Major Characters of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

After ten years of waiting, fans finally got to see the characters of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and what adventures lie ahead for them.

Quick Summary

In the seventh episode of the film series – the first since Disney purchased the franchise for a spectacular $4.05 billion, and therefore causing a subsequent lack of direct involvement from George Lucas – changes were inevitable. The major plot remained spot-on as a continuation of the series, but with a blend of new and familiar characters.

The events in The Force Awakens are set about 30 years since the destruction of the second Death Star at the end of Return of the Jedi. The remnants of the Galactic Empire have now become the First Order, armed with a much deadlier weaponized planet known as Starkiller Base. It is a journey of General Leia Morgana and a Force-laden girl named Rey, in search of the now missing Luke Skywalker and the war against the First Order.

Where to Watch

You can stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Disney+. It is the only streaming service where you can watch it online.
Amazon Prime Video offers the options to rent or buy the movie.
Buy or rent from other services including Microsoft Store, Google Play, iTunes, VUDU, and YouTube.

Major Characters

Star Wars: The Force Awakens brings back some familiar faces and a good number of new characters as well. Some of the most memorable are:

Unkar Plutt, portrayed by Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg, a well-known hardcore Star Wars fan, gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to play a big role, quite literally, in The Force Awakens. His character is Unkar Plutt, the miserly junk boss of Jakku. He barters rations in return for whatever seemingly valuable salvage scavengers bring to him. With a face like Blobfish, he’s kind of hard to look at, and with the attitude of a gangster, he wants to monopolize the junk market by way of violence.

BB-8, voiced by Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz

When BB-8 first appears on the scene, most viewers probably thought the droid was going to be a rip-off of R2-D2. There are some similarities between both droids, but without a doubt BB-8 as a character can stand on its own and quickly prove to be indispensable to the franchise. Its vocal inflections, voiced by Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz, make the droid even more loveable. BB-8 eventually connects with R2-D2 to reveal the information leading to Skywalker’s whereabouts.

Han Solo, portrayed by Harrison Ford

A character who requires no introduction to any hardened fan of Star Wars, or just about everyone who has heard of the movie, Han Solo has been a staple in the franchise. Growing up impoverished on the streets of Corellia, he rose to prominence among the Rebel Alliance thanks to his bravery and lifelong experience as a skillful smuggler. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a few major revelations about the life of Han Solo and how it comes to an end.

Chewbacca, portrayed by Peter Mayhew

A Wookie warrior and probably the only being in the galaxy that Han Solo calls a trusted friend, Chewbacca has been a crucial part of the resistance. He also is Han’s longtime co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. Chewbacca is a master of traditional Wookie weapons called bowcasters. While he is known for his short temper, he often serves as Han’s conscience in difficult circumstances. The death of Han Solo sends Chewbacca into a blind rage.

Finn, portrayed by John Boyega

Formerly an enemy to the Resistance, Finn realized he was fighting for the wrong side early in the movie. He abandoned his stormtrooper uniform and escaped the First Order, freeing a Resistance pilot in the process. The two then stole a Special Forces TIE Fighter. A missile hits the TIE soon afterwards, sending them on different paths. In a lucky twist of fate, Finn comes across BB-8. Finn fills the plot with his comedic and intense reactions to just about anything, making him one of the best characters to cheer for in upcoming series.

Poe Dameron, portrayed by Oscar Isaac

Many things about Poe Dameron make a good reminder of a younger Han Solo. The person behind the character, Oscar Isaac, delivers just the right swagger to be the Millennium Falcon pilot. It gets easier to picture him as a version of Han because Poe also is a starfighter ace. As one of Leia’s most-trusted men, he is given a huge responsibility to lead the attack on Starkiller Base.

Kylo Ren, portrayed by Adam Driver

Longtime fans of Star Wars know that Kylo Ren fills the space left behind by Anakin Skywalker. The similarities are uncanny from a relationship problem with father to the tendency to disobey orders. Kylo Ren is originally Ben Solo, who falls to the Dark Side. The characterization makes perfect sense because he is, after all, the grandson of Darth Vader. One good thing is that Kylo still comes up as a unique, albeit Vader-related, character despite the resemblances.

Rey, portrayed by Daisy Ridley

Star Wars does not usually have a female actor in the lead, but that changed with The Force Awakens. For sure Leia has been a major figure in all the previous installments, but she never actually played a determining factor in most of the actions. Rey, a scavenger of the wreckages of war, is on a journey to hone her combat skills by becoming a Jedi. To do that, she must find Luke Skywalker and ask him to train her. Rey is a determined no-nonsense fighter, portrayed by Daisy Ridley.

Maz Kanata, portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o

The Force Awakens introduces Maz Kanata in her favorite alien bar, possibly as a reminder of the Chalmun’s Cantina sequence from A New Hope. Maz’s background story remains unclear in the film, except that she has a Yoda-like appearance and perhaps the power, too. Her role in the film is to clarify the confusing circumstances to Rey, although the explanation seems to confuse Rey and the viewers even more.

Supreme Leader Snoke, portrayed by Andy Serkis

Kylo Ren is not the true commander of the First Order; the title goes to Supreme Leader Snoke. Similar to Maz, there are more questions than answers about Snoke’s origin story. Kylo Ren communicates with Snoke through a hologram. There are two things obvious about Snoke: first, he is the person who dragged Kylo to the dark side, and second, he functions like the Emperor Palpatine.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill

With the release of The Force Awakens, fans expected to see Mark Hamill again as Luke Skywalker, the undisputed hero of Star Wars films. Much of the storyline revolves around his history, capability, and mostly about his current unknown whereabouts. The combination of map information revealed by BB-8 and R2-D2 along with Rey’s bravery is the galaxy’s best hope to find him. A glimpse of Luke appears when the film is just about to end, and that’s about it.

Captain Phasma, portrayed by Gwendoline Christie

The intimidating Captain Phasma is portrayed by Gwendoline Christie, the same person behind Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. Since the villain camp in the film is inhabited by the likes of Kylo Ren and Snoke, it does not seem that she will be the cruelest of them all. That said, it is easy to see the big potential around the character, especially considering her ill-fated bitter-anger toward deserter Finn.

C-3PO, portrayed by Anthony Daniels

The faithful companion to R2-D2, the protocol droid C-3PO still has some adventures left in him. Now that he has been upgraded to seven million forms of communication (previously only “over” six million forms), he will do a better job as a translator. Apart from that, there’s not much of a difference from the previous films, except that he now has a red arm. The film doesn’t explain the modification, but the comic Star Wars Special: C-3PO, explains that he obtained the new arm because of a mission with other Imperial droids.

Which Star Wars character is your favorite? Drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.