With Force Friday upon us, we’re about to be inundated with new looks at the characters from J.J. Abrams’ sequel/new-saga-starter Star Wars: The Force Awakens by way of boatloads of Star Wars toys. Indeed, there are no doubt people more excited for this “Force Friday” event than the movie itself, but before we pore over every LEGO set and action figure looking for clues or hints to what might happen in The Force Awakens, it feels prudent to take some time to look back at what we officially know about the film and characters so far.
To do that, we’ve compiled all of the officially released images from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. These are the looks that Abrams himself approved to be unveiled to the public at large, and are indeed the ways in which he and the film making team intended for characters like General Hux to be unveiled to the public. So before we see the movie in just a couple of months and then dissect it endlessly until Rogue One comes out, let’s take a minute to relish this moment of anticipation and “not knowing”.
Rey Rides a Battery
So this image is from the very first teaser trailer, in which Daisy Ridley’s Rey—one of the film’s heroes—rides some type of vehicle, presumably on the desert planet of Jakku.
The Hero Is a Stormtrooper?
Also from the teaser trailer, the introduction of John Boyega’s Finn in a stormtrooper outfit was tantalizing in the best way. Does he go from good to bad? Bad to good? Is he in disguise? What happened to all the clones? We don’t know!
Cool Lightsaber, Bro
Our first look at Adam Driver’s villainous Kylo Ren was a one-two punch of excitement. From “Ohhh who’s that” to “Cross guards whaaaa?!” in the span of a few seconds. A curious character indeed, we now know that Ren’s lightsaber is homemade.
The Falcon’s Back!
The money shot from the first trailer—the Millennium Falcon back in action in the film’s primary IMAX sequence.
Meet Rey
Our first good look at Rey, one of the film’s main heroes or the main hero?
Spaceship!
A spaceship. And other, tiny spaceships. Neat!
Come with Me If You Want to Live
Finn considers getting up or continuing to sit on the ground like a jackass. Time is of the essence, probably.
Enter Captain Phasma
One of the film’s most promising creations thus far: Gwendoline Christie’s villainous Captain Phasma. Will we see under the helmet? Is she hideously scarred or just having a bad acne day? Could she look any worse than Vader under his helmet? We don’t know!
Zoom Zoom Zoom!
Another shot of the Millennium Falcon during the chase sequence on Jakku. But who’s driving?
Ship Meets Bigger Ship
Okay that’s how do you do scale.
BB-8 Peekin’
The adorable (and practical!) new droid BB-8 as introduced in the trailer, getting his peek on.
Take a Breath
So is this before or after we see Finn on the planet, unmasked? Don’t know, but intriguing nonetheless.
“Feel My Robot Hand, R2”
BB-8 may be all the rage, but R2-D2’s still kickin’ around in the Star Wars universe, and he’s got a buddy with a robot hand. Luke?
Passing the Baton
A lightsaber passes through two unknown hands, though one is presumed to be that of Carrie Fisher’s Leia.
New World Order
And here we meet The First Order, which is a remnant of the Empire and an organization committed to being evil, or something or other. Same-looking troops in strict alignment, massive regalia. Remind you of something?
Kylo Ren Revealed
Our first look at Kylo Ren from the front, which reveals his custom-built helmet that he modeled off of Darth Vader’s look. It’s pretty clear here that the force is strong with this one.
Run Away!
Explosions, a droid, and a big stick. This looks to be another shot of the Jakku sequence as our heroes attempt to outrun an attack from above.
The First Order Unites
This appears to be simply a reverse shot of that other First Order image, but it does reveal an AT-AT off to the side and the back of Captain Phasma’s head. But who’s that at the microphone?
Practical, Practical, Practical
This gorgeous image not seen in any footage thus far shows off Abrams’ use of practical effects. Also: BB-8 is pack-able.
Burn, Baby, Burn
Did Finn crash this himself, or did he find it? Remember that at least in the original trilogy, fighter pilots have different costumes than stormtroopers.
Squad Goals
A nice full-body shot of Driver’s Kylo Ren reveals that he has a posse of his own.
Mr. Grumpy Face
Our first look at Domhnall Gleeson’s character General Hux, who is the leader of the main First Order base, Starkiller Base, which itself is named after the original surname of Luke Skywalker in George Lucas’ early drafts of Star Wars. Hux looks like a pretty unhappy guy, but I’m sure he’s totally level-headed.
Run Away Part Deux
Another shot of Finn and Rey on Jakku—which brings to mind the fact that we’ve pretty much only seen shots of these two characters on this one planet. There’s no doubt a lot that Abrams is holding back for release, which is a refreshing change of pace from the onslaught of footage that traditionally precedes a major blockbuster release.
Don’t Mess with Phasma
Captain Phasma’s oh so shiny, but also oh so deadly.
Inside Poe Dameron
Ah, here we finally come to our third main new hero: Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. We don’t know much other than the fact that he’s an X-Wing pilot for the Resistance on a very important mission for a very important princess.
Get Misty
We haven’t yet seen Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren unmasked within the context of the film, but he sure does look formidably menacing with each new photo.
Old Pals
And finally, R2-D2 and C-3PO reunited. Though 3PO has a red arm for a reason that will no doubt be illuminated when the full film hits theaters on December 18th.
Via Collider