Top 10 Easter Eggs from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

When we returned to the Galaxy far, far away, fans were overjoyed to see a number of references to its long history. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Easter Eggs.

For this list, we’re looking at the various Easter Eggs in the first installment of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy that you may have missed.

#10: Cameos

Given the popularity of the “Star Wars” franchise, it isn’t surprising that many celebrities wanted in on the film, even if only for a brief cameo. It’s pretty well known at this point that Daniel Craig played the stormtrooper whom Rey manipulates. But did you know that Unkar Plutt, the junkyard dealer on Jakku, is played by Simon Pegg? Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, also makes an appearance as Lieutenant Connix, complete with a hairstyle that would make Princess Leia proud. Even Bill Hader gets in on the action, as he helped create the voice for BB-8 alongside Ben Schwartz.

#9: Rey’s Connection to Luke

Rey is first introduced to the audience as somewhat of a loner. She’s forced to scavenge for items she can trade for food, and lives in a downed AT-AT. One of the more curious items she possesses is a doll wearing orange and white clothing, the exact colors of a uniform belonging to an X-Wing pilot, and a similar outfit to what Luke wears in “A New Hope.” She also has an old X-Wing fighter pilot helmet, which she wears as she looks longingly at the sky. Could these items foreshadow a potential connection to Luke – or at least another Rebel pilot, as suggested by the reference book “Star Wars: Rey’s Survival Guide”?

#8: “I Got a Bad Feeling About This”

Although perhaps not as iconic “I am your father” or “may the force be with you”, it’s become a bit of a running joke across Star Wars films to include a line of dialogue along the lines of - “I have a bad feeling about this”. Variations of the phrase have been said by multiple characters throughout the franchise, including Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it is most memorably and most often uttered by Han Solo. And sure enough, it’s Han who once again says it in “The Force Awakens”. As usual, his bad feeling is warranted - he’s just discovered that the Rathtars have been set loose on his freighter.

#7: Old Ben

After defeating his former apprentice in a vicious lightsaber duel, Obi-Wan Kenobi worked with Yoda and Bail Organa to hide the children of Anakin Skywalker to protect them from the Emperor. Obi-Wan took Luke to Tatooine and lived nearby to watch over him. To conceal his identity, he ditched the name Obi-Wan, and called himself simply “Ben”. Of course, we learn that Kylo Ren’s real name is Ben Solo. Although it is never directly said, it is safe to assume that Han and Leia named their son after Kenobi. Too bad he didn’t grow up to do the name honor.

#6: The Wilhelm Scream

This distinct sound bite has been heard by many, but few known it by name. A stock audio recording of a man screaming that can be traced back to 1951, it was dubbed the Wilhelm Scream after being applied to the character Private Wilhelm in the 1953 film “The Charge at Feather River” after he’s been shot with an arrow. Often used when a character is killed or badly wounded, it’s been heard in over 360 films, including every Star Wars film up to and including “The Force Awakens”. It appears early in the movie when a Stormtrooper is killed by a turbolaser during the scene when Poe and Finn escape from the First Order.

#5: Maz’s Flags

The entrance to Maz Kanata’s tavern is decorated with all sorts of flags. For the average fan, this wouldn’t be something you’d look twice at. For the superfan, however, this scene has plenty of juicy easter eggs. For starters, several of the flags can also be found in the podracing scene in “The Phantom Menace”. Furthermore, two flags bear the Mythosaur Skull and Clan Fett “wheat” insignia, both of which are also found on Boba Fett’s armor. For the eagle-eyed Star Wars fan, this was a nice nod to a larger, interconnected universe.

#4: FN-2187

The new characters are among the strongest aspects of “The Force Awakens”. Two of our protagonists, Poe and Finn, bond early as they attempt to escape from the First Order. It is Poe who actually gives Finn his name, as he was originally known only as FN-2187, his Stormtrooper call sign. The number 2187 is the same number as Princess Leia’s cell in “A New Hope”. George Lucas initially chose this number because he was a huge fan of a short film by Arthur Lipsett, entitled, you guessed it - “21-87”. Talk about a number with a history.

#3: Ewan McGregor / Alec Guinness

One of the more memorable scenes of “The Force Awakens” is when Rey first comes across Luke’s lightsaber. Upon touching it, she experiences a Force vision, and witnesses several different scenes in quick succession. She also hears different voices, including Obi-Wan Kenobi saying “Rey...these are your first steps”. The word “Rey” is actually voiced by the late Sir Alec Guinness through some clever editing of previous dialogue, while Ewan McGregor, the man who portrayed Kenobi in the prequels, actually came in to record the rest of the line specifically for the film.

#2: Millennium Falcon Nostalgia

“The Force Awakens” not only features the Millennium Falcon once again; it also gives us several other throwbacks to the first ever Star Wars film via the iconic ship. For example, Finn accidentally turns on the game we witness Chewy playing against R2-D2 in the original film, known as Dejarik. Finn also briefly grabs the remote training ball Obi-Wan used during Luke’s first lightsaber lesson before tossing it aside. Perhaps the most effective nod however is when Rey and Finn hide under the floor when the ship is boarded, which is exactly what our heroes did in the first film.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- J.J. Abrams’ Vocals Appear on Songs Performed at the Cantina
- They Continue to Use Parsecs Incorrectly
- Kelvin Ridge Is Named After J.J. Abrams’ Grandfather

#1: Starkiller Was Luke’s Original Name

Basically, the only differences between the Empire’s superweapon and the First Order’s superweapon are the size and the name. Rather than simply recreate the Death Star, the First Order makes a much bigger weapon and decides to call it the Starkiller Base. Besides sounding pretty awesome, the name Starkiller actually has another meaning behind it - it was the original surname George Lucas intended to give to Luke. Of course, Lucas would eventually go with Skywalker instead, but this is an undeniably cool easter egg and fantastic nod to the creative process that went into making the original Star Wars film such a hit.