We’ve all been speculating about the names of the characters seen in The Force Awakens teaser since the infamous 88 seconds of footage dropped on November 28th. We don’t have to guess about their identities any longer because the names of those who appeared in the trailer have been revealed. Let’s not beat around the bush: John Boyega is Finn, Daisy Ridley is Rey, Oscar Isaac is Poe Dameron, the mysterious figure is Kylo Ren, and the soccer ball droid is known as BB-8.
Entertainment Weekly revealed the news today, and while I’m thrilled to learn the names, I’m even more excited about the manner in which they were announced. Director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy used the format of retro Topps trading cards to introduce the characters. Cards with similar red and blue borders were released for A New Hope in 1977 (then known as only Star Wars). This first batch features eight characters and scenes so fingers crossed we’ll get more cards down the road.
Finn on the run!
The cards feature the names of the characters and captions that give us the slightest of hints about what’s happening. John Boyega’s character Finn is on the run. Is he on the run because he was a spy infiltrating ranks or because he’s deserting? Drama! The other captions:
BB-8 on the move
Poe Dameron in his X-Wing
Kylo Ren ignites his lightsaber
Rey on her speeder
Stormtroopers prepare for battle
X-Wings in formation
The Millennium Falcon
I rather love that the Millennium Falcon card doesn’t need any other words.
Back to the names, a cursory glance doesn’t connect these names to anything or anyone we know in the Star Wars universe in either canon or Legends. The names Kylo and Ren have been used separately before, and there was even a Kybo Ren in Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO. Topless Robot does point out that Poe Dameron is one character off sharing the name of Nicholas Cage’s characters in Con-Air though.
See all the cards in the gallery:
You’ll notice each of the cards has a number. Abrams told Entertainment Weekly those numbers are significant (and no, they are not the numbers from Lost).
What do you think of these names from Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Let us know in the comments.
I’m holding out hope that
hey my names finn
Topps cards! Yes! That’s worth a smile right there. Now all we need is a sticker of Old Luke and a terrible piece of gum.
NICOLAS Cage.
I think the significance of the numbers is that they tell you the chronological order of the scenes. That’s my guess anyway.
And I gotta say, while I never realistically expected her to be, I’m still kinda bummed Daisy Ridley isn’t Jaina… though since we don’t get a last name for her, I guess we can hold onto hope that she’s still Han and Leia’s daughter.
Yeah, scene numbers was my thought too.