Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 10 Ways It's A Remake Of A New Hope

10. The R2-D2/BB-8 "Information In The Droid" Parallel

The Force Awakens begins with a scene that sees hotshot pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) consulting with a Wise Old Man (Max Von Sydow) on the desert planet of Jakku, having been sent on a dangerous mission by Princess (sorry, "General") Leia. After being gifted with a map - which is later revealed to provide the location of the missing Luke Skywalker - the First Order (the new name for the Empire) arrives, kills the Wise Old Man, and captures Poe, who places the map inside his loveable droid, BB-8. Poe is taken away by Kylo Ren, and BB-8 escapes into the desert with the map stored inside him. Does that sound anything like the opening scene in A New Hope? Why, of course it does, because it's pretty much exactly the same. In A New Hope, Princess Leia stows the Death Star plans inside R2-D2 moments before being captured by Darth Vader. R2-D2 escapes in a pod and crash lands on Tatooine, a desert planet. Essentially, it's the same idea.
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Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.