Star Wars - The Force Awakens: 10 Things To Look For That Happen In Every Star Wars Movie

"There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?"

Those were the words spoken at the beginning of the first Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer released a year ago, and they apply to what's currently going on in the world of Star Wars fandom at large.

Because, unless you've been living in another galaxy, you know that in only 16 DAYS, we'll finally get to see the first new Star Wars movie in 10 years -- and the first new Star Wars sequel, following the original adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo, since 1983's Return of the Jedi -- when it's released on Friday, December 18th.

And ever since the release of the third and final trailer for The Force Awakens on October 19th, excitement for the new film has reached a fever pitch. In case you haven't seen the trailer, go ahead and check it out below. We'll wait.

The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Final Trailer

Speculation runs high on the interwebs as to what this new film will be about:

• What have Han, Princess Leia and the others been up to for the last 30 years?
• Who are the new characters we've seen in the trailers, and are any of them related to the heroes we've come to know and love?
• What's the deal with the guy with the cool red lightsaber with the cross guards?
• Why is there still an Empire?
• Where the heck is Luke Skywalker?

While there are plenty of theories out there, there's no way to know anything for sure until the movie opens.

However, there ARE some things we can know ahead of time. Why do I say that? Well, because it's a Star Wars movie, and believe it or not, there are some things that always happen in Star Wars movies.

Not convinced? Well, here's an easy one: If I were to ask you to quote a line from a Star Wars movie, which one immediately comes to mind? Besides "Luke, I'm your father." (which actually isn't even the line from the movie, but that's another story).

Anyway, I bet you thought of "May the Force be with you," and that line is spoken in each and every Star Wars movie. With that kind of precedent, it stands to reason that it'll happen in this movie, too.

And if it's true for a line of dialogue, surely there are other things about these movies that we can expect to see in The Force Awakens. Well, there are, and I'd like to share a few that I've found. Keep track so we can see how many we get right:

10 Things That Happen in Every Star Wars Movie

1. After the opening crawl at the beginning of each film, the first thing we see is a large spaceship. Whether it be a Republic cruiser or an Imperial star destroyer, these movies always open big... with giant spaceships to get us into the action. Who can forget this opening shot from the original Star Wars?

The opening shot of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

2. Someone always says: "I have a bad feeling about this." Aside from the line of dialogue discussed earlier, this is the only other one spoken by a character in every movie.

3. The heroes encounter fantastic creatures and aliens. Whether it's the Rancor that threatens Luke Skywalker in a cave beneath Jabba's palace, or a wise green Jedi master named Yoda on a bog planet, Star Wars movies delight us with aliens and monsters that are always spectacular and unlike anything we've seen before. You can be sure that The Force Awakens will introduce us to a new set of both to amaze us.

The Reek, a creature from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

4. There will be a huge battle in space or on a planet (or both). Whether it's aerial dog fights over a Death Star, a battle in the snow with Imperial walkers, an attack of the clones against droid armies, or space cruisers duking it out over an exotic planet, these movies always feature eye-popping battles of literally galactic proportions. 

It's called Star Wars for a reason.

The Battle of Coruscant from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

5. R2-D2 proves that he's a hero. Whether it's repairing hyperdrives in the nick of time, or rescuing one of our heroes, everybody's favorite droid always finds a way to save the day.

R2-D2 rockets to the rescue in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

6. Lightsaber duels. At its heart, Star Wars is about the ancient war between the adherents to the light side of the Force (the Jedi) and the students of the Dark Side (usually the Sith). Basically, it comes down to somebody with a green or blue (and in one case, purple) lightsaber versus somebody with a red one. And one of them will lose an appendage or be cut in half. Ouch!

Luke Skywalker faces Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

7. A chase or race action sequence. The pod race in The Phantom Menace. The Death Star attack in A New Hope. The speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi. Star Wars is known for thrilling high-speed scenes that get the blood racing. You can bet there will be a scene like this in The Force Awakens.

The podrace from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

8. Something bad will happen to C-3PO. Usually, everyone's favorite fussy protocol droid is the butt of a joke, or he suffers some kind of physical damage.

C-3PO gets attacked in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

9. Holograms. After an amazing set up in its first 30 minutes, the story of the original Star Wars movie took off in earnest with just eight simple words: "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope." Since that time, every movie has featured holographic messages as the standard way that people communicate in that galaxy far, far away. Count on that tradition to continue.

Princess Leia's holographic message in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

10. Each film features a standout secondary villain.  Grand Moff Tarkin. Boba Fett, Jabba the Hutt. Darth Maul. Count Dooku. General Grievous. While Darth Vader and the Emperor were the big bads throughout the Star Wars saga, there was always a second string of villains that captured the imagination -- and devotion -- of Star Wars fans everywhere. And, if the trailers for The Force Awakens are any indication, the Captain Phasma character is tailor-made to fill this role.

Captain Phasma in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

And here's a bonus item:

11. A victory celebration at the end of the film. Now, this one doesn't happen in every episode, but it always does in the first movie of a Star Wars trilogy. 

And I guarantee you that the last shot of the movie will look something like this:

The closing shot of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

And like this:

The closing shot of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

And since the release of The Force Awakens will kick off a brand new trio of Star Wars films, in my next post, I'll share my list of Things That Happen in Each Star Wars Trilogy.

So, that's my list. What do you think? Is there anything I missed that you think should be on the list? If so, be sure to let me know in the comments below.

Whether or not any of these things happen in The Force Awakens, one thing is for sure. This movie will be BIG.

It'll be filled with amazing characters that we'll love and love to hate, heart-pulsing action scenes that will keep us on the edge of our seats, and eye-popping visual effects unlike anything we've ever seen before. 

Just like every Star Wars movie before it. Bonus points to director J.J. Abrams and company if it's as good a movie as we all hope it is.

Either way, I'm looking forward to sitting in my favorite local theater, waiting for the lights to go down and for that familiar title card to come up that reads:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

And with the first notes of John Williams music, I'm hopeful that the magic of Star Wars will have returned, awakening in the hearts and minds of moviegoers everywhere...

...Proving once again that the Force is still will us.