'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': All About the New Characters

Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn and more!

ByABC News
December 18, 2015, 11:02 AM

— -- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hits theaters across the country today and viewers will see a slew of new characters in the film, in addition to the usual suspects, like Luke (wherever he may be), Leia, Han and Chewbacca.

Here's a rundown of them all and what you need to know:

Rey

Rey is a scavenger and the fact she has no last name has been said to be on purpose. Rumors have her possibly tied to one of the "Star Wars" icons, but that remains to be seen. Harrison Ford either gave away a nice spoiler or could be yanking our chain when he said his favorite scene was the lightsaber battle between Rey and new villain Kylo Ren. So maybe she has skills with the ancient, elegant weapon, as well.

According to Star Wars wikia and from clips we've seen, Rey, who is played by actress Daisy Ridley, trades her finds while scavenging on the world of Jakku.

A scene from the new trailer "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Rey becomes good friends with new droid BB-8.

BB-8

Meet the new, cutest droid in the galaxy. BB-8 belonged to Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, but in most of the footage we've seen, the little rolling ball of spunk is hanging out with Rey.

Ridley, who plays Rey, spoke to Time magazine about working with the new droid.

“I had a chat with BB-8, and I remember J.J. [Abrams] saying, ‘He’s not a child’ and obviously the impulse because he’s small and cute is to infantilize. The impulse is to baby talk, but he’s not a child. He’s a droid with a mission,” she said. “But after they created him and treated him like a puppet everyday and they gave him so much life that it didn’t really feel any different to acting with a person. He’s there moving around, he’s making noises, he’s responding to what I’m saying. It really is just like having a conversation.”

Finn

Played by John Boyega, Finn is no one to be trifled with. We've already seen that he is going to have an epic showdown with baddie Kylo Ren, but Finn was also trained all his life to be a new breed of Stormtrooper.

A scene from the new trailer "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens."
Scene from the new movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

After Finn realizes he's "got nothing to fight for," according to one clip, he goes on his own and meets Rey. We eventually see the young man also connect with Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, so he's fully entrenched against the First Order, the modern-day Empire.

According to Wookieepedia, "After leaving the First Order, [Finn] wielded the lightsaber that once belonged to Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker," so he holds a powerful piece of history in his hands.

Poe

One of the leaders of the Resistance, Poe flies under the moniker of "Black Leader."

Poe's parents Shara Bey and Kes Dameron both served the Alliance, the rebel group that helped bring balance back to the galaxy.

In the clips, we know that Poe is captured and tortured by Kylo Ren of the First Order. Ren looks to be using the Dark Side of the Force against him.

Kylo Ren

Ren, played by Adam Driver, is a fan of the work Darth Vader did many, many years prior to "The Force Awakens."

In one scene, Ren tells the melted mask of Vader, "I will finish what you started."

"A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional [three-pronged] lightsaber," according to StarWars.com.

Adam Driver plays "Kylo Ren" in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Ren is a follower of the Dark Side and we know for sure he faces off against Finn in one scene. Ren is usually surrounded by his Knights of Ren and is not technically a Sith lord.

Kylo Ren is pictured in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer.

Maz Kanata, Supreme Leader Snoke and Captain Phasma

We still haven't seen much or don't know much of these characters from the clips thus far. We've only seen Phasma stalking ground while other Stormtroopers under her command burn a place to the ground. We also recently discovered that Phasma wasn't always going to be played by a woman, namely Gwendoline Christie. One of the film's co-writers revealed that came later.

As for Maz, we know that character is played by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and she had to use motion-capture to bring Maz to life.

"It was an opportunity to play a character that wasn't limited by my physical circumstances," she told IGN last week. "It's not everyday you get to play someone who is really not you."

Maz, a tiny, goggle-wearing alien, has also been heard in one of the clips, revealing she's "lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people."

The actress also spoke to ABC News' "Good Morning America" recently and said the character is a pirate, possibly with eyes that have powers or are important.

Snoke is even more mysterious. We haven't seen or heard much from the great actor Andy Serkis, who plays the Supreme Leader of the First Order, and also uses motion-capture. We should expect plenty from Snoke in the actual film.

Serkis did tell Empire magazine that Snoke "is severely damaged. Although he's a powerful leader, he comes across as vulnerable. Very scarred and disfigured."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is produced by Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of Disney, which is the parent company of ABC News.