After Star Wars: The Force Awakens started to break record after record (which was, actually, after its first day in the cinemas), the biggest question which arose was whether or not it will top Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all times. There are chances, though they have diminished - but this isn't at all what the fans should be asking themselves.
Instead, they should take into account several plot points which may be considered plot holes. And that is because, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens has answered many questions, there are still a few great unknowns which are yet to be revealed. If this will happen in the sequels, then these plot points can be considered careful setups. If they remain unanswered, then"¦
Of course, quite a few hints can be found in the official novelization, in the comic books, and so on - however, we do believe that this isn't what a movie experience should be. A film should be able to stand on its own, without the aid of promotional materials such as those mentioned above. After all, for example, we can enjoy the Iron Man movies without knowing a thing about the 50-something year-long history of the character.
This being said, these are the biggest unanswered questions which arose after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Why is the Republic defeated so easily?
This one may seem the biggest questions of them all, simply because it provides the context of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, while also connecting A New Hope with this latest installment. So the question can be translated in another way: what happened after Palpatine's death and after the defeat of the Empire?
Of course, the answer to this question can be found in the books (and this is the last time we will mention this). The film, on the other hand, gives us no hint - in a way, we are back at square one, with a new form of the Empire, now called The First Order, and the Rebels, now called the Resistance.
We can assume that, after the defeat of the Empire, a period of transition was needed, in order to reestablish a working democracy. We can also assume that the followers of the Empire weren't completely eradicated, surviving in the corners of the galaxy, with the First Order being the best example.
But, even if so, how can a small rebel faction defeat a democratic galactic government in a single shot? As far as the movie shows, the First Order has only a handful of Star Destroyers, if it has them at all. Even if they have the Star Killer base, it is still just a singular weapon, which should pose any threat to a galactic fleet.
In this case, we can assume that democracy was its own enemy, in the sense that all the bureaucracy and the complex voting system was the one which prevented the galactic government to act swiftly (one of the deleted scenes has Leia trying to convince the said government to act sooner rather than later).
One other assumption can be that the Republic wasn't defeated, even if its capital was destroyed - though having the entire government destroyed surely brings another period of transition, in which all sorts of perils appear and in which, essentially, democracy barely functions.
But these are all what ifs, without any definitive answer provided in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
How can the Resistance exist when the Republic still existed?
This one is another head-scratcher, which can show that the Republic and democracy weren't completely reinstated.
For example, if an organization such as the First Order appears, then the Republic must have its own means of fighting it, without the need of a Resistance (which, in this case, becomes nothing more than a group of vigilantes, who are also functioning outside of the law).
But then again, this is a question directly tied to the ones before it. However, unlike the former ones, we don't believe we will find an answer for it. Simply because this would mean the return to the tedious and boring spectacle offered by the prequels.
How did Maz acquire the lightsaber?
This is yet another question for which we need to come up with our own answers (which may or may not be good). As we know, Maz Kanata (one of the most interesting characters of Star Wars: The Force Awakens) has lived a very long life, being something of a legend. So we can assume that, in her travels, she happened upon the lightsaber.
But this is a too easy explanation, a too unsatisfying one.
According to the original script, the movie was supposed to begin with the weapon falling onto a planet (which wasn't Jakku). From here on, a rumor said that it was found and, through a series of unexpected events (several accidents, battles, and transactions) it ended up with Maz. But this explanation also seems too thin.
What happened after all and how did the lightsaber end up from the Cloud City unto an unknown planet and then with Maz? We have no idea - and even the rumored explanations seem too convenient.
Who is Lor San Tekka?
What a great actor to have in Star Wars: The Force Awakens Max von Sydow is. Back when he was announced, we were almost certain that he will end up portraying a Force user. It wasn't so. As a matter of fact, his character is killed mere minutes (were there minutes at all?) after being introduced.
But who was he actually and why was he the one to have the map which leads to Luke Skywalker? Furthermore, if he had the map, why didn't he use it until then? He surely must have known that the First Order will want to retrieve it.
The official description of his character says that Lor San Tekka was a scout of some sorts and so, given his age, we may assume that he will appear in some of the future spin-offs (maybe even in Rogue One). But the questions still remain, with some others following quickly (with the answers, most likely, being revealed in the spin-offs as well).
Why is there such familiarity between Kylo Ren and Lor San Tekka? Why does Lor say that general Organa is a princess? Ultimately, given the propaganda of the Empire, why did he sided with the Rebels and, afterwards, with the Resistance?
Why is Kylo Ren portrayed so inconsistently?
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is the big baddie, the worthy successor of Darth Vader. And even if he himself considers that Vader was much stronger, was he really? We see Kylo Ren displaying some feats we have never seen in the movies - for example, right in the beginning of the movie, he is able to stop and hold the blast of a blaster in midair, even after switching his focus. Then he is also able to read the minds of those he tortures, specifically the mind of Rey, who is in no way a weak-willed character.
But, even so, despite of all his powers, he still gets beaten in the end. He has a hard time in defeating a simple Stormtrooper (Finn), only to be hacked in the end by Rey (who seemingly just discovered her ability to use the Force). Sure enough, he is indeed wounded when fighting in the forest - but when you can hold plasma shot from a blaster in midair, how difficult can it be to overcome enemies as untrained as these two?
Yes, the Stormtroopers are indeed proficient in battle using melee weapons (as demonstrated in the fight between Finn and TR-8R). And yes, Rey is also quite capable in using her staff, as demonstrated when defending herself on Jakku. But they are just amateurs when compared to Kylo Ren.
We guess this is just a simple plot hole, which won't be answered in the subsequent Star Wars sequels (and, even if they'll attempt to justify his weakness, it won't be in a satisfactory way).
How can Rey use the Force when she just discovered it is real?
This is yet another biggie - Rey manages to use a Jedi Mind Trick on a Stormtrooper (portrayed by Daniel Craig, if you didn't know), even if she believed that the Force is just a myth a couple of days ago. How did she do that?
This needs to be addressed in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens sequel. If it won't, then it means that anyone aware of the Force can use it, with no training at all.
There is, however, a hint of an explanation in the movie itself, in the vision she has when touching the lightsaber. Apparently, those visions are in some way connected to her own past. And, if it is so, then she was in some way present when Kylo Ren and the other Knights of Ren killed the padawans from Luke's Jedi Academy.
And if indeed she was present, we can assume that she also had some training in there. If so, why doesn't she remember?
We may further assume that her memories were blocked and started to come back when Kylo Ren extracted the information he needed from her. But, again, this is just another supposition.
Rey is too big a character for her past to remain a mystery - we do hope that. So we may find an answer to this question in Star Wars: Episode VIII.
How can Finn refuse to kill?
The whole premise behind the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Stormtroopers is that they are literally mindless minions, who know just one thing: those who aren't with the First Order are enemies which need to be destroyed. Raised by the Order from the moment they are born (or thereabout), the Stormtroopers are inoculated with the propaganda for as long as they live.
If so, how come Finn manages to overcome the brainwashing and even think about deserting? We see that the Stormtroopers who misbehave are called in and brainwashed again. Can Finn resist repeated procedures?
Furthermore, when the Stormtroopers are slaughtering civilians and after Finn refuses to shoot, Kylo Ren stops and glances at him, as if he recognized a Force sensitive person. What does it all mean?
We have no answer for this questions, outside of the movie itself. Finn will return in the sequels - will there be a satisfactory conclusion to his story? Will we find out how he managed to free himself? Most importantly, is he Force sensitive?
Why did Kylo Ren join the Dark Side? What's with the Vader worshiping?
As it was revealed in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia, who was sent to train at the Jedi Academy with Luke Skywalker. How was he seduced by the Dark Side? Why did he turn against his master and killed the other padawans?
For example, as the prequels showed, Anakin was convinced by Palpatine to join the Dark Side because only in this way his wife could have been saved (yeah, a pretty lame excuse, given the fact that she was fine and dandy). What reasons did Ben had to become Kylo Ren? What did Snoke use in order to manipulate him?
We can also ask why Kylo Ren worships Vader - though the answer will be found once the Blu-ray is released, in one of the deleted scenes. But another question arises - where did he get the helmet of Vader? Is it yet again another convenient explanation such as the one rumored for the lightsaber? Will we find an answer in the sequels? Probably not.
Who is Finn?
As said, all Stormtroopers are taken from their families from the first moment they are born. In this case, given the supposition that Finn is special, who was his family?
The oldest rumor says that he is the son of Lando Calrissian. The newest one says that he is in some way connected to Mace Windu. Others say that any of these two possibilities would make the galaxy even smaller, since this would be another (rather unneeded) connection - Kylo is definitely a Skywalker, while Rey may also have a famous parent.
Why is Finn so special, after all?
Why did R2-D2 wake up so conveniently?
There are quite a few happy coincidences in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This must be the happiest one - R2-D2 wakes up exactly when needed, in order to wrap up the film. What made him wake up?
Did Luke become so powerful that he used the Force in order to wake him up from the other side of the galaxy? Or was R2-D2 programmed to wake up when Rey arrives? No, it is neither of these.
According to J. J. Abrams, "BB-8 comes up and says something to him, which is basically, "˜I've got this piece of a map, do you happen to have the rest?' The idea was, R2 who has been all over the galaxy, is still in his coma, but he hears this. And it triggers something that would ultimately wake him up. While it may seem, you know, completely lucky and an easy way out, at that point in the movie, when you've lost a person, desperately, and somebody you hopefully care about is unconscious, you want someone to return." (via Entertainment Weekly)
Really, J. J. - it's all about getting lucky?
Why did Luke choose to disappear?
Why did Luke choose to disappear, when he could have easily subdued Kylo Ren? Why did he choose to remain hidden, when he knew that the First Order was such a big a threat? Was he afraid that he will also succumb to the Dark Side when revenging the padawans?
This issue will certainly be addressed in Star Wars: Episode VIII. Furthermore, it is expected for the answer to be delivered on the same island where he is found, since Mark Hamill has already shot a scene for the sequel in the same surrounding.
But the safest bet is that he was also tempted by the Dark Side and he removed himself from the scene.
Who is Rey? Who is Snoke?
As far as Snoke is concerned, the biggest and most spread rumor is that he is none other than Palpatine's master Darth Plagueis. Of course, the director and even Andy Serkis have said that this is a new character - we don't believe them. Having Plagueis will bring another and important connection with the entire Star Wars saga, especially with the prequels.
As far as Rey is concerned, this subject seems too big to debate in here. But we can say from the start that there are also two rumors about her. The first one is that she is a Skywalker herself, the sister of Ben Solo. The other one says that she is in some way connected to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
