10 Things That Still Don’t Make Sense About Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 10 Years Later

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It’s been almost ten years since Star Wars: The Force Awakens first hit theaters, bringing the beloved franchise back to life after a decade and launching the current era of Star Wars under Disney. Since then, we’ve seen a huge increase in Star Wars content – with sequels, prequels, spin-off films, TV series, and animated shows. However, everything Star Wars has been built on since then started with that one movie.

When Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out, it was a hit with both critics and audiences. It currently holds a 93% ‘Certified Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated Star Wars film Disney’s Lucasfilm has produced, and the third highest-rated in the entire series. Remarkably, even after ten years and the release of several blockbuster Marvel movies and Avatar sequels, The Force Awakens still holds the record for the highest-grossing movie ever domestically, earning $936 million (compared to $858 million for Avengers: Endgame). Despite its continued success and popularity, there are still a few parts of the movie that leave viewers puzzled.

10) The First Order Really Didn’t Have Any New Ideas, huh?

The initial glimpses of The Force Awakens actually showcase the new villains, not the heroes. A group of soldiers from the First Order arrives for a mission, and at first glance, they appear almost identical to the classic Stormtroopers from the original films. The First Order’s military – their weapons, soldiers, and ships – are essentially updated versions of the Empire’s forces, with a few cosmetic changes.

It’s no surprise that the First Order’s armies look so familiar – the Star Wars franchise has always relied on recognizable designs and, of course, toy sales. But from a storytelling standpoint, it feels like they didn’t put much thought into creating a unique military appearance.

9) How Was There a Map to Luke Skywalker?

The story of The Force Awakens begins with Poe Dameron on a mission to find Luke Skywalker, and to do so, he needs to retrieve a map detailing Luke’s location. This map is held by Lor San Tekka, who is surprisingly located on the remote desert planet of Jakku. It’s odd that someone living in such an obscure place would possess such crucial information. While there’s likely an explanation in supplemental materials like comics or short stories, within the film itself, it feels like a convenient plot device rather than a logical development.

8) How Does Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber Hilt Actually Work?

Kylo Ren’s unique lightsaber, with its side blades, was likely designed with toy sales in mind. While it looks visually interesting, it doesn’t really add much to the fight scenes. It’s a cool design, but it doesn’t quite make sense in terms of how it’s used.

7) Why Did the Empire Bring an AT-AT to Fight on Jakku?

We first meet Rey as a scavenger on the desert planet Jakku, where she finds valuable parts and technology from the wreckage of the fallen Empire. The film opens with a striking scene of Rey exploring a crashed Star Destroyer – a fitting image, as these massive ships are now buried in the planet’s sands.

Later, Rey rests in the shade of a broken-down AT-AT walker. The image is striking, hinting at how remnants of the past are scattered across this world. It also makes you question why the Empire ever thought these massive walkers would work well on the planet’s shifting sands. They really need solid ground to be useful in a fight. It makes sense that this one fell and got stuck, but its presence there in the first place seems odd.

6) How Did Poe Escape?

When Finn and Poe escape Kylo Ren, their ship crashes on Jakku. Initially, it appears Finn is the sole survivor. However, if you consider that we never actually see a body, it’s likely Poe managed to escape the wreckage before they meet up again with the Resistance. Despite this, how he survived isn’t explained well. Given how desolate Jakku is, it’s strange they didn’t reconnect there. It’s probably detailed in a comic book somewhere, though.

5) Han and Chewie Haulin’ Rathtars

Once Chewbacca and Han Solo recovered the Millennium Falcon, they met Rey, Finn, and BB-8 and agreed to assist them. However, their plans hit a snag when they were confronted by both the Guavian Death Gang and the Kanjiklub.

This scene, showing Han Solo facing enemies he’s apparently upset in the past, aims to show us he’s back to his old life of smuggling. However, it actually highlights a disappointing step backward for a previously well-developed character, seemingly just to create a convenient story and bring back the Millennium Falcon – and it doesn’t even explain how they found the ship in the first place.

4) How Does Maz Kanata Have Anakin Skywalker’s Lightsaber?

During her visit to Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana, Rey experiences a vision and is mysteriously drawn to Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber hidden in the basement. This feels like a significant callback to The Force Awakens, but when you think about the larger Star Wars story, it doesn’t quite add up. The last time we saw the lightsaber, it was still with Luke Skywalker’s hand falling through Cloud City. The movie never explains how anyone found it or how it ended up on a completely different planet, and it’s a particularly noticeable plot hole.

3) How Did Kylo Ren Recover Darth Vader’s Helmet From Endor?

Later in the movie, after learning about Kylo Ren’s family history, we see he’s created a shrine to his grandfather, Darth Vader, and even talks to Vader’s charred helmet. While visually striking, this scene, much like the lightsaber, feels jarring and pulls you out of the story. It makes you start questioning how this is even possible – Luke burned Vader’s body on Endor in a massive fire. How could the helmet have survived, and how did Kylo Ren even find it? Did he have to deal with the Ewoks to get it?

2) Why Doesn’t the Rest of the Galaxy Immediately Join The Resistance?

Throughout The Force Awakens, it’s suggested that most people in the galaxy aren’t very concerned with the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance. While these groups might be seen as troublesome, the Republic seems to view it as something General Organa and her forces can handle on their own, rather than a major crisis requiring widespread attention. This makes sense, considering how many people in real life aren’t particularly interested in politics.

It would be understandable if people rallied to the Resistance after the First Order destroyed five planets – including the Republic’s main world – with Starkiller Base. Even after such a devastating loss for the First Order and the destruction of the base itself, it’s likely many would be motivated to join the fight.

1) R2D2’s Entire Deal

In The Force Awakens, R2-D2 is initially shown in a low-power state, almost like a coma, following Luke Skywalker’s disappearance. He doesn’t fully reactivate until the very end of the film, after the Resistance achieves victory and the story begins to set up the next installment. The likely reason for this is that BB-8, carrying a crucial map fragment, somehow triggered R2-D2’s awakening, enabling them to locate Luke. However, this feels like a plot convenience because BB-8 actually interacts with R2 much earlier in the movie – it seems the writers needed this to happen at the climax, rather than developing it naturally throughout the story.

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2025-11-26 23:44