THAT'S NOT HOW THE FORCE WORKS! #TheForceAwakens Podcast

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Finally! After rewatching all six films, we have seen Star Wars episode VII!! Listen in to our The Force Awakens podcast episode featuring Dave, Fitz, Debbie, and me, the ever-constant interrupter!

Want to catch up on our rewatches? Here are the links!
Phantom Menace– Did CGI destroy it?
Attack of the Clones– Why is the romance unbearable? Is Padme a Strong Female Character?
Revenge of the Sith– The second best in the trilogy?
A New Hope– As good as we remember?
Empire Strikes Back– Is it really the BEST one?
Return of the Jedi– The cutest Star Wars?

We started this special The Force Awakens podcast episode by discussing what we had known about the film prior to watching. Did you watch the trailers or read up on theories and speculation? Let us know in the comments, but beware of spoilers.

Just like our previous rewatch episodes there will be acting and writing scores and the super fun quote review. Though we were so excited we forgot to do our impressions. Next time! ;)

Where to find our co-hosts!
Debbie – right here or on her blog The Geeky Twin!
Dave – Pop Culture Case Study and on twitter @pccasestudy
Fitz- Healertrek, BigOT.com and on twitter @buckeyefitzy

There are spoilers from the start of this episode and if you go past BB8 on this post, you WILL encounter spoilers. Don’t do it man!

SPOILERS

The second half of the episode discusses the comparisons to A New Hope and our predictions or wishlist for the next installment!

THE FORCE AWAKENS AND A NEW HOPE COMPARISON

Droids on a Mission
Po and BB8: The Force Awakens:: Leia and R2D2: A New Hope
Jakku: The Force Awakens:: Tatooine: A New Hope
Kylo Ren and General Hux: The Force Awakens:: Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin: A New Hope
The Villagers’ Homes: The Force Awakens:: Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen’s Farm: A New Hope
Poe Dameron and Rey: Kylo Ren:: Princess Leia: Darth Vader/IT-O
Rey Lonely on Jakku: The Force Awakens:: Luke Lonely on Tatooine: A New Hope
Han Solo as the Wise Mentor: The Force Awakens:: Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Wise Mentor: A New Hope
Supreme Leader Snoke: The Force Awakens:: Emperor Palpatine/The Emperor: A New Hope
Kanjiklub and Guavian Death Gang: The Force Awakens:: Jabba the Hutt: A New Hope
Maz Kanata’s bar in Takodana: The Force Awakens:: The Mos Eisley Cantina: A New Hope
Finn Not Wanting to Help the Resistance Against the First Order, but Eventually Returning: The Force Awakens:: Han Not Wanting to Help the Rebellion, but Eventually Returning: A New Hope
Starkiller Base: The Force Awakens:: Death Star: A New Hope
Han, Chewie, and Finn Go to Save Rey (who does the hard parts on her own): TFA:: Han, Chewie, and Luke Decide to Save Leia: ANH
Kylo Ren vs Han Solo with Rey Watching: TFA:: Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan Kenobi with Luke Watching: ANH
Resistance vs Starkiller Base Led by Leia in the Control Room: TFA:: Rebellion vs Death Star Led by Leia in the Control Room: ANH
Starkiller Base’s Vulnerable Spot Accessed via Trench: TFA:: Death Star’s Vulnerable Spot Accessed via Trench: ANH
Starkiller Base’s Destruction with Kylo Ren’s Proposed Escape: TFA:: Death Star’s Destruction with Darth Vader’s Escape: ANH

Bonus:

Resistance Base on D’Qar: The Force Awakens: Rebellion Base on Endor: A New Hope
Jakku, D’Qar, and Hosnian Prime: The Force Awakens:: Tatooine, Endor, Hoth: A New Hope
Poe Dameron: Finn:: Han Solo: Luke Skywalker

CALL BACKS

The opening shot was reminiscent of A New Hope‘s opening shot with a huge ship taking over the screen.
Leia’s cell in A New Hope was 2187 which is Finn’s Stormtrooper number.
Rey actually lives in an AT-AT.
The “Garbage Ship” is revealed as the Millennium Falcon.
Finn’s “Wooh!” when fighting in the Tie Fighter is a direct Han imitation.
Rey mentions the MF’s bad motivator.
Finn Finds Luke’s Force/Lightsaber Training Ball.
Finn accidentally turns on the chess game.
Rey and Han discuss the MF’s compressor.
Han mentions how the MF did the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.
Han Solo is still a smuggler and still bad at keeping his deals straight.
Han says he has a really bad feeling about the Rathtars.
The team hides in the MF’s floor compartments and that’s exactly where Han and Chewie look.
Han didn’t believe in the Force, now he does.
Leia uses the “still light in him” line about Ben.
Han and Finn mention a trash compactor in the First Order’s base as an option for Captain Phasma’s fate. Which reminds me, where is she and how did she escape because we’re pretty sure Gwendoline Christie is coming back right?
One of the First Order soldiers is afraid to tell Kylo Ren that their mission failed similar to Darth, but the outcome is different (because Kylo is a weakling, just saying…).
C3P0, R2D2, Admiral Akbar, Chewbacca, Mouse Droid, Nien Nunb, a few familiar faces at Maz’s bar.
The flags at Maz Kanata’s bar. Some are Mandalorian and some are from Podracers.
A quick shoutout/implied explanation about the Stormtroopers no longer being clones.
Snoke is a projection just like The Emperor was. Though, is there more to this? Many are getting an Oz vibe from the supposed Supreme Leader.
Kylo Ren is actually named Ben, most likely after Obi-Wan Kenobi.
We see Vader again through his mask as Kylo Ren asks his grandfather to show him something. Vader’s mask is a prized possession.
Starkiller Base destroys locations of just (I’m assuming) organized governing bodies, but no one is there to witness their destruction like Leia did Alderaan’s.
Starkiller is a nod to the original name idea for Skywalker.
The Force is strong with Rey. Kylo Ren mentions it to Supreme Leader Snoke as he whines about not being able to extract the information from Rey.
Rey’s success at pulling the lightsaber from the snow is just like the scene in Empire Strikes Back when Luke has to free himself from the Wampa’s capture.
Slashfilm came up with the theory of Kylo being a mashup of Skywalker and Solo, ironic if it means anything, because as Dave points out on our episode, he probably named himself. Debbie wonders if Snoke named him.
Leia tells Rey “May the Force be with you.”

CAMEOS

Simon Pegg as Unkar Plutt- the dealer Rey gets her portions from, and possibly is owned by? In the flashback, we see him hold her hand back as she cries watching her family fly away.
Daniel Craig as the Stormtrooper Rey uses a Jedi Mind Trick against.
Greg Grunberg, JJ Abram’s best bud, as Snap Wexley, a Resistance pilot.
Another Resistance pilot we might recognize? One of the Sand Snakes, Nymeria. Jessica Henwick is Jess Testor.
He stole our hearts in Love Actually, intrigues us on Game of Thrones, and now Thomas Brodie-Sangster turns to the Dark Side as Petty Officer Thanisson.
Another Game of Thrones alum, Mark Stanley, who played Jon Snow’s bud Gren, is part of the First Order as a Knight of Ren.
Syrio Forel aka Miltos Yerolemou played a patron in Maz’s bar.
One more! Emun Elliot, who played the now tongueless singer Marillion from season one, is also a Resistance fighter named Brance.
(Why so many GoT alums, besides the acting caliber? Vanity Fair’s Joanna Robinson notes the casting director both projects have in common: Nina Gold!)
Ken Leung, of Lost fame, played the Resistance’s Admiral Statutra.
Yayan Yuhian, Iko Uwais, and Cecep A. Rahman, the stars of the Raid 2, appeared as Kanjaklub in addition to helping choreograph some of the fight scenes.
Downton Abbey fans will recognize that Chewbacca’s healer Dr. Kalonia is played by Dame Harriet Walter, who played Dowager Lady Shackleton on the beloved ITV series. Vanity Fair mentions that Dame Walter is also Christopher Lee’s niece. We wonder what Count Dooku would think of his niece being part of the Resistance. Tsk tsk.
A cute cameo from Carrie Fischer’s own daughter Billie Lourd, of current Scream Queens fame, as Resistance Lieutenant Commix.
According to The Daily Beast, JJ Abrams threw his father into the film as well, as Count Cypress.
Abrams also cast his assistant Morgan Dameron as Commodore Meta. Fun fact: Poe Dameron’s last name is in fact based on Morgan. Nice guy that JJ.
Speaking of how nice JJ is, Oscar Isaac’s Star Wars fanatic uncle got to be an extra in the film as well. Here is a teeny tiny glimpse.
If you troll the IMDB page you’ll notice a fun fact about BB8. Its “voice consultants” were Bill Hader and Jean-Ralphio himself, Ben Schwartz.
My favorite IMDB find was Lost and Jurassic World composer Michael Giacchino as Stormtrooper FN-3181 who brought Poe Dameron into the First Order’s base.
Another Stormtrooper (FN-9330)? Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame.
Margaux was thrilled that Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, actually created the music for the cantina scene in Maz Kanata’s place. The Daily Beast even says Miranda “sang alongside Abrams in Huttese on jams titled “Jabba Flow” and “Dobra Doompa.”
Speaking of that Cantina, you can spot Warwick Davis as the alien with puckered eyes and short pink snout (according to Entertainment Weekly). In this Vanity Fair portrait, he’s the guy closest to the camera in front of the older man with the dark green scarf.
Judah Friedlander is also in this scene, but details have not emerged yet! I WILL FIND HIM!
JJ Abram’s recently confirmed that Yoda and both Ewan McGregor (rerecording) and Alec Guinness’s previous recording as Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared in Rey’s Force Dream.
Something I noticed, Bala Tik, the leader of the Guavian Death Gang, is the actor that played Stuart ‘Fats’ Wall from The Casual Vacancy. Really noticed his performance both times and kind of hope he comes back.

Bonus:

Another standout character? Bazine Netal, the First Order informant at Maz’s bar. She’s played by Anna Brewster who has many credits under her name, mostly recently as Montespan in Versailles. I’m really intrigued by her and want to read the book and figure out how to cosplay her. :)

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