10 Things About Star Wars You Should Know Before Seeing the New Movie

Of all the terms and theories you should be familiar with when it comes to Star Wars, the Force is perhaps most important. This spiritual power is used by an elite few, both good and evil, who are more in tune with it than others, and is the driving force behind the films. It can be inherited to some extent, but to be fully realized (i.e. heightened senses, moving objects with your mind, and general badassery), the person must seriously train.

The Jedi Order is the light side of the Force, or the good guys, and they dedicate their lives to the attainment of peace while rocking robes in calming desert tones. The Sith Order is the dark side of the Force (the bad guys), and they choose to use their powers for evil, personal use, since they believe the dark side is much stronger and usually dress like futuristic Dementors. As the Jedi strive for calm tranquility to maintain inner and societal peace, the Sith power comes from a self-destructive passion, which leads to very different goals than what the Jedi Order would find acceptable. This is why Yoda famously warns, "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

There are also two warring factions: the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. The Empire is the evil government whose leaders favor the dark side, and the Rebels are an uprising dedicated to getting rid of the Empire so the democratic Galactic Republic can be reinstated. In episodes four, five, and six, Luke is the only Jedi fighting with the Rebels since Darth Vader exterminated the rest of them (except for Obi-Wan Kenobi) way back in episode three.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill): A farm boy from the planet Tatooine who eventually becomes one of the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever seen.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor): The Jedi master who teaches Luke Skywalker everything he knows. Obi-Wan is also BFFs with Luke's dad, Anakin, in episodes one through three, but when he turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader, Obi-Wan chops off his legs. NBD.

Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher): One of the Rebel Alliance's greatest leaders, Han Solo's bae, a pioneer in the field of side buns, and Luke's twin sister/Darth Vader's daughter.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford): The smuggler and cocky Millennium Falcon pilot helps Luke and Princess Leia save the galaxy.

Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew): Affectionately known as Chewie, he's Han's giant, hairy, loud copilot.

Yoda (Frank Oz): The tiny, green, wise, and extremely powerful Jedi master who can easily kick your ass back and forth across the galaxy. Highly resembles a cross between a lizard and a Gremlin.

C-3PO (Anthony Daniels): A tall, golden robot who whines more than a 5-year-old on a 12-hour road trip.

R2-D2 (Kenny Baker): An adorable little blue and white beeping droid.

Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker (James Earl Jones/Hayden Christensen): The saga's big bad starts off as a brave Jedi Knight before Darth Sidious seduces him to the dark side of the Force. He then becomes a Sith Lord and gruesomely helps the Empire destroy the Jedi Order. Father to Luke and Leia.

The Emperor/Darth Sidious/Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid): This guy is the absolute worst. He leads a double life as a Naboo Senator in the Galactic Republic and also as a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. He restores the Sith, turns Anakin to the dark side, eradicates the Jedi Order from within, and overthrows the Republic so he can lead as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Rude. As. Hell.

Jabba the Hut: A truly disgusting, slimy, oversize worm and big-time gangster in the criminal underworld.

This much-feared, deadly bounty hunter appears in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and is one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe. He works with Jabba the Hut and Darth Vader to capture Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon in an effort to lure Luke Skywalker into a trap, and their plot is a success. Boba captures Han, freezes him in carbonite, and brings him to Luke's home planet of Tatooine to collect the bounty Jabba has on him. Shortly afterward, the Rebel Alliance arrives to save the day and rescue Han, and a battle breaks out over a giant pit housing a nasty creature called a Sarlacc, which slowly digests you over 1,000 years (*screams internally*). In the midst of the fighting, Han inadvertently knocks Boba into the pit, where the infamous character meets a grisly demise.

Knowing which ships are which definitely isn't überimportant when it comes to seeing the next movie (from X-wing fighters to 74-Z Speed Bikes, there are a lot), but the most iconic of the bunch is the Millennium Falcon. Piloted by Han Solo, the tattered and battered starship might not look like much upon first glance, but it plays a huge part in Rebel Alliance battles against the Empire.

The Rebel Alliance wins a major victory thanks to Luke, Leia, Han, and *wait for it* Darth Vader. In an epic final battle, Palpatine shoots deadly thunderbolts of lighting out of his hands at Luke (as one does), causing Vader to jump in front of him and protect his son. Then, Vader casually tosses Palpatine's body into a pit located conveniently in the same room, getting rid of the Emperor once and for all. Vader quickly succumbs to his wounds, and while the Empire is splintered following his and Palpatine's death, it's still very present in the story and will most likely be continued in episode seven with the introduction of villain Kylo-Ren.

(Side note: the main characters celebrate the big W by partying it up in the woods afterwards with a bunch of small, living teddy bears called Ewoks. So, there's that.)

The lid has been sealed tightly shut when it comes to any details about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the most basic things you should know are as follows. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia will be back in some capacity, but the movie will mostly be focused on newcomers Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) approximately 30 years after episode six. It will be a continuation of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, and there will be a bangin' lightsaber duel between Rey and Kylo Ren. Check out posters of the fresh cast!

If you decide you want to go all in and watch each movie before the new one hits theaters, there are a few things you should know. The proper order to watch the Star Wars saga is a heavily debated topic among fans, since the movies were released out of chronological order. The films in original trilogy, which came to theaters between 1977 and 1983, are referred to as episodes four (Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope), five (Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back), and six (Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi). Between 1999 and 2005, three prequels were made, known as episodes one (Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace), two (Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones), and three (Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith). The new movie is episode seven, picking up three decades after the end of episode six. When it comes to watching them, there are few options you can choose:

1. Chronological order (episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) — As far as the timeline of the overarching story is concerned, this makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, the prequels are boring and terribly made — like, really boring, and really terribly made — and a lot of people suggest not watching them at all, so going this route might end up being a tremendous waste of your time.

2. The order the films were first released (episode 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3) — The original trilogy is the best by far, so by starting out with all of the action and characters from those films, first-time viewers won't necessarily be turned off right away by the prequels (again: hot, flaming, boring garbage).

3) Machete Order (episode 4, 5, 2, 3, and 6) — This alternative, the brain child of computer software blogger Rod Hilton in 2011, eliminates the need to watch globally hated episode one (*insert praise hands emoji here*), and after Darth Vader's big reveal in episode 5 ("Luke, I am your father"), flashbacks to the prequels to show how he became one of the biggest villains in cinematic history. As Hilton puts it, the Machete Order "gets to start with the film that does the best job of establishing the Star Wars universe, Episode IV, and it ends with the most satisfying ending, Episode VI."