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UPDATE: This article was written before the movie premiered worldwide. It has now been updated with information from the movie. Major spoilers ahead
In 1999, after 16 years of absence on the screens (except for the special editions), Star Wars fans finally got to see the first of the three prequel episodes, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. And we were disappointed. One too many things went wrong with that movie, Jar Jar Binks being at the top of the list. But also the fact that fans and even eventual Star Wars viewers felt Episode I was too disconnected from the previous installments. Since it was 32 years before A New Hope, the movie definitely wasn’t going to have the same visual elements. One was set in a peaceful time were planets relied on their local security for protection. The other was set in a more industrial time when people were oppressed by a tyrant and fighting for their freedom. But nonetheless, the lack of iconic elements like Stormtroopers, X-Wings, Star Destroyers etc., or at least their predecessors, made people feel like they were watching something completely different than the Star Wars they grew up with. Episode II and III got progressively better and hooked-up a new generation of Star Wars fans. They slowly established their own universe with its own visual elements and icons (which were exploited in The Clone Wars TV show) while starting to introduce other visual elements reminiscent of the original trilogy. Fans got use to them and now love them. Now 10 years have passed since Episode III: Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, and the new movie (coming out in less than 3 weeks) probably won’t suffer from the same mistakes. But, from the information we can gather from the trailers, TV spots, official releases and rumors, The Force Awakens might have used way too many elements from the original trilogy, making it less original than we expect, but more familiar to our eyes and minds. This article contains possible spoilers based on information released by Lucasfilm itself and rumors circulating on the internet. Continue at your own peril. These are some of the familiar elements from the original trilogy J. J. Abrams is using in Star Wars: The Force Awakens: #1 Planets/locations. The first of the visual elements that J. J. Abrams is bringing back are the planets or locations. We all know our heroes start their Journey on the desert planet of Jakku. Yes, one more time they are using a desert planet as a major location. There is also an ice planet (or maybe it’s the Starkiller base’s surface), just like in The Empire Strikes Back. Finally, we have seen a forest planet very similar to the moon of Endor as shown in Return Of The Jedi. The planets’ names for the main locations have been revealed (Takodana, D'Qar and Hosnian Prime), but no major details have been given about them. Update: The ice planet is indeed the surface of the Starkiller base. The forest planet is Takadona, where Maz Kanata's castle is located. Hosnian Prime is the capital of the new republic and D'Qar is the Resistance's base.
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#2 A child (with an important destiny) hidden on a desert planet.
We all know that Luke was hidden on Tatooine to protect him from the evils of the galaxy (by Obi-Wan Kenobi). Well, so as Rey, but in Yakku. It has been known for a while that she has been left there by her parents and she is waiting for them to return and pick her up. Update: Rey is indeed waiting for her parents to come back for her. We still don't know why she was left there. But it is very interesting the way she decribed it, she says "it's clasify." She is also the "awakening" and the new hope for the galaxy. She is force sensitive and, by the end of the movie, she is about to start her Jedi training. Very similar to Luke's fate in A New Hope.
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#3 A dreaded weapon of colossal proportions.
Thanks to the official poster, we now know that the Starkiller base is a Death Star kind of weapon. Update: The Starkiller base is a Death Star type of weapon but way bigger and way more powerful. It absorbs the energy from a nearby star and transform it into a powerful red beam that can be shot from a distance and can destroy several planets at once.
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#4 An old veteran from a past war will guide the would be heroes. Obi-wan Kenobi (a Clone Wars veteran) became the guide of our hero in A New Hope. In the new installment of the Star Wars franchise, Han Solo (A veteran of the war between the Empire and the Rebellion) is the one returning to guide the heroes against the new evil rising in the galaxy. Update: Han Solo finds our new heroes (Rey and Finn) by chance. he is first reluctant to help them, but then he agrees to help them bring BB-8 back to the resistance and later to infiltrate the Starkiller base. Just like Ben Kenobi did in A New Hope.
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#5 A character from a past era sacrifices himself to save the would-be heroes.
In a New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifices himself to allow Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca and the droids to escape. It has been rumored that Han might do the same in The Force Awakens. This rumor is supported by the fact that Harrison Ford requested Han Solo to be killed in Return of the Jedi. So Harrison might get his wish, 26 years late though. Update: Han Solo, Rey, Finn and chewbacca are about to sabotage the Starkiller base. Han Solo sees Kylo Ren, who is really his son Ben Solo, and decides to try to bring him back to the light. Ren kills him while the others watch from a distance. Rey and Finn scream NOOOO! just like Luke did when Darth Vader killed Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope.
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#6 This is just a rumor: The new trilogy revolves around two twin siblings.
This one is another rumor generated by the online community of fans, so take it with a grain of salt. In Return of the Jedi, we found out that Luke and Leia were actually twin siblings. Fans all over the internet are theorizing that this might be the case for Rey and Kylo Ren. Could this be the reason her parents hid her on Yakku? Update: Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo (Han and Leia's son). Rey's parentage hasn't being revealed yet. It is very unlikely that she is Ren's twin sister, but it is possible that she is still related to him, or at least to another character from the original trilogy. Fans believe it to be Obi-Wan Kenobi.
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#7 The heroes’ journey starts with the task of returning something of great importance.
In A New Hope, Luke was inadvertently tasked with returning R2-D2 (containing the Death Star’s plans) to Princess Leia. That is how he gets involved in the fight to free the galaxy from the Empire. In Episode VII our heroes are allegedly tasked with returning BB-8 to its rightful owner. Rumor has it that Kylo Ren is looking for it too. This is how our heroes get involved with the resistance and Han Solo in the first place. Update: BB-8 actually belongs to the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron. At the biggining of the movie, Poe is about to be captured by Kylo Ren and hides a map to Luke Skywalker within the droid and sends him away (this is how he ends up in Rey's hands). You guessed it, just like Leia did with R2-D2 in a New Hope when Darth Vader was about to capture her.
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#8 Action not focused on lightsabers.
In the original trilogy, the action wasn’t based on lightsaber fights. Don’t get me wrong, lightsaber fights are amazing and we all have enjoyed them in the prequels. But in episodes IV – VI lightsabers were rare and special. Most of us were expecting to see something resembling the New Jedi Order from the expanded universe in this new movie. But it seems like there is nothing of the sort and lightsabers are still rare and special, and so are lightsaber fights. Update: Just like in A New Hope, the only lightsaber battle in the movie is almost at the end and just before escaping the Starkiller base. The fight is first between Finn and Kylo Ren, and then it switches to Rey and Ren when the later defeats Finn. There is an earlier fight between Finn and a Riot Control Stormtrooper where Finn uses a lightsaber and the Stormtrooper a special baton.
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#9 Lost droid recovered by future hero.
If there is someone to be blamed for Luke Skywalker been pulled into the galactic conflict, it is R2-D2 and his unwilling companion C-3PO. Luke and uncle Owen recovered (purchase) them from the Jawas. Based on the previews and pictures released so far, it seems that Rey also stumbles upon BB-8 without knowing his origins or were it might take her. Update: It happens exactly that way. Rey rescues BB-8 from Teebo and decides to help him return home to his master.
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#10 a villain in a mask.
In the original trilogy, Darth Vader had a reason to be armor-cladded, helmet and all. He needed it to survive. Our new villain, Kylo Ren wears a helmet/mask too. This time, it has been said that it is because of his fixation with everything Darth Vader. He doesn’t need it, he is just emulating his hero (or maybe his grandpa?). Update: Darth Vader is indeed Kylo Ren's (A.K.A. Ben Solo) grandfather, and he sees him as his role model and dark side guide.
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#11 A key member of the resistance is captured by the movie’s villain and rescued by the would-be heroes.
Poe Dameron, a resistance pilot, has been captured and tortured by Kyllo Ren and the First Order. We all know that. Also, we all have a suspicion at this point that it is Finn who rescues him because of his importance to the resistance. Just Like Luke, Han, and Chebacca rescued Princess Leia from the Empire. Update: Poe is indeed captured and tortured by Kylo Ren. Finn helps him escape, but not because of his importance to the Resistance. Finn helps Poe because he wants to desert the First Order and needs Poe to fly a Tie Fighter to escape.
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#12 there is a big family secret that will mark a big plot twist in Episode VII.
One of the biggest plot twists in science fiction history was the revelation that Darth Vader was actually Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker. The plot twist continued in Episode VI when we found out that Leia was Luke’s sister. J. J. Abrams has said that this new trilogy is (still) all about the Skywalkers. Fans are theorizing that a similar plot twist might be waiting for us this December 18th. Is Luke the villain? Are Han and Leia Kylo Ren’s parents? Are Kylo and Rey related? Is Luke Kylo’s father? Well we will see. One thing is for sure, Jar Jar Binks is not a Sith mastermind, so please let’s stop talking about that. Update: The big family secret is that Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo, son of Han Solo and General Leia Organa.
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#13 these 2 pictures. How similar do they look?
Ben Kenobi gives Anakin's lightsaber to Luke so he can start his journey to become a Jedi. It seems like Han Solo will give Rey a weapon so he can follow in his footsteps. Update: Han likes Rey, enough to offer her a job aboard the Millennium Falcon. He sees her as a future protege that has both good piloting skills and mechanic abilities. He sees her as capable of protecting herself, so he gives her a blaster so she can do exactly that. It felt more of a passing th torch moment than anything else.
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#14 A "cantina" like place full of strange creatures.
In a New Hope, Luke, Ben and the droids go to Mos Eisley to find transportation out of Tatooine and to Alderan. In Episode VII, Han, Finn, Rey and BB-8 arrive to Maz Kanata's castle in their trip to complete whatever mission they have. Update: Maz Kanata's is actually a cantina (but bigger). Han describes it as a "watering hole" where our heroes can find save passage to D'Qar (the Resistance base). Finn also finds transport to the outer rim here, but is interrupted by the arrival of the First Order.
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So, what do you think? having so many similarities is good or bad for the movie?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters everywhere December 18th. For more information visit www.starwars.com
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