Interesting facts about Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Whether you are rejoiced about the new film or screaming heresy at the top of your lungs, there is no getting around the fact that the new Star Wars film has the whole world in a tight grip, unwilling to let go until the release date. Until that fateful day arrives however, we have some interesting facts regarding the new film that should keep devoted fans satisfied.

The First Order
The remnants of the Empire have rebranded themselves, and are now called The First Order. Combined with the very fascist inspired display we saw in the teaser that's some pretty ominous stuff. But it gets worse: there are new troops, including a Flame Trooper whose only job is to burn enemies alive. Overall, the redesigned Stormtroopers, which "enforce the will of the First Order," are clearly based on Empire designs, but also appear to no longer be clones. Does that mean they'll be more fearsome overall? And this doesn't even get into the new TIE Fighter designs, much less the elite-looking Chrome Troopers. The Chrome Trooper maybe an elite unit and the individual seen in the trailer might be played by Gwendoline Christie. 

The Resistance
The Rebels are around as well, and there are some that are ready to fight the Empire, or the First Order, or whatever the heck they call themselves. The Resistance, as they're now dubbed, has some upgraded tech based on familiar Rebel hardware. There are also a bunch of new R2-type droid domes that were built for the film, many of which exist just to be installed on the back of these X-Wings. There are also some R4, R5, and R6 units, and said that the new droids navigating the X-Wings will be specifically paired with chosen pilots. One of those pilots is Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac. But what was that about the princess? Does Leia send Poe off in search of Luke?

Kylo Ren & The New Dark Side Gang
Who and/or what is Kylo Ren? The character has a distinctive lightsaber design — not just in the crossbar hilt, but in the ragged details of the blade. These costume designs won't give you any serious clues, but there is one thing: this design seems not only ominous, but protective. There's also a big of Eastern influence in the design of his mask. Kylo Ren seems poised to be the spiritual successor to Darth Vader, in this new story. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will also add a new faction to the darkside: The Knights of Ren, who seem to be Sith Lord sycophants obsessed with finishing the work of the Sith. 

The New Heroes
The Force Awakens may feature the classic Luke-Leia-Han trio from the original trilogy, but it will also introduce a new heroic trio into the mix: Finn (John Boyega), Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Poe (Oscar Isaac). Finn starts out as a stormtrooper who defects from The First Order and ends up wielding a lightsaber; Rey is a scrap scavenger on the desert planet Jakku who falls in with Finn; and Poe is a hotshot pilot in The Resistance. However, even though Finn, Rey and Poe are new characters in the Star Wars saga, there's a definite tweaked and remixed similarity to original Star Wars heroic trio and their character arcs.

A New Empire Super Weapon
Episode VII will feature a plotline in which the imperial First Order threatens the galaxy with a new superweapon – one that is bigger and badder than The Death Star. The new weapon wielded by The First Order is called "Starkiller Base" and it can be seen in the latest Star Wars 7 trailer. The Starkiller Base is actually a weapon built into an ice planet stronghold – though how it functions remains a mystery.