Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 8 Major Revelations From The Filmmakers

7. Why Maz Kanata Disappeared From The Resistance's Base

There were a surprising number of scenes in the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens which didn't make it into the final cut, though the one which has had everyone talking this week is the absence of the moment when Maz Kanata hands General Leia Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber. Its removal from the film appears to indicate that the character originally had a much larger role, and it turns out she did! Confirming that Maz was originally supposed to return to the Resistance's base with Han, Chewie, and Finn, Abrams has revealed that "we realized that she really had nothing to do there of value, except to have her sitting around" and confirmed that, "Lupita did film scenes on set for that sequence, but it felt like going right just to go left, and it was unnecessary. So we ended up leaving those things out." You just know those scenes are going to end up on a special edition Blu-ray somewhere down the line, along with another notable omission Abrams confirmed was cut fairly late in the game, Constable Zuvio. That character (from Jakku) was officially revealed just a few weeks ago and even has his own action figure, so there was clearly a fair bit left on Star Wars: The Force Awakens' cutting room floor by the filmmaker...