‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’: Check Out 20 Easter Eggs And Inside Jokes From The New Film

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has landed in theaters, and millions have already gone out to theaters to check out the new film in the movie saga franchise. The new movie from J.J. Abrams has already left many long-time fans of the franchise with smiles on their faces; but, there’s even more to enjoy. As expected, there are plenty of secrets, Easter Eggs, and inside jokes in The Force Awakens. After reading this article, you’ll know all you need to know for when you go see it again.

It may go without saying, but there are SPOILERS in this article for The Force Awakens. If you haven’t seen the latest Star Wars film and don’t want to know, stop reading now.

Some of these things aren’t exactly “hidden,” but may have gone right past you with all the excitement of your first viewing.

1. Rey sits down next to a downed AT-AT and has a little lunch. It may not be, but it certainly does appear as if she puts on Luke’s old Rebel pilot helmet.

2. When Finn sits down in the Millenium Falcon, he bumps a very familiar looking table. That’s when Chewbacca’s set of Holochess pieces light up.

3. Han Solo and Princess, err, General Leia do share a tender moment together that has so many longtime fans warmed to their inner souls.

4. Kylo Ren obviously takes a lot from his grandfather, Darth Vader, and it shows in the scenes where he uses The Force to torture Poe and Rey in hopes of getting information out of them.

5. “I have a really bad feeling about this.” Any fan of Star Wars knows this famous line and that someone is always bound to say it. In this case, it’s said famously once again by Han Solo (Harrison Ford).

6. Perhaps one of the biggest Easter Eggs that you wouldn’t know unless someone told you is that James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, does have a cameo. Remember the scene in which Rey convinces a Stormtrooper to release her from her restraints? Who do you think that Stormtrooper is?

Yep, that’s James Bond, as revealed by The Guardian.

7. Kylo Ren does have another name, and it is Ben Solo. Yes, he’s the son of Han and Leia, but there’s even more to it. While not 100 percent confirmed, you’d have to believe that they got his first name from someone who was very important to them: Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose name was Ben.

8. Supreme Leader Snoke is essentially the next coming of Emperor Palpatine.

9. Darth Vader does make an appearance…well, sort of.

10. As Rey confronts Kylo Ren, she uses The Force to pull the lightsaber out of the snow and into her hand. This is a tribute to the wampa cave scene in The Empire Strikes Back.

11. The Trash Compactor. As Han Solo and Finn are trying to figure out what to do with Captain Phasma, the conversation brings about a great suggestion. Finn wonders what they should do with her in the base of The First Order, and Han asks an awesome couple questions.

“Is there a garbage chute? Trash compactor?”

12. Director J.J. Abrams slipped his own personal Easter Egg into the movie, and HitFix says it is getting past some people. As Rey is talking to BB-8, she tells him to “stay off Kelvin Ridge.”

Harry Kelvin is the name of Abrams’ grandfather, whom he was very close to. The name “Kelvin” has made its way into numerous Abrams projects including Fringe, LOST, Super 8, and a host of others.

13. Kylo Ren ends the film with a huge scar across his face, and if it seems familiar, it should. It’s reminiscent of the scar that Anakin Skywalker has in Revenge of the Sith due to the battles in the Clone Wars.

14. Boba Fett is referenced. While he supposedly died in Return of the Jedi, some believe he is still out there somewhere. While he does not appear in The Force Awakens, he is referenced. When the band of heroes arrives at Maz Kantina’s bar, the new Cantina of sorts, Boba Fett’s flag is mixed in with many others above the entrance.

15. As Finn, Rey, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are trying to keep smugglers from getting BB-8, something cool is found. Finn is rummaging through a box of junk aboard the Millennium Falcon and he pulls out a sphere, stares at it for a second, and then tosses it away.

That sphere sure looked like the training remote that Obi-Wan Kenobi used to teach Luke Skywalker how to be a Jedi and use The Force.

16. The plan that the Resistance comes up with to destroy the Starkiller Base is extremely and eerily similar to the plans needed to destroy the Death Star.

17. Nien Nunb returns. Once of the most awesome pilots to ever fly an X-Wing is back, and he’s still fighting the forces of the Dark Side.

18. Admiral Ackbar is back, too. No, this is not a trap.

19. Rey calls the Millenium Falcon “garbage,” and it was originally seen as the worst of the worst ships.

20. Countless other small tributes to other films in the Star Wars saga:

• The three main planets in The Force Awakens are similar to Tatooine, Endor, and Hoth.
• Rey says that the Falcon once made the Kessel Run in less than 14 parsecs, but Han Solo makes sure she knows it was “less than 12 parsecs.”
• Han Solo and Chewie’s back-and-forth banter reference all kinds of nostalgic moments from the original trilogy.
• BB-8 is to Poe what R2-D2 was to Princess Leia with the passing on of a message.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is bound to shatter a number of box office records, and chances are that will happen due to repeat viewings. These Easter Eggs and inside jokes are more than enough to get you back to the theater to see it a second and/or third time.

[Image via Lucasfilm]