OK, well cameos might be a strong word, but you can hear their voices during one crucial scene. Judging by the early box-office returns, this doesn’t apply to many of you, but for those who’ve yet to see the film, beware — there are some mild spoilers ahead.
If you’re still with us, the scene in question comes when Han, Finn, and Rey visit Maz Kanata’s bar. When Rey wanders downstairs and finds Luke’s light saber stashed in a chest, she begins to hallucinate and hears from some old Star Wars favorites, albeit very briefly.
According to Entertainment Weekly, she is visited by young Obi-Wan, old Obi-Wan, and even Yoda. Listen closely and you’ll hear Ewan McGregor say the newly-recorded line “Rey, these are your first steps,” while Alec Guinness — who passed away in 2000 — can be heard saying “Rey,” which Abrams isolated from a recording of the actor saying “afraid” in Star Wars: A New Hope.
Though Frank Oz (the voice of Yoda) recorded some new dialogue for the scene, it didn’t make it into the film, and sound bites from the original trilogy were used instead.
In speaking to EW about the scene, Abrams said “The idea of the voices was, we wanted the audience to feel — but not necessarily be presented right in your face — this idea that familiar, Force-strong voices were connecting with her. At least as well as they could.”
This, of course, makes perfect sense in the Star Wars universe, as Obi-Wan and Yoda come back to visit Luke from the great beyond on more than one occasion.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is currently in theaters, while Rogue One — the next story set in George Lucas’ fictional universe — will make its way to big screens December 16, 2016.
