Star Wars: The Force Awakens has arrived, and with it new planets, people and vehicles for fans to obsess over until the next movie comes out. Catching the names of all the new characters and locations in the film itself is certainly a challenge, but thankfully the official Star Wars website has updated its Databank section with tons of new The Force Awakens information that superfans will definitely want to check out.
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For example, according to the Databank entry for Maz's Castle, the cantina sits on the edge of a lake that was once a battleground for the ancient Jedi and Sith. Maz welcomes all kinds of smugglers and pirates to her den, but she has a strict no-politics policy when it comes to her guests.
Or perhaps you want to know more about General Hux's flagship, the Finalizer. At first glance it may look remarkably similar to an Imperial Star Destroyer (and it is), but there are a few new features you wouldn't be able to guess just from watching. For starters, it was the first vessel built in direct violation of the Empire's treaties with the New Republic. It is also more powerful than the average Star Destroyer of the Empire, equipped with Turbolasers powered by mysterious kyber crystals harvested in the unknown regions of space.
The film never exactly explains the Resistance's relationship with the New Republic, but thankfully Starwars.com does. After defeating the Empire post-Return of the Jedi, the Imperial Remnant was allowed to survive in a small region of space as long as it adhered to strict disarmament treaties and war reparations. This seems to have lasted for a while, until the First Order began building for war in secret. Leia, seeing the threat the First Order poses but that the rest of the New Republic refuses to acknowledge, forms the Resistance with funds and donations from sympathetic leaders and senators in the New Republic.
One of the most fascinating entries is for a character that doesn't even appear in the film: Constable Zuvio. He has his own action figures and everything, but for whatever reason the CGI character described as "honorable" and "tough" was cut out of the final version of the film. His Databank entry reads:
The tough, taciturn Zuvio is the leader of Niima Outpost's small militia, and keeps a wary yellow eye out for cheats, thieves and others bent on trouble. He is often found guarding Niima's landing field, glowering at any local who strays too close to a visitor's starship.
It's interesting reading for fans who can't get enough of the brand new chapter in the saga. You can read more entries from the site here.
