Ah, yes, nothing says “box office success” quite like a movie that’s backed up by plenty of hype and expectations and doesn’t betray them. When there are these circumstances involved, the outcome can only be one of two: a complete flop or a smashing record setting picture. I can count some examples for both scenarios just off the back of my head, but luckily there are some that meet both criteria. But before we get to the Easter eggs in The Force Awakens, let’s take Jurassic Park for example: after the success of Spielberg’s original movie, everyone was eager to see what The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 could bring. But that was before we actually saw the movies and found ourselves on the verge of nearly flinging our TV’s through the window or getting up in the theater and leaving without even finishing our popcorn. Because of this, almost ten years later, the revival of the franchise came with a lot of expectations, which Jurassic World finally managed to meet, thus making it one of highest grossing movies of all time.

What does this comparison have to do with the article’s title? Easy: Star Wars followed the same formula. The franchise was brought to an insane popularity thanks to the original trilogy, people had their bars set high when the prequels rolled in, were ultimately disappointed, and almost a decade later, they were filled with a lot of expectations towards The Force Awakens. And just like in the other example, the series managed to rise from its own ashes and once more rain honor, popularity and money on the Star Wars name. But after waiting for so long for another proper Star Wars movie, some fans were left feeling as if that wasn’t enough, so they started dissecting every tiny aspect of the film in hopes of finding Easter eggs and clues for the future of the new installments. And just in case you couldn’t be bothered to pay extensive attention to every small detail, we did the work for you and compiled a list of 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens.

1. Rey’s Visions And Luke’s Exile

One of the biggest mysteries that the new installments has yet to clear up involves Rey’s origins, and the question that’s on everyone’s lips is: who are Rey’s parents? It didn’t take long before speculations started spilling, with some people saying that it might be Luke himself who is her father, while others think she might not be involved with the Skywalker bloodline at all. Regardless of her relation to Luke, The Force Awakens tried to subtly let us know that some sort of connection exists. In the scene where (spoilers) Kylo Ren gets inside Rey’s head, he sees fragments of a recurring dream involving an “endless ocean” and “the island.” People have different opinions as far as interpreting this scene goes: some tie it to the possibility of Rey being indeed Luke’s daughter, while others prefer to think this is a key information for the future of the series.

2. The Opening Refers The Prequels

Speaking of disappointing follow ups of otherwise successful movies, here is something that most Star Wars fans hoped they’d never have to hear of again. Many consider the first line of Episode VII – “This will begin to make things right.” – an attempt to acknowledge the prequels and let us know that the sequels are going to try their best to make up for the mess they left behind. However, it’s not the time to start celebrating the inclusion of this alleged “meta dragging,” since many people seem to have omitted what follows after that line: “Without the Jedi there can be no balance in the Force.” I’m not saying this means they’ll be bringing the midi-chlorians back, but no matter how you look at it, it’s a definite nod and reference to a pivotal point of the prequels, that the movies to come are very likely to keep in and, even more, explore further.

3. R2-D2’s Awakening

One of the few things that left audiences with a giant question mark hanging above their heads, is the scene where R2-D2 wakes up from his slumber induced by Luke’s departure. Some things are clear: he has a part of the map leading to Luke and, therefore, he played an important part to the story in that regard. What’s not so clear, is the reason why he booted up again all of sudden, after all this time. Many people resort to simply labeling this scene as a typical “ex machina” moment, whose only purpose was to conveniently move the plot along. It could be that, yes, but it likely has to do more with the fact that R2-D2 didn’t exactly wake up for no reason: he did it when in Rey’s presence. This could have happened for many reasons: maybe it was because Rey is a powerful user of the Force or (to consolidate even further the Luke and Rey father-daughter theories) because there could be some Skywalker blood running through her veins. Either way, I’m sure the reasons behind this scene go beyond the “convenient plot advancing point” stereotype and it makes one of the nicest Easter eggs in The Force Awakens.

4. Kylo Ren’s Original Movie Reference

It seems that one of the best ways to catch on to important Easter eggs in The Force Awakens is to pay attention to the dialogue. As Kylo Ren comes to face Rey during their climatic battle, he says one interesting line: “That lightsaber belongs to me.” He obviously references the the weapon he so desperately wants to add to his Darth Vader shrine, though it also holds a bigger importance, since it seems to reference the initial script of the movie. Before its release, it was rumored that we would get to have a guest appearance from Anakin/Luke’s old lightsaber. This is more than just a rumor, as it’s strongly supported by evidence even from the final form of the movie: many aspects that have to do with the lightsaber are oddly vague and clumsily written, which, to me, reeks of last minute plan changes.

I think it’s safe to say that J.J. Abrams definitely has many things in store for Star Wars fans, which is what makes the prospect of the future Episodes even all the more exciting. There were plenty of nods and clues in The Force Awakens, some of which were paving the way for the future development of the plot. Did you catch of these 4 Easter Eggs In The Force Awakens? I’m sure there are many, many more, so until Episode VIII comes out, we have all the time in the world to rewatch the movie for the 65th time and go hunting for more.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4.