We’ve already told you seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens again is probably a good idea
1. The first line of dialogue may be a jab at the prequels - In the film’s first line of dialogue, Lor Son Tekka says “This will begin to make things right.” Is he talking about the map to Luke helping the Resistance. Yes. Could he be talking about something else too? Absolutely.
2. A match between Finn and Rey’s eyes - When Finn puts his helmet back on after being talked to by Captain Phasma, the movie cuts to our first look at Rey in goggles. J.J. Abrams almost perfectly matches the placement of Finn’s eyes with Rey’s (seen above).
3. Finn kills a lot of his friends - As Finn and Poe escape the Finalizer, Finn blasts lots of other Stormtroopers away. Aren’t those his friends?
4. Game of Thrones cameos - The First Order soldier who alerts everyone to the Poe/Finn escape is none other than Thomas Brodie-Sangster, star of Game of Thrones and The Maze Runner. He’s not alone either. Jessica Henwick (Nymeria Sand) is an X-Wing pilot, while Mark Stanley (Grenn), Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel) and Emun Elliott (Marillon) all have small rolls.
5. See Finn age in a digital read out - As Captain Phasma explains the psychology of FN-2187, there’s a digital read out on the left side of the frame with Finn morphing at different ages.
6. A big, old butt - You may not want to see this, but after Finn shares some water with the huge, pig like creature called a Happabore, he walks away and you can see the creature’s butthole. I warn you though. This one you’ll never not see.
7. King Prana - Han mentions he’s hauling rathtars for someone named King Prana. The last time Han named dropped someone like that in the first movie of a Star Wars trilogy, it was Jabba the Hutt.
8. Luke’s remote - As Finn, Rey, Han and Chewie escape on the Falcon, Finn picks up and throws away the remote that Luke used to practice with his lightsaber in A New Hope. Finn also triggers the Holochess, but that’s ultra obvious.
9. Maz’s flags - The flags going into Maz Kanata’s place include a Mandalorian symbol (the race of Boba Fett and Sabine) as well as several from the podrace in The Phantom Menace. There’s even one for the 501st Legion, a massive collection of fans who cosplay as Stormtroopers.
10. Creatures and cameos in Maz’s place - Every time you watch the movie, you’ll notice new creatures or characters in Maz Kanata’s place. Two of the most interesting are comedian Judah Friedlander (viewed after Maz screams for Han) and a flesh colored, pig snout looking guy named Wollivan. He’s played by Star Wars alum Warwick Davis.
11. Cloud City - Rey’s flashback is filled with things you have to watch out and listen for. First up, the first place she’s in is a hallway from Cloud City.
12. Who took Rey? - Pay close attention to the voice and hand of the creature who takes Rey away. It sounds and looks an awful lot like Unkar Plutt, the junker played by Simon Pegg.
13. Familiar voices - In the audio of Rey’s flashback, J.J. Abrams confirmed the voices of three actors - Ewan McGregor, Frank Oz and Alec Guinness. Guinness is the easiest to hear, he says “Rey” near the end when she’s standing in the woods. The other two are not as easy to hear.
14. More First Order technology - As General Hux gives his Nazi-like speech, if you look to the right and left of the frame you see First Order weapons and technology that aren’t used in this film.
15. Leia’s ship looks familiar - The Resistance Troop Transport that General Leia first arrives out of looks inspired by some of the early designs of the Millennium Falcon seen above.
16. Kylo Ren’s ashes - We know Kylo Ren has Darth Vader’s helmet, but when Rey asks him to take his mask of, he puts it down in a pool of ashes. Are these possibly also from Endor?
17. Bond, James Bond - James Bond actor Daniel Craig plays the Stormtrooper Rey mind tricks to get free on Starkiller Base. The character most sounds like Craig after the mind trick kicks in.
18. Carrie Fisher’s daughter - Carrie Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd is one of the Resistance members who are hanging around in the control room. Also there, but much more obvious, Nien Nunb and Admiral Ackbar, still alive after all these years.
19. Switching jackets - When Finn arrives on Starkiller Base, he’s wearing Poe’s leather jacket. Later, when he and Rey run to open the doors for Han and Chewie, Rey is wearing it. A few scenes later, watching the Han and Kylo showdown happen, Finn puts the jacket back on.
20. X-Wing cameos - The X-Wing fighter who points out there’s a new hole is played by trailer editor Stefan Grube, who cut all of the trailers for The Force Awakens.
21. A very special droid - A pink astromech droid called R2-KT, a fan creation with a great story, can be spotted in the background on the Resistance base.
22. Is this the place? - When Rey arrives on Luke’s planet, she has a very interesting, pensive, discussion-worthy look on her face. It is just pure amazement, or is that amazement beacuse she’s finally arrived at the place from her dreams (as described by Kylo Ren).
23. Luke’s environment - As Rey goes up the stairs towards Luke, we see what appears to be pieces of dinnerware on the steps and, maybe but probably not, a gravestone next to him.
Thanks to @cthulhia for the idea.
H/T /Film
Contact the author at germain@io9.com.