Ten days after its release, the popularity of Star Wars: The Force Awakens remains strong, with many returning to see it multiple times. The most devoted fans may be seeking answers to questions raised by an initial viewing, while others just want to rock out again with the action sequences and/or spend more time with new or returning characters.
We've gathered a half-dozen items of interest about the seventh episode in the series, the first few dealing with what might have been. Beware spoilers!
Concept Art: What BB-8 Almost Looked Like
We know that the lovable droid BB-8 has already broken out as a star in the new movie, but early concept art from the book The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens painted a different picture of the rolling machine. [Movieweb]
Original Title Revealed
Before the new title was announced in November 2014, the project was known as Shadow of the Empire, according to Pablo Hidalgo, creative executive for the Lucasfilm Story Group. The original title was quite similar to Shadows of the Empire, a Star Wars novel by Steve Perry published in 1997 that was set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. [SlashFilm]
@VegaArts_ @justinlasalata it was Shadow (singular) of the Empire for a while.— Pablo Hidalgo (
@pablohidalgo) December 25, 2015
J.J. Abrams Based a Character on His High School Teacher
Director and cowriter J.J. Abrams revealed that Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) "was originally based on the great Rose Gilbert," one of his high school teachers. "We really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life." Gilbert taught at the same school for 51 years before retiring in 2013 at the age of 94; she died while the film was in preproduction. [Palisadian-Post via THR]
Scrapped Ideas
The new book The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens provides a wealth of detail about the movie and a number of ideas that were scrapped for various reasons, including a proposed sequence of First Order ships destroying Jedi relics, in this case a giant statue. [Coming Soon]
Trailer Moments Not in the Final Movie
Several moments that appeared in the trailers did not make the final cut. Director J.J. Abrams explained: "There were a couple of shots that ended up not being used in the film, simply because we were doing our best to make the movie be the best version of itself, which sometimes means losing a moment here or there.” Two of those moments revolved around lightsabers, one wielded by Kylo Ren and the other handled by Maz Kanata; a third is a piece of audio featuring a very familiar voice. [Associated Press via Yahoo]
C-3PO's Red Arm Will Be Explained
At one point in the movie, C-3PO has a slightly different appearance than might be expected. Why does the droid have a red arm? It's not explained in the seventh episode, but a forthcoming comic book centering on C-3PO will go into details. Look for Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1 on February 24. [Comic Book/Cinema Blend]
