Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens

"There's been an awakening. Have you felt it?"

- Supreme Leader Snoke

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, marketed simply as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is the first film of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams; written by Lawrence Kasdan, Abrams and Michael Arndt; and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Bad Robot Productions. The film was released on December 18, 2015 in North America and December 17 in the UK, Mexico, Latin America & Asian countries. Some North American theaters offered special limited advance showings on the evening of December 17 rather than the traditional midnight showing.

Despite initially claiming that the Star Wars story ended in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and spending years refuting speculation that there would be another film, George Lucas began work on the story of Episode VII in 2011 in order to increase the value of Lucasfilm Ltd. before he sold it to The Walt Disney Company, although Disney would later elect to not use Lucas's story. The acquisition was finalized on October 30, 2012, and Disney and Lucasfilm officially announced Episode VII the same day.

The Episode VII story features the forces of the First Order, a remnant of the fallen Galactic Empire, aligned against the Resistance, sprung from the Rebel Alliance and supported by the New Republic. The story material will not be based on Star Wars Legends, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, rather, it will be an original story set after Return of the Jedi. The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker reprising their original roles. The original actors are joined by a host of new actors including Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, amongst many others. The film will be presented in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D where available. It will be able to be streamed on Netflix in Canada in 2016.

Assault on Tuanul
"We've got company."

- Poe Dameron

Approximately thirty years after the destruction of the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker, the last surviving Jedi, has disappeared. Both the First Order, a successor to the fallen Galactic Empire, and the Resistance, a military force backed by the New Republic and led by Luke's twin sister, General Leia Organa, scour the galaxy in an attempt to find him.

Resistance pilot Poe Dameron was sent on a secret mission to the village of Tuanul on the desert planet Jakku, to meet with village elder Lor San Tekka, who had obtained a star-chart to Luke Skywalker's location. During the meeting, First Order stormtroopers under the command of Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma attacked the village. Poe and his astromech droid BB-8 attempted to flee in their X-Wing Fighter, but a pair of stormtroopers disabled the engines. With no alternative, Poe gave the star-chart to BB-8 and ordered the astromech to flee. Poe remained behind to cover BB-8's escape.

After stormtrooper FN-2187 was deployed, his friend FN-2003, was hit with blaster fire by Poe. FN-2187 went to help his squadmate, but FN-2003's wound proved fatal, wiping his blood on FN-2187's helmet. This deeply affected the stormtrooper, and when ordered by Kylo Ren to kill the villagers, he refused to fire. When Poe tried to take a shot at Ren, the Knight casually caught the blaster bolt in mid-air with the Force. Poe was subsequently taken prisoner, while the rest of the villagers were slaughtered.

Escape from the Finalizer
"Do exactly as I say and I can get you out of here."

- Finn to Poe Dameron

Returning to the Finalizer, FN-2187 felt significant stress from the mission, and Phasma noticed his distress. She told him to submit his blaster to be checked, making sure he fired a shot. Knowing he would be re-evaluated and discovered for not firing on the villagers, and with his faith severely shaken in the First Order, he decided to desert. After failed attempts of torturing Poe for vital information about the star-chart of Luke Skywalker's location, Ren used his mind probe Force power to get the information from Poe in his head. Ren learned that the star-charts are located within BB-8, and informed General Hux about the revelation.

Finn freed the captured Poe Dameron from his cell, and the two stole a Special Forces TIE Fighter. FN-2187 manned the guns, killing several of his former comrades in the hanger, and then disabling the Finalizer's turbolasers. During the escape, Dameron asked the stormtrooper his name, to which he replied with his number. Not content with calling a man a number, Dameron named the trooper Finn, from the FN in his number. Finn liked the name, and went on to use it. Dameron also told him that the map vital to the Resistance was located within his astromech droid. The TIE was hit by a missile fired from the Finalizer, sending it spiraling towards the planet below.

Escape from Jakku
"I've had a pretty messed up day, alright?"

- Finn to Rey

BB-8 encounters a scavenger named Rey, and is struggling against being captured by a green-skinned humanoid scavenger named Teedo. She freed the droid and set it on its way, but BB-8 was insistent on remaining with Rey.

Finn and Dameron ejected from the TIE shortly before it crashed, each landing separately some distance from the wreck. Making his way to the crash, he found Poe's jacket, but no other sign of the man, and the fighter sunk into the sand. Believing Dameron to be dead, he discarded his armor and eventually arrived at the nearest settlement, looking for BB-8 to carry on Poe's mission.

When returning to a settlement to collect payment on scrap, two thugs hired by Unkar Plutt attempted to steal the droid, but Rey fended them off with her staff. BB-8, with Rey, then saw Finn and identified the jacket Finn was wearing as that of its owner, so Rey attacked Finn, believing him to be a thief. After Finn explained his intentions, the First Order tracks Finn to the settlement, and launches an airstrike in attempt to search for BB-8 and the star-chart. Rey, Finn, and BB-8 managed to escape Jakku in the Millennium Falcon by flying it through the Graveyard of Giants while Finn fired on and destroyed the pursuing TIE fighters. With the TIE fighters destroyed, they escaped into space.

Skirmish aboard the Eravana
"Chewie, we're home."

- Han to Chewbacca

The Falcon breaks down and leaves them stranded. The ship was in major need of repairs, so Finn, Rey and the BB-8 began working to fix it. While they were working on repairs, the ship was caught in a tractor beam by a freighter. Initially believing themselves to be captured by the First Order, they met their real captors: Han Solo and Chewbacca, the former owners of the ship. Upon boarding their old vessel, Han and Chewie went about inspecting their ship and found two stowaways, Rey and Finn, who he assumed were the thieves that had stolen the Falcon. When Rey and Finn explained that they were going to take a droid named BB-8 to the Resistance as he had a map that would reveal Luke's location, Han and Chewie agreed to help them.

Unfortunately, Han's freighter, the Eravana, had been boarded by two notorious criminal factions, the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub, that had hired Solo on previous jobs, jobs which he had failed to complete. Not wanting Rey and Finn to be involved, Han placed both of them in the lower corridors of the freighter while he and Chewie went to meet with the criminals, with BB-8 accompanying them. The smuggler tried but failed to convince both parties that he would fix things eventually, with the Guavian Death Gang negotiator, Bala-Tik recognizing the BB-8 astromech droid from a First Order bounty placed on it. They demanded that Han hand over the droid and any stowaways he might have on board. As the scuffle continued, Rey accidentally released three rathtars. They successfully escaped the gangs and jumped into hyperspace in the Millenium Falcon.

Journey to Takadona
"I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people."

- Maz Kanata

Han explains that Luke tried to rebuild the Jedi Order, but an apprentice of his turned to the dark side and became Kylo Ren, destroying all that Luke had built destroying all that Luke had built including the other Padawans that Luke had trained at the First Jedi Temple. Feeling responsible and blaming himself for the failure, Luke went into exile.

Solo took Rey, Finn, and BB-8 to the planet Takodana to meet with Maz Kanata at her castle. Han said that she had run her castle for over a thousand years. Unbeknownst to all, spies have taken notice of the group and alert the First Order. While Han and Chewie speak with Maz, Finn heads out to make a deal of his own. Finn hires Sidon Ithano and his first mate Quiggold to take him away to the Outer Rim. Rey implores Finn not to leave, but to help the Resistance instead, Finn, however, insists on leaving, to disappear from all his troubles.

After Finn leaves, Rey was called by the Force to a lightsaber that had previously belonged to Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke. Upon touching the lightsaber, she received a series of visions, in which she saw Luke with R2-D2, herself as a child watching the departure of her parents, and the Knights of Ren surrounded by slaughtered victims. After the vision, Maz Kanata explained to her the lightsaber's history and that it was now calling to her. Frightened by her vision, Rey refused to keep the lightsaber, running off into the woods with BB-8.

The conflict within
"Forgive me. I feel it again... the call from light. The Supreme Leader senses it. Show me again, the power of the darkness, and I'll let nothing stand in our way. Show me, grandfather, and I will finish what you started."

- Kylo Ren to Darth Vader's mask

At Starkiller Base, a planet converted into a superweapon, powered by draining a star, and capable of destroying star systems, Ren learns from Supreme Leader Snoke that to overcome the call of the light side, Ren must kill his father, Han Solo. Attempting to seek guidance from his grandfather, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren sits quietly in his meditation chamber. In front of him is the burned helmet of Vader, recovered from the funeral pyre on Endor. It’s been carefully enshrined in a place of honor. Kylo senses a disturbance in the Force, and reveals that the light is pulling him in again. He then asks his grandfather to show him the darkness, and to pull him back to the dark side of the Force. Having lost the pilot Poe and failing to recover the item he is after, he expresses his regrets as if speaking to the ghost of Vader.

Destruction of the Hosnian system
"Today is the end of the Republic!"

- General Hux

After gaining Supreme Leader Snoke's permission to fire the Starkiller Base's superweapon, Hux chose the Hosnian system, which hosted the capital of the New Republic, Hosnian Prime, as well as the New Republic Starfleet, in order to demonstrate the power of the First Order in an attempt to wipe out the "illegitimate" government of the New Republic in one fell swoop. The test was a success and Hosnian Prime, home of the Galactic Senate, four other planets in the system, and an unknown percentage of the New Republic fleet were annihilated by the First Order's superweapon. The destruction of the Hosnian system was visible from the surface of Takodana. This prompted Finn to re-evaluate his choice to leave.

Battle on Takodana
"I need a weapon!''" "''You have one!"

- Finn and Maz Kanata

The First Order, tipped off to BB-8's presence, arrives to Takodana and attacks Maz Kanata's castle. Flying in with TIE fighters and Atmospheric Assault Landers, the First Order swiftly assaulted the castle and leveled it, killing many of its inhabitants. BB-8 followed Rey into the forests surrounding the castle, and the First Order was unable to locate the droid until a stormtrooper officer reported to Kylo Ren that the droid had been sighted in the company of a girl. Rey deployed stormtroopers to the woods before heading into the woods himself, hunting Rey down and eventually cornering and capturing her.

During the fighting at the castle, despite killing multiple stormtroopers, Han, Chewbacca, and Finn were captured by the First Order. However. Resistance T-70 X-wing fighters led by Poe Dameron, arrived to fight the First Order. A fierce dogfight ensued and resulted in the destruction of many First Order TIEs and the deaths of many stormtroopers from X-wing strafing runs.

Back in the woods, Kylo Ren was notified of the Resistance attack by another stormtrooper officer, who asked him to call in more troops. Rey encountered Kylo Ren at the woods, and shot at him with her blaster pistol, but Kylo restrained her using the Force, and captured her. Ren ordered the First Order to pull out, saying they had what they came for. As the battle raged on above the castle, the remaining First Order troops boarded their ships and retreated, taking the captured and unconscious Rey along with them.

Rey's capture
"You're afraid... that you will never be as strong as Darth Vader!"

- Rey to Kylo Ren

She was brought to the Starkiller Base and interrogated by Kylo Ren, wanting information on the map to Luke Skywalker. However, the darksider had a difficult time probing her mind, and Rey was able to reach into Ren's mind, sensing his fear at being weaker than his maternal grandfather Darth Vader. Upon realizing that she was Force-sensitive, she used a mind trick on her stormtrooper guard, allowing her to escape. Rey then made her way through the Starkiller Base, honing her Force abilities while using stealth.

Reunited at the Resistance Base
"How can I save him when Luke couldn’t?''" "''Luke was a Jedi, you’re his father."

- Han and Leia

Han is reunited with Leia when he, Chewbacca, and Finn are brought to the Resistance base on D'Qar. BB-8 encounters the astromech droid R2-D2, who, as C-3PO explains, has been dormant since Luke's disappearance. It is revealed that Han and Leia are aware that their son is Kylo Ren, and that their son's fall to the Dark Side caused them to separate, with Han returning to his smuggling business, and Leia spearheading the activities of the New Republic and the Resistance. As Starkiller Base prepared to wipe out the world of D'Qar, the site of the Resistance's headquarters, but the Resistance planned an attack of their own. Finn, a defecting Stormtrooper, had given them the Base's blueprints, which revealed a critical weak point that, if destroyed, would eliminate the Base. However, they would need to do it before the base fully charged its weapon.

Battle of Starkiller Base
"All teams, give it everything you've got!"

- Poe Dameron

Han Solo piloted the Millenium Falcon to Starkiller Base accompanied by Chewbacca and Finn. Their objective was to disable the shields and allow the X-Wing squadron to strike, although Finn's main objective was to rescue Rey. Flying through the shields at lightspeed, the Falcon landed roughly on the edge of a cliff. Han, Chewbacca, and Finn snuck into the main base and captured Captain Phasma, who they forced to disable the shields before disposing her in a garbage chute. They reunited with Rey, who had already escaped on her own. With the shields down, Blue Squadron and Red Squadron led by Poe Dameron commenced their assault. They fired on the base's weakpoint, but failed to destroy it as the First Order sent TIE Fighters to stage a counterattack and throw the Resistance into chaos.

Seeing this, Han, Chewbacca, Finn, and Rey tried creating an opening by planting thermal detonators inside the base. Han then confronted his son, Kylo Ren, named Ben at birth, on a bridge over a large pit, pleading with his son to reject Snoke and return to the light side of the Force. However, Ren refused and impaled his father with his lightsaber, sending Han plummeting to his death as Finn, Rey, and Chewbacca looked on. Enraged, Chewbacca, Rey and Finn start firing at Ren and the Stormtroopers. Chewbacca injured Ren with his bowcaster, but Ren chased them out of the base. Ren caught up to Finn and Rey in the forest, and knocked Rey out by Force pushing her into a tree. An angered Finn pulled out Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber and attacked Ren in a rage. However, Ren easily overpowered the former Stormtrooper and dealt him a grievous injury. Suddenly, Rey arrived and used the Force to pull Luke's lightsaber into her hand. She then attacked Ren.

During this time, the thermal detonators went off in the base, allowing Poe to fly in and destroy the base's weak point thirty seconds before it drained the sun to charge the superweapon. This caused a chain reaction to go off, which destroyed the base and leveled the entire planet's terrain. Rey and Ren continued fighting, and Ren initially held the advantage. However, by calling on the Force, Rey was able to overpower Ren and deal him a severe wound while breaking his lightsaber. They were separated, however, due to a trench forming between them. Rey returned to Finn and began to despair as Finn would not wake up and they were trapped on the rupturing planet. However, Chewbacca arrived with the Millenium Falcon to rescue them. Inside the main base, chaos abounded as General Hux had departed and there was no way for anyone to escape. Hux, meanwhile, reported to Snoke, who ordered him to rescue Ren and flee the Base. The Millenium Falcon and the remainder of the Resistance fleet managed to escape Starkiller Base as it erupted into a ball of fire, and entered hyperspace to return to D'Qar.

Locating Luke Skywalker
"May the force be with you."

- Leia to Rey

The Resistance celebrates their victory while Leia, Chewbacca, and Rey mourn Han's death. R2-D2 suddenly awakens and reveals that he holds the map to Luke's location, with the only piece of the map missing being the one BB-8 was given by Poe. Together they complete the map and reveal the location of the planet on which Luke Skywalker is hiding. Finn is recovering in the hospital, and Rey kisses him on the head and thanking him for everything as he sleeps. With R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca in tow, Rey follows the map to the distant planet, and journeyed across the island of the planet, which she had previously seen in her visions. She comes across Luke and presents him with his old lightsaber.

Development
"I keep telling J.J. Abrams this is a $4 billion movie. We need to treat this very special. It’s an unbelievable privilege and unbelievable responsibility to take a jewel and treat it in a way that is respectful of its past but brings it into the future."

- Bob Iger

On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company announced that it had purchased Lucasfilm Ltd., the production company behind the creation of the Star Wars franchise, from its owner, Star Wars creator George Lucas, for $4.05 billion. The acquisition came in the wake of Lucas's announced retirement on May 31, and the subsequent June 1 announcement that veteran film producer Kathleen Kennedy was succeeding Lucas as Lucasfilm's Co-Chair. As part of the merger, Disney revealed that it planned to produce a sequel trilogy of films beginning in 2015, with Kennedy serving as executive producer.

Star Wars: Episode VII had already been in development for several months as of the Disney–Lucasfilm merger, and Lucas had written the story treatments for each of the three upcoming films. Kennedy said shortly after the announcement that the development team was in the process of sitting down with writers to discuss story ideas. Lucasfilm confirmed on November 9 that pre-production had begun on Star Wars: Episode VII, and that screenwriter Michael Arndt would write the script for the film. News outlets first reported Arndt's involvement on November 8, announcing that Arndt had already turned in a forty-to-fifty-page story treatment that reportedly brought the Skywalker family saga to a close in a new trilogy. On January 25, 2013, StarWars.com announced that J.J. Abrams, known for his work on the television series Lost and the most recent entries in the Star Trek film series, would direct the film, with Star Wars creator George Lucas remarking "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands".

Lucas was initially involved as creative consultant, though he stepped away due to Disney's descision to take the story in a different direction than his original outlines. He later elaborated in an interview with Stephen Colbert: "The original saga was about the father, the children, and the grandchildren. I don’t think that's a secret to anybody&mdash;that’s in the novels&mdash;and the children were in their 20s and everything. But they’ve taken it in a different direction, and I'm excited&mdash;they didn’t use my story, so I don’t know what they’re doing."

Initial reports explained that Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote the screenplays for both Episodes V and VI) and Simon Kinberg would co-produce all three films of the trilogy, and share writing responsibilities for Episodes VIII and IX. Kinberg described his role in the process: "I'm like a friend of the court. I consult on the movies. I worked on VII: helped break the story, read scripts, drafts at certain points, and gave my thoughts whatever they were worth." On October 24, 2013, it was announced that Abrams and Kasdan were rewriting Arndt's script.

Production
"I've learned to be very careful about Star Wars. If I say, 'There will be no skateboards in Star Wars '... that gets headlines."

- Alan Horn, Disney Chairman

The Force Awakens began preliminary shooting in April 2014, with second unit work taking place in Iceland and Abu Dhabi. On April 25, Lucasfilm announced their plans for a new continuity that excluded the existing Expanded Universe, and confirmed that Episode VII and its sequels would not adhere to any existing continuity. This was followed on April 29 by the official release of the cast list for the movie. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels would return to reprise their roles as the main characters of the original trilogy, and they would be joined by a number of new actors in leading roles: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. Hamill remarked on returning to Star Wars: "Part of the experience of [Star Wars] in my life was coming down from that, putting it behind me. We had a beginning, middle, and an end. And I certainly, in a million years, never expected to return. I thought, even if they do more trilogies, my story is over." Denis Lawson was asked to reprise his role as Wedge Antilles from the original trilogy, but declined, stating that it would have "bored" him.

Principal photography began on May 16, 2014 at the UK's Pinewood Studios. For visual inspiration, Abrams looked at films directed by John Ford, Akira Kurosawa and Terrence Malick. Daniel Mindel&mdash;who had previously worked with Abrams as director of photography&mdash;returned to collaborate with the director on the film. Reportedly, one sequence was shot with IMAX cameras. Although Peter Mayhew was able to reprise the role as Chewbacca, some scenes had to be shot with a stunt double, due to Mayhew's age and physical health. On June 11, the 71-year old Harrison Ford broke his left leg when a hydraulic door at Pinewood Studios fell down and hit him, and was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. His recovery forced him to drop out of filming for eight weeks. Abrams also sustained a minor back injury when he tried to help lift the door off of Ford's leg. On June 28, actor Andy Serkis confirmed that The Imaginarium Studios would be involved with performance capture on the film, as well as all future Star Wars projects. Serkis also confirmed that the character he plays in the film would utilize performance capture. On July 6, Lucasfilm confirmed that actors Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen were cast in the film through open casting calls in the United Kingdom. They also revealed that production would take a two-week hiatus in August to accommodate Harrison Ford's leg injury. Afterwards shooting would resume, and conclude later in the fall. Abrams, Hamill, and Daisy Ridley spent three days filming at Skellig Michael in County Kerry, Ireland.

On November 6, 2014, the official Star Wars Twitter account announced that the film had completed principal photography. The post gave the official title for the film as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and was accompanied by a title card for the new name that, like the original trilogy, excluded the "Episode" subtitle. As of October 26, 2015, the film's visual effects were set to be finished "in the next few weeks.

Design
Michael Kaplan, who had designed the costumes for Abrams' Star Trek films, also signed on to costume Episode VII. Kaplan designed new stormtrooper uniforms for the film, as it was determined that the original costumes would not stand up to modern scrutiny. These new uniforms were inspired by Apple products. The production team built a new C-3PO suit to accommodate Anthony Daniels, while the R2-D2 model was provided and overseen by members of the R2-D2 Builders Club.

Music
During a concert with the Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra on February 9, 2013 composer John Williams stated that he was hoping to get the chance to write the musical scores for the new trilogy. Abrams made further statements on this at a Star Trek Into Darkness conference on April 29, stating, "Again, for Star Wars, it’s very early days, but I believe that, going forward, John Williams will be doing that film because he was there long before I was." On July 27, 2013, a video of Williams confirming he would score the new film was screened at Star Wars Celebration Europe II. On March 21, 2015, Lucasfilm revealed that John Williams would conduct the score for The Force Awakens in Los Angeles. The previous live-action film scores were recorded in the United Kingdom with the London Symphony Orchestra. The sessions lasted from summer through fall of 2015.

Release
"We're living in such a different age now. It's like a competition to see who can leak information faster than the next guy. I don't get it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't get a copy of the script and leak the whole thing on the Internet."

- Mark Hamill

The first teaser trailer&mdash;released early due to both fan demand and Abrams' request &mdash;was announced via the Bad Robot Productions Twitter account, with a note from Abrams saying fans will see a "tiny peek at what we're working on." The 88-second teaser premiered in 30 theaters across North America and was released online on November 28, 2014. The teaser was shown in theaters around the world beginning in December 2014. Character names were revealed shortly thereafter in online mock collector cards. Earlier that November, JJ Abrams made a cameo on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which he could be seen directing R2-D2 on the set of The Force Awakens. When a fish from Oliver's salmon cannon falls on the script that he's holding, Abrams gets frustrated and quits the film.

A second teaser was released on April 16, 2015. The June 2015 issue of Variety featured a cover story on The Force Awakens, with interviews with cast and crew and images from an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot. The August 2015 issues of Entertainment Weekly and Empire also had the film as their cover stories. The Force Awakens had a presence at 2015's San Diego Comic-Con and D23 events. At the latter, it was revealed that Drew Struzan had returned to create poster art for the film, including a poster exclusive to the event. A third, shorter teaser was released on the Star Wars Instagram on August 27. On September 23, Facebook released a 360-degree panoramic video clip of a speeder driving across Jakku. The official one sheet was released on October 18, 2015, while the full-length trailer debuted on October 19 with ESPN's Monday Night Football.

The cast and crew appeared on various TV programs, including Good Morning America, Live! with Kelly and Michael, and 60 Minutes. Abrams, Boyega and Ridley participated in a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring cast members and guest celebrities in a series of fake auditions. Among the subjects parodied were racist reactions to Boyega's casting, Lucas's comments about not being involved, and Abrams's involvement in the rival franchise Star Trek. Abrams and the cast appeared on a Star Wars-themed episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on November 23. Some members of the cast and crew also participated in an official press conference on December 5. The film had its red carpet premiere on December 14 at Hollywood Boulevard. The event was streamed live on StarWars.com. Ford and Abrams participated on a sketch on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert depicting what convinced Ford to return: Colbert allegedly almost convinced Abrams to recast the role of Han with him.

Charity
On May 21, 2014, Disney, Lucasfilm and Bad Robot announced "Force for Change", a charity campaign "dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world's biggest problems"; Initially, the campaign was focused on contributing to UNICEF. Each person who donated was entered to win a set visit to and appearance in Episode VII. On August 11, Denver, Colorado resident D.C. Barns was announced as the contest's winner. JJ Abrams later released a YouTube video in which he announced that the contest had raised $4.26 million. In August 2014, several of the film's cast and crew participated in the "Ice Bucket Challenge", an internet phenomenon whereby one pours water onto one's head as a pledge to donate to the ALS association. On April 21, 2015, Abrams appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he performed the "Twizzler challenge" with Chewbacca, in honor of Autism Awareness Month. In August 2015, Lucasfilm and HP began a two-month program called "Art Awakens", in which people submit art inspired by The Force Awakens, of which a certain number will be chosen for an art exhibit, the proceeds of which will go to "Force for Change". On November 5, 2015, director J.J. Abrams screened an unfinished version of the film for Daniel Fleetwood, a 32-year-old Star Wars fan with an aggressive form of cancer who was likely to die before the film's release. The campaign for him to see the film was supported by several of the film's stars, including John Boyega, Mark Hamill and Gwendoline Christie. Fleetwood passed away on November 9 or 10, 2015. The film will also be made available for viewing by astronauts on the International Space Station. On November 28, it was revealed that R2-KT, the droid built in honor of Katie Johnson, would make an appearance in The Force Awakens. Albin Johnson, founder of the 501st Legion and father of Katie, had constructed the droid after she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In addition to R2-KT's appearance, a variation of the 501st's logo was featured as a flag outside of Maz Kanata's castle.

Merchandising
Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, its "imagineers" began developing Star Wars-themed expansions to the various Disney theme parks. However, Bob Iger halted work on these expansions until The Force Awakens and other future Star Wars films had reached a point in their development so that elements from those projects could be included. On August 15, 2015, it was announced that plans were moving forward for a Star Wars-themed section of the Disney parks, which would include content based on The Force Awakens.

Disney's merchandising campaign for the film began on September 4, 2015&mdash;dubbed "Force Friday". Lucasfilm has published a series of books and comics that connect Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. A novelization will be released, as well as a number of other titles directly connected to the film, such as an art book, a character anthology, and Ultimate Sticker Collection. Additionally, content from The Force Awakens will be included in the video games Disney Infinity 3.0 and Star Wars Battlefront. The company has also partnered with eight major brands: Covergirl & Max Factor, Duracell, FCA US, General Mills, HP, Subway and Verizon. Beginning in August 2015, Target stores held a campaign called "Share the Force", which included TV ads, exclusive in-store merchandise, and an online program in which Star Wars fans could submit images and videos that captured their memories of the franchise. Japan's All Nippon Airways announced that some of its airplanes have been painted to reflect elements from The Force Awakens.

Reception
Theater tickets became available for pre-order on October 19th, with many online retailers experiencing outages due to heavy demand, including top sites such as Fandango. By the time of the film's release, over $100 million in pre-release tickets were sold, bypassing the previous record held by The Dark Knight. Some theater chains chose to set limits on the types of cosplay allowed at screenings of the film. For instance, fans at AMC and Cinemark weren't allowed to wear masks or face-paint, or carry simulated weapons. Some chains also issued a blanket ban on the carrying of lightsaber toys.

The film carries a 95% fresh score at the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, with 268 reviews and average score of 8.3/10. Manohla Dargis of the New York Times stated that "The big news about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is — spoiler alert — that it’s good!" and that the film "takes off with a battle and closes on a meaningful moment of quiet." John Wenzel of the Denver Post graded the film at 3 1/2 stars out of 4, calling it a "'masterful symphony" and praising the film's emphasis on "practical effects and honest-to-God sets." Richard Roeper gave the film four stars.

Credits
"We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."

- J.J. Abrams