skywalker was training. This appears to be the scene we see in the dark flashback with Kylo surrounded by what we assume are the Knights of Ren. While it’s quite dark, we can see several dead bodies around them, so it’s possible this flashback was our first look at the Jedi slaughter.
12[6] How did Maz get Luke’s lightsaber?
One of the earliestStar Wars: The Force Awakensrumors laid out the supposed opening scene, where alightsaberwith a severed hand fell from the sky into the desert of Jakku. The rumor claimed that Rey finds this Jedi weapon, which reportedly belonged to Luke. That report turned out to be false, but Luke’s lightsaber was in fact a major part of the story, in ways many fans weren’t expecting. While Rey didn’t find Luke’s lightsaber in the Jakku desert, she did come across this ancient weapon while visiting Maz Kanata’s (Lupita Nyong’o) bar, that was quite important in the scope of this epic story. When Rey touched this Jedi relic, she had powerful visions of the past, present and future, which we will hopefully learn more about inStar Wars: Episode VIIIand beyond. However, there is one burning question that is worth examining: How did Maz Kanata get Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber?
This is the same lightsaber that was lost when Darth Vader cut off Luke Skywalker’s hand during their legendary Cloud City battle inStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. When Maz Kanata produces this Jedi weapon in the basement of her bar, Han Solo recognizes it as Luke’s, but when pressed for details about how the lightsaber came into her possession, Maz Kanata only says that is a story for another time. While this is the first we’ve seen or heard of Maz Kanata in any of theStar Warsmovies, directorJ.J. Abramsrevealed in November that Maz has lived for over 1,000 years, and she used to be a pirate before owning the bar we see inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. Hopefully this “story for another time” will be told inStar Wars: Episode VIII.
With two more sequels already in the works,Star Wars: The Force Awakensplayed the “cliffhanger” card, showing Luke Skywalker for the first time at the very end of the movie, which presumably leads into a much bigger role inStar Wars: Episode VIII. Aside from the slew of questions fans might have about where the Jedi warrior has been up to for the past 32 years,Star Wars: The Force Awakensalso leaves the fates of several characters up in the air. Shortly before the Starkiller Base was destroyed, it’s implied that key First Order characters like Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) made it off this massive ice planet alive, before it’s destruction. However, we certainly don’t see any visual proof of these characters making it off the base alive, leading to speculation about who we may or may not see inStar Wars: Episode VIII. Production begins in earnest on that sequel next month, following a brief shoot on Ireland’s Skellig Michael Island in September, since that was literally the only time the production was allowed to shoot on the island. Hopefully we’ll get confirmation of who will be back in this sequel as we get closer to production getting under way.
10[8] How did The First Order rise up?
After the Galactic Empire was destroyed for good inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, all appeared to be right in this galaxy far, far away. Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell inStar Wars: The Force Awakensif everything was just hunky-dory, so, of course, a new evil force has come into play, known as The First Order. There is still very little we know about The First Order, but it seems that Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) is the big boss in charge of this new evil empire, with both Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson). All we know about The First Order thus far is that it was born out of the remnants of the Empire, but when and how this happened has not yet been revealed. The First Order’s connection to Kylo Ren, who was revealed to be a former Jedi trainee of Luke Skywalker, is also an important detail that we hope is illuminated more inStar Wars: Episode VIII.
9[9] How does The Empire not know how to protect its “Death Star” by now?
After two failed attempts at building an all-powerful Death Star, both of which were thwarted by the Rebel Alliance, one would think that the Resistance would learn from their predecessor’s mistakes while constructing their immenseStarkiller Base. We find out inStar Wars: The Force Awakensthat, just like the two Death Star’s before, the Starkiller Base has one critical weakness, that was inevitably exploited by the Resistance, leading to the destruction of this planet of mass destruction. Since The First Order was born out of the ashes of the defeated Empire, one would assume that these evil-doers would find a way to improve on the Empire’s designs. Of course, the Starkiller Base is exponentially bigger than both Death Star’s combined, but even with the increased size, the Resistance still found a way to bring the Starkiller Base down. Since there is so little we know about the First Order, we don’t know who was involved in the actual design and construction of the Starkiller Base, but it’s clear that the First Order didn’t exactly brush up on the Rebels/Resistance’s tendencies to find the ONE weakness each base has.
810Will we see a new Starkiller base inStar Wars 8?
The original Death Star was destroyed inStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, but that didn’t stop the Empire from building yet another Death Star inStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Of course, these evil forces haven’t had the best luck with their destructive creations, but it’s worth pondering whether or not we will be seeing a new Starkiller base inStar Wars: Episode VIII. Now, if we go by the “formula” set forth in the original trilogy, we won’t see another Starkiller Base/Death Star untilColin Trevorrow’sStar Wars: Episode IX, set for release in 2019. Still, it’s assume that several pivotal members of the First Order make it off the Starkiller Base before it’s destruction, which leads one to wonder where they may go, and what they may be up to.
