7 Ways In Which The Force Awakens Has Changed The Star Wars Universe Forever

The trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were spectacular, building yet even more anticipation for the motion picture event of the year, but many fans were still understandably hesitant about the final film. After all, those of us who are old enough to remember the last time Star Wars returned to our screens are still recovering from the trauma of Jar Jar Binks. Fortunately, The Force Awakens has been a resounding success, breaking every box office record imaginable while charming even the most dour-faced film critics. The exact content of the prequels may have been a mystery before they were released, but we all knew the direction they were roughly heading in. That's what makes the new films so exciting; The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film in decades that's taken audiences into bold, new territory. Now that the movie has finally been released, fans are already looking ahead to the next instalment of the franchise, theorizing what could be in store for our beloved characters. The events depicted in The Force Awakens will have huge ramifications, there's no doubt about that, so join us as we discuss 7 ways that J.J. Abrams' movie has changed the Star Wars universe forever. NOTE: If you haven't seen The Force Awakens yet, but are still thinking about reading on, resist the temptation of the dark side and wait until you've watched the movie. You'll thank us later. 7) Stormtroopers Have Feelings, Too Every bad guy needs faceless minions to carry out their dirty work. The Wicked Witch Of The West has her flying monkeys, Voldemort has his Death-Eaters and Gru has... well, his Minions, but the most famous of all are the Imperial Stormtroopers, the elite soldiers who tirelessly work for the Empire to fight off the Resistance. Stormtroopers are typically depicted as faceless cannon fodder who have terrible aim and struggle to overwhelm Ewoks if attacked in large numbers, but The Force Awakens changes all (some) of that by following the exploits of FN-2187, the first Stormtrooper to renounce the First Order and join the Rebel Forces. Finally, audiences are shown a Stormtrooper with his humanity fully exposed, stripped of his armour and designation. Finn's central role in The Force Awakens proves that the Stormtroopers aren't all the soulless minions we were led to believe. If Finn can independently switch sides of his own volition, then there's a chance that other stormtroopers could now do the same, or at least be persuaded to question their allegiance. 6) Finally! A Female Jedi Being a Jedi looks awesome. Whether you choose the light side or the dark side, the plethora of incredible abilities that you gain make this the coolest job in the galaxy. However, previous films have painted the Jedi out to be a boys-only club, relegating women to the roles of mother or princess. The Force Awakens finally addresses this imbalance by pushing the scavenger Rey front and centre of the new movie. Rey's affinity for the force isn't immediately apparent, but once she discovers Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, her powers begin to flourish. Admittedly, Abrams does rush the development of Rey's abilities, which progress rapidly despite a lack of training, but the very fact that we finally have a strong, female character leading the world's most popular franchise is huge cause for celebration. That's not to say that Leia isn't empowered either, but Rey's character proves that women are more than capable of holding their own one-on-one against the likes of male villains such as Kylo Ren. 5) Forget Everything You Know! As the daughter of Darth Vader and the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, the force is clearly strong with Leia, yet she fails to utilize this gift in The Force Awakens, aside from a moment towards the end when she senses tragedy from afar. Abrams has revealed that this is because Leia chose to pursue a military career instead of training to become a Jedi, focusing all of her energy on becoming a General, so she could effectively lead the Resistance against the First Order. This makes sense, as it would be impossible to devote enough time to both pursuits and Leia has always made her fight against the Empire a priority, ever since the first trilogy. However, this may have surprised fans expecting to see Leia wield a lightsaber in The Force Awakens. After all, the Star Wars universe has expanded far beyond the original movies, encompassing everything from comics and novels to video games. In this expanded universe, Leia is a full fledged Jedi who possesses mastery over the Force, but once Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars, they decided to ignore these new stories, declaring them as non-canon and therefore, simply 'legend.' As a result, no one aside from the filmmakers themselves have any idea what could happen next in the upcoming sequels. Anything can happen, but as long as Jar Jar Binks is revealed to have been an evil Sith lord all along, hiding true power behind his bumbling idiocy, then we'll be happy. 4) The Republic Is No More In a direct echo of the original trilogy, The First Order use their new super weapon to end the Republic, destroying entire planets just to send a message to those who choose to help the Resistance. Now, we don't condone the mass genocide of billions, but from an audience perspective, the First Order did everyone a huge favour here. One of the (many) pitfalls of the Star Wars prequels was the time that they wasted on the convoluted politics of the Republic. These scenes added little to the plot and at the end of the day, they were just boring as hell. Now that the Republic is basically no more (we presume), more time can be devoted to the central narrative, streamlining our understanding of the Star Wars universe. Whether any members of the Republic survived or not, the Resistance will now be more determined than ever to defeat the First Order, demanding justice for the deaths of millions. Inadvertently, the First Order may have also helped the Resistance in the long run, as parties who were previously neutral may also be driven now to join the good fight. In the meantime though, the loss of the Republic will undoubtedly be a huge blow for the Resistance, temporarily weakening their stance in the Star Wars universe. 3) Now, It's Personal... The spirit of Darth Vader lives on in his grandson Kylo Ren, who has become the new face of evil in the Star Wars universe. However, what sets him apart from previous villains in the franchise is that Kylo actively struggles with his chosen path, fighting hard to resist the temptation of the light side. It's common for the Jedi to be lured by the dark side, but we've never seen this process in reverse before. Kylo's moral struggles will be brought to the fore in the next instalment, dealing with the repercussions of his actions from the climax of The Force Awakens. Not only did he kill his father, but Kylo also failed to defeat Rey and bring her to Supreme Leader Snoke. Kylo will now be more determined than ever to prove himself to Snoke, intensifying his hunt for Rey tenfold. The stakes may affect the entire galaxy, but Kylo's not the only one whose fight will become more personal. Leia has just lost the man she loved, so in her role as leader of the Resistance, she will do absolutely everything in her power to defeat Kylo and destroy the First Order once and for all. Letting one's emotions get in the way of such an important task may prove dangerous though, leading either side to make rash decisions that could cost them dearly... 2) Luke's Return The entire plot of The Force Awakens revolves around the search for a map that will reveal the location of Luke Skywalker, the famed Jedi who forced himself into exile following the death of his trainees. At the end of the film, Rey finally meets the fabled hero, returning his lightsaber to him so he can presumably return to the fray and save the Resistance. Luke's return will be crucial to the overall arc of the upcoming sequels, but it's unclear exactly what role he'll play. So far, Luke has been depicted as the saviour of the Resistance, but will everyone welcome him with open arms upon his return? If Luke hadn't abandoned the Resistance when he did, there's a chance that many of the disastrous events that occurred during and even before The Force Awakens could have been avoided if he had stuck around. While his allies may forgive him quickly, there's a strong chance that Luke will struggle to forgive himself, plagued with guilt over how his inaction caused the deaths of countless more, including an old friend... 1) Chewbacca Goes Solo Kids may have been a little sad to see that wise-cracking old guy die at the end of The Force Awakens, but for those of us old enough to legally enjoy Tarantino movies, the death of Han Solo was traumatizing. Devastating. Soul-destroying, if you will. There's no other way to put it. The impact of Solo's demise will be felt throughout the rest of the Star Wars universe in the sequels and beyond, but what are the ramifications of his murder? Obviously, Solo's best friend Chewbacca will feel the pain of this loss for the rest of his days, driven to seek revenge against the man responsible. Rey proved herself adept at piloting the Millennium Falcon, so it's likely that her and Chewie may team up to fly the ship together while fighting for the Resistance. The other person most obviously affected by Solo's death will be Leia, his former lover and the mother of his child. Before the climactic battle in The Force Awakens, Leia believed that there was still some good in their son, asking Solo to bring Kylo back to her, but in the light of this tragedy, Leia may have lost her child for good. Leia will be both enraged and devastated by the death of Solo, naturally seeking retribution against the First Order, but the conflict of interests make it difficult to predict how this will all turn out. Whether General Leia confronts Kylo Ren head on or asks for the help of her allies, one thing we do know is that by the end of it, the Star Wars universe will never be the same again. Tell us, did Star Wars: The Force Awakens live up to your expectations? What do you think will happen in the next movie? Is BB-8 the most adorable thing the world has ever seen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.