Now that Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in cinemas across the world (and inevitably breaking box office record after box office record), the focus has turned from avoiding spoilers to analysing and dissecting the film to figure out all its hidden secrets and the ways it sets up the future of the rejuvenated franchise. There's obviously a lot of fun in that, but who could have ever guessed that this would be a movie so full of surprise cameos that it demands multiple viewings to spot them all? That's something Disney are probably pretty happy about right now, and the list of shocking, unexpected, and easy to miss appearances from names famous enough to be headlining a Star Wars movie of their own or those only the really hardcore fans will recognise is as fascinating in many ways as the movie itself.
7. Michael Giacchino
When it was revealed that J.J. Abrams had been hired to take the helm of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many fans quickly jumped to the conclusion that he would be bringing regular collaborator Michael Giacchino with him and that John Williams likely wouldn't be asked back. Well, the composer (who has worked with the filmmaker on everything from Super 8 to Star Trek) did indeed team up with Abrams again, but not in the way you might think. He plays a Stormtrooper in the movie and is credited as FN-3181. There are those who believe that the number is a reference to George Lucas' pre-Star Wars science fiction movie THX1138, and while that's possible, it feels like something of a stretch. Regardless of where the name came from, Giacchino was apparently the Stormtrooper who delivered Poe Dameron to Kylo Ren on Jakku. This isn't the composer's first cameo though. He showed up in Super 8 and has made a couple of appearances in some of Brad Bird's movies too.