Star Wars (Dummies Edition) : 5 Facts You Need To Know Before You Watch Star Wars – The Force Awakens

I had vivid memories of catching Star Wars on the big screens but if you asked me what Star Wars is all about today, my only sensible response is ” uhhh… “

Everyone around me seems to know what Star Wars is about except me. And it can get pretty haunting when you see Star Wars EVERYWHERE and those white robots with bell-shaped heads armed with guns invading our Changi Airport a few weeks back. There are Star Wars Merchandize sold in almost every shopping malls and Star Wars toys for kids. Hey, do kids even know what Star Wars is? It will seem pretty dumb if a kid knew more about Star Wars than I do. With the world getting so hyped up about new movie ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, it’s time for us to step out of the dark shadows.

So I did a google search on Star Wars, typed ‘star wars for dummies’, ‘star wars for beginners’ and ‘what you need to know about star wars’ but I still catch no ball after reading those articles and videos (which are probably written by Star Wars fans). They can get too technical with so many jargons they’ve highlighted from the movie. For a non-star wars fan like myself, I just need to get a rough gist of what Star Wars is so that I can watch the latest Star Wars movie in peace with a avid Star Wars fan sitting next to me in the cinemas.

Here’s 10 simple facts you’ll need to know.

As the title ‘Star Wars’ suggests itself,  it is a war between two forces. In this case, it is the good force and the dark force. In the philosophy of Star Wars, there is this element of force that existed in the galaxy and it is defined as ‘an energy field created by all living things[that surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together’, as described in the first movie of the Star Wars series.These forces can be harnessed to perform supernatural feats (e.g controlling minds of others) to do good but if they can also be manipulated to fuel the ‘dark side’ of the universe. In the movie, the characters who uses the force wisely are called Jedis while those who uses the force for evil attempts are called the Siths.

This is the Star Wars hunk you should look out for! He is the Jedi master who eventually becomes the grand master of the Jedi New Order.

Her signature cinnamon hair buns made her look like an angel in the movie. She is the princess of a planet called Alderaan. She is part of the rebels who is fight against Darth Vader.

BB-8 is rolling droid or robot that appeared in Star Wars – The Force Awakens. If you watch the trailer, you will know that the star fighters are going to rely on BB-8’s artifical intelligence. Remember R2-D2 and C3-PO? I used to remember R2-D2 droid in a form of a vitamin C tablets when I was a kid. C3-PO looks no different from the Tin Woodman from the Wizard of Oz (except that it is gold plated and looked skinnier)!

There are 7 Star War films in total to date with The Force Awakens as the 7th film of the Star Wars Series. And it has been 30 years since the world has watched a Star Wars film. For 30 years, Star wars fans have been left dormant and now they are AWAKEN!

So now you know a little thing or two about Star Wars, you are ever more than ready to watch the trailer below. I am getting excited as I want to know which side of the universe will take over. The world likes envisioning in a war that is waged between the good and the evil. Now, I see why Star Wars has got to be that ultimate movie for our human race.

So now you are truly awaken. Are you ready for a pop quiz? Name all the characters below.