What I Found Going Frame by Frame Through 'The Force Awakens' Like a Lunatic

SeeingStar Wars : The Force Awakensin a movie theaterwas a ethnic effect . buy a copy of the movie –on Blu - ray , iTunes , or the like– may turnStar Warsinto a mainstream religion . ( Apologies to actual practicing Jedis . )

WithThe Force Awakens , director J.J. Abrams paid deference to the legacy of George Lucas ' franchise , rejuvenate the space opera for the twenty-first century , and dot each soma with machination . If it ’s not a brute going to ferment in the background , it ’s a well - place prop verbalise volumes about the universe ’s account – geekery as pointillism . The extra feature and " stool of " documentary accompanyingThe Force Awakens ' home base spillage are fascinating , but the joy of watch it at home is the ability to devour it at whatever pace one ’s heart and soul desires .

Personally , I want to flip out through it like a word picture book , because I ’m an harebrained person . Here ’s what I bring out .

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

get ’s begin with the chronological sequence most in need of being scrutinized , one that J.J. Abrams maintain intentionally cloudy : Rey ’s Force vision . Spurred by the find of the Skywalker lightsaber – previously seen plummet out of Luke ’s discerp hand down a Cloud City well inThe Empire Strikes Back , and throughout Anakin ’s prequel - trilogy journeys – the fever dream first channelise Rey to a haunting corridor .

watch the pic in theater , I assumed this was a grimmer glimpse of the Death Star , or a flash - forward to Rey ’s time on the Starkiller Base – it crumbles into rocks in a flash . But when I rent it linger , I realized it was a atavism to …

… a sealed Cloud City corridor , just moments before Darth Vader cuts off Luke ’s helping hand and tells him who his father is . The Force is strong with this call - back .

WhenThe Force Awakensopened , Abrams clew obsessives in to the imagination ’s soundscape . The disembodied voice we get wind were none other than Yoda ’s and Obi - Wan ’s ( both the Alec GuinnessandEwan McGregor editions ) . Damned if I could make their words out . Not only were the voices whisper through a torrent of ambience , I was screaming , " OH MY – WHAAAAT ! WHAT IS THIS ! ? ! " at the top of my lungs .

as luck would have it , the Blu - ray pop the question a perfect auditory sensation mix , and Yoda ’s words , yanked fromEmpire , came in lechatelierite clear : " Its energy surrounds us and binds us . " Yes , even if you have a metal mitt .

The visual modality flashes to the murder of a could - be padawan , before revealing a souse Kylo Ren . Is this a flashback to the end of Luke ’s education programme ? A coup d’oeil of Rey ’s eventual confrontation with the brooding Skywalker descendent ?

star wars the force awakens force vision

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That ’s maddeningly unclear , although whenever this contain position , we know ol' Kylo had his Knights of Ren with him . rainwater hit them surd to discern , but his large number appear to include a samurai , a biker fromMad Max , a extremity of Daft Punk , and O’Bannion fromDazed and Confused , who kept his boat paddle , but now wear a hood . # SquadGoals

The question that burn with the ardor of Tatooine ’s two suns : where does Rey come from ? Is she colligate to the Skywalker lineage ? Abrams insists upon the mystery with a spritz of Rey ’s backstory . During the vision , we see a unseasoned Rey dropped off on Jakku . Off - screen , retain her firmly in situation , looms Unkar Plutt , previously escort trading for portions and fascinate about the steal Millennium Falcon .

Anyone could have done the drop - off but I ’d put money on Lukenotbeing involved . The reason : Les Misérables . Stay with me . In Victor Hugo ’s novel , the struggling Fantine drop her daughter Cosette off with the deplorable Monsieur Thénardier until she can scrape together some cash . After give care for the ailing Fantine , Jean Valjean comes to the fille ’s rescue .

luke and darth vader duel - empire strikes back

LucasFilm/20th Century Fox

But what if Cosette get Valjean ? Unkar Plutt is Thénardier , a money - grubbing arse ; Luke is Valjean , a man looking for redemption ; and Rey is Cosette , a foster daughter with a hungriness for the truth – no blood relations needed to carry the torch . Now about that Fantine …

Rey looks back from her young reflection to pick up the Ditcher get off . The ship is n’t recognisable to myStar Wars - attuned eyes . But it does depend similar to …

… one of the First Order transport ships , as seen here during the invasion of Takodana halfway through the pic . Connecting the two shots might be the work of my yarn board - prone psychosis . perchance Abrams is just infatuated with people looking up . But would n’t it be an interesting curveball if Rey were born to the Dark Side to counterpoint with Kylo Ren , a noted Logos of the Light ?

star wars the force awakens force vision

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

Star Wars ' continued prayer can be chalked up to the rankness of its Creator ' imaginations . Writers , directors , designers , and special - outcome artist go hog wilderness filling the series ' frames with details .

Which is why I found myself dwell on Max von Sydow ’s Lor San Tekka , a Jedi acolyte who confound Oscar Isaac ’s Poe Dameron the Luke Map in the first scene of the movie . I could n’t help but admire the human ’s style . According to the officialStar Wars Visual Dictionary , he wears a " Chain of Wisdom , " which I accept is the Jedi equivalent of a puka shell necklace .

Is that a USB embrasure on top of the redesign Stormtrooper helmet ?

knights of ren - star wars the force awakens

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

With a pause clitoris W. C. Handy , we can now enjoy John Boyega ’s baby exposure , projected in hologram on board the First Order ’s Star Destroyer .

I formally request from Marvel a prequel comedian chronicle the events that lead to the dent in Rey ’s speed demon . Was it hit by a meteorite ? A piece of fallen TIE fighter backstage ? It ’s a nasty mark .

Star Wars : The Force Awakensoffers viewers little clock time to luxuriate . A fleet of virtual aliens were design and built to populate scenes on Jakku , but we only see them in passing . But thanks to the magnate of the frost - frame , we can more fully admire this ostrich gorilla with mecha - arms .

star wars: the force awakens rey parents theory

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

Who are those lad in the back ? SteampunkTwi’leks ? Har !

Rey ’s thread action fig rival everythingKenner released after the originalStar Wars . get over your finger her knitting skill come back into play inEpisode VIII .

Rey tosses on this fall Rebel helmet for some post - dinner daydreaming . Any nod to the past is an Easter - egg siren . So what does it mean ?

rey’s vision

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

Maybe the " 73 " on the side is a nod to 1973 , when Lucas wrote his first treatment forStar Wars . A fan well versed in the franchise ’s alien languagesbelievesthe marking understand to " RHAE . " Or perhaps we ’ll watch more down the route – this year’sRogue Oneis a big war movie set before the ' 77Star Wars , after all .

This is just a tremendous Riffian on theStar Warswipe transition that I only capture by watching under a microscope .

The foggy fashion plate in red is Sarco Plank . You canbuy his action at law figure ! This is his only appearance in the movie . I ’m glad I confirmed his existence because , as Finn and Rey go past him , he look like an Abrams - okay lens flare .

star wars the force awakens theory

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

Jakku ’s professional lacrosse team practicing for the big game or scavengers jumping on the previous TIE fighter aircraft smash site ? OK , the latter , but what a wonderful detail to fill out a propellant action successiveness .

Snoke , Supreme Leader of the First Order , appears inThe Force Awakensas a hologram cover in shadows . His backstory remains a mystery , and his Kissy Grandpa expressions keep those search for answers at bay .

look up near , Snoke bar a striking resemblance toThe Grand Inquisitor , a Galactic Empire confederate witness in the LucasFilm / Disney - approvedStar Wars Rebels(anda shape killed during Rey ’s visionlooks a lot like his cronieThe Fifth Brother , while we ’re at it ) .

Max von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

Does the cartoon series divulge all the mystery ? Notall– we ’re still wondering how you keep a cheek combat injury like Snoke ’s bacteria - free .

Most ( nerveless ) citizenry caughtThe Force Awakens ' call - back ( above ) to Chewbacca and C-3PO ’s " Dejarik " game onboard the Millennium Falcon during the firstStar Wars(below ) . What I did n’t find : Abrams impart the first plot ’s success its comeuppance . InThe Force Awakens , the yellow monster from the first movie Sudanese pound his reptilian adversary into the priming coat . He had fourth dimension to practise .

I ’ve been star at this map for three hours hope to get Kashyyyk or Hoth or fucking Naboo . Please send help .

finn stormtrooper - force awakens

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

The entrance to Maz Kanata ’s rook is a treasure trove forStar Warsiconographers . In the middle of this scene you ’ll spot Boba Fett ’s " Mythosaur Skull " symbol , a smattering of pod - run banners ( andyou thought you were done withThe Phantom Menace ) , as well as a Stormtrooper allegory ( on the left ) that see like the Empire ’s edition of the Uncle Sam " I want you for the Army ! " poster .

Maz Kanata ’s cantina is another locating deserving of frame - by - chassis notice . The design are ultra and the activities are unbent - up bizarre . Here , a trio look to be wager on aStar Wars - friendly cock scrap – but with robo anal beads ? Unclear .

I deem the guy to the left " Max’Poochie’Rebo . "

force awakens - baby john boyega

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

This droid ’s sure-enough - timey mike mouthpiece raises serious questions about the connection between Earth and the galaxy far , far away . The Force Awakensdoes not suffice those questions .

One of the few cameos that was n’t masked with a Stormtrooper helmet:30 Rock ’s Judah Friedlander , Lady and man !

The only person in the bar who does n’t really handle that Han Solo prove up still count to see what all the commotion is about . That ’s the real Force at employment .

rey’s speeder - force awakens

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

No more emoticon . Only General Huxicons .

Members of Hosnian Prime ’s newly formed Galactic Senate , we scarce eff ya . The Starkiller Base ’s first action of destruction is such a scoot - in - the - pan moment , I felt compel to capture the victims in this shot as an number of remembrance .

Why does the human beings in the scandalmongering poncho have parentage on his hand ?

jakku - star wars the force awakens

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

hold off , EVEN MORE urgent : why is this smoking chimp - man so chill when the First Order just blew up an entire organisation ? substantial herb .

Maz Kanata has a female chest in her basement and , for the living of me , I ca n’t reckon out who it depicts . A balding , beardedStar Warscharacter ? Emotionally shatter Luke does n’t jibe the posting . Not cone - head enough forKi - Adi - Mundi . Lobot with facial hair?Update : A readerpointsto theVisual Dictionaryfor reply . That ’s Jedi Master Cherff Maota , a character I only suppose will turn up in one of the next 37Star Warsspinoffs .

Even after three in - dramaturgy showing ofStar war : The Force Awakens , I could not have tell you Kylo Ren spikes his helmet into a pan of ashes . But enough people grab the weird torture - way installing that Abrams was compel to excuse this design decision .

aliens from Star Wars The Force Awakens

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

" Sometimes bits and piece of one scene terminate up being something that you practice in another scenery that you did n’t wait , " Abramsexplainedin a late consultation withEntertainment Weekly . " The backstory is , that that board has the ashes of the enemies he ’s killed . That moment was in reality shoot for , and mean to be used in , the fit where he was talking to the Vader masque . "

The last face Han Solo made .

Even in the umpteenth viewing , Rey and Kylo Ren ’s lightsaber duel is a heart - racing splash of hand - to - hand combat . But like the Force vision , there are audio details I only pick up on a household view . Listen carefully when Rey stares Kylo down . There ’s a whisper , sound reminiscent of her own voice … or is it the vocalism of The Force itself ?

LucasFilm/Walt Disney Pictures

The " Is it a tilt or a gravestone ? " argument will storm on untilEpisode VIIIopens on December 15th , 2017 . I ’m taking a tough stance : stone .

If Luke take flight the view after Kylo ’s attack , it remain firm to reason that he would have gone alone . Han and Leia could n’t locate Luke . You reckon he ’d bring a friend to Jedi island ? That ’s a stone , unsculpted , and a bump of filth – a picturesque tableaux .

hear not to let it keep you up at night .

Matt Patches is Thrillist ’s Entertainment editor program . He antecedently wrote for Grantland , Esquire.com , Vulture , The Hollywood Reporter , andThe Guardian . He ’s squad Nien Nunb . Find him on Twitter:@misterpatches .

sarco plank - star wars the force awakens