Outside the TCL Chinese Theater on Tuesday afternoon, Thor was talking to a stormtrooper, a Rebel fighter pilot took a picture with Spider-Man and people were already camping out for a Dec. 17 showing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

The organization Liningup.net will post-up outside the theater for 12 days (they started on Dec. 5) until the opening night 7p.m. screening. All the waiting isn't just for getting the first peek at the biggest cinematic event of the year; the organization has partnered with the Starlight Children's Foundation, garnering donations through its website and a text message campaign during campers' tenure in front of the Chinese. It's the only theater where the group is amassing.

"This year, they encouraged us to come inside, so to say," explained Emily Christensen to THR on Tuesday afternoon. By 'inside' she means into the theater courtyard, where the "Star Wars" fans can sleep on top of the hand and foot imprints of many bygone A-listers.

Liningup.net first organized an early line for "Star Wars: Episode 1" in 1999, and in '03 and '05 it organized similar gatherings for "Episode 2" and "3." At that point, organizers were standing on the sidewalk that ran along Hollywood Blvd.

"Every night at midnight [the police] put up barricades and they take them down at 6 a.m, so we can set up our tents here." Christensen continued: "As a matter of fact, the El Capitan wanted us to line up in front of them too. We chose this one, of course, for the history." (The original "Star Wars" debuted at the Chinese Theater in 1977.)

Liningup.net reserved 576 tickets for the early screening when they went on sale back in October. In order to get one these coveted tickets, fans must register with Liningup.net and accumulate 24 hours of "standing in line" time outside the Chinese, at which point a person is eligible to buy one of the reserved tickets directly from the organization.

Those who want the best seats available to watch J.J. Abrams' take on the iconic franchise must devote more time. "The longer you spend in line, the better privilege you have of picking out what seats you want. That is how we encourage people to stay out here," explained Christensen.

Someone who will get a primo spot at the Dec. 17 screening is Caroline Ritter, a woman who flew to Los Angeles from Australia to wait in line and has already logged 70 hours.

"I am a hiker, so I had all of the gear, but the chance to sleep out on the ground in front of the TCL theater, you do not get that very often," she said, while donning a khaki-colored bucket hat with a Darth Vader patch sewed onto it.

Those waiting in line for full days at a time will get the opportunity to shower at the H&H Hostel down the street. In addition, the Chinese lets participants use the theater restrooms.

When asked what part of the movie she is most excited to see, Ritter said: "Han Solo. That moment in the first trailer when he says 'Chewie, we're home.' I don't know how anyone kept a dry eye. I was like, oh my god this is going to be something special."

Ritter, who first joined the organization in 2002 for a screening of "Episode 2" at the Egyptian Theater just east of the Chinese on Hollywood Boulevard, continued: "I don't think I have ever met a bad Star Wars fan. Everyone wants to help, everyone wants to give back, everyone is accepting."

The line has brought people together in more ways than one, Christensen talked about a couple who met while waiting in line for the 2005 Star Wars release and later got married.

"Saturday when we started the line-up they came by and brought their kids," said Christensen. "They had a little five year old girl, who came dressed up in a Captain Phasma outfit."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hits theaters nationwide Dec. 18.

SEE ALSO: How this 23-year-old went from British theater actor to starring in the next "Star Wars"

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NOW WATCH: Here are the 10 best places to work in 2016

When "Star Wars" first premiered in theaters over thirty years ago, moviegoers everywhere were instantly captivated by the opening crawl inviting fans to travel to a galaxy far, far away.

With the release of "The Force Awakens" December 18, Tech Insider sought out fans across the globe who don't just love "Star Wars," they live for it. From collectors and artists, trivia buffs to fan-community leaders, these are some of the greatest lovers of "Star Wars" in the world.

Omar Al-Bahiti has the largest "Star Wars" collection outside of the Europe and the US.

Living in Dubai, Omar Al-Bahiti reigns as one of the most well-known "Star Wars" fans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the popularity of his extensive collection. Professionally, Al-Bahiti is a 44-year-old marketing consultant, but he's been collecting "Star Wars" merchandise since he was a kid. He was about 6 when "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" premiered. Since there weren't as many movie theaters nearby, he waited until a a bootleg VHS copy came his way and was instantly hooked.

The number of items Al-Bahiti acquired reaches well into the hundreds, with rooms in his house filled with books, action figures, vehicles, games, artwork, lightsabers, props, costumes, and more. "I also have more stuff in my climate-controlled warehouse," Al-Bahiti told Tech Insider. "[That's] where I keep all the toys from the '80s, and there are some items in my parents' house in Turkey."

Al-Bahiti hasn't formally cataloged each item so there's no official confirmation he has the largest outside of Europe and the US — but from the looks of it, he smokes the competition. "There are some collectors [in the Middle East] who do collect 'Star Wars'" but none that I know of that are as big," he said.

Today, Al-Bahiti is the commanding officer of the UAE's 501^st Legion Outpost — a "Star Wars" fan group known for professional costuming and community outreach. Their group is small right now with six members, but they work to raise donations and awareness for various charities whenever possible. "With the premier of 'The Force Awakens' and more films on the way, I’m hopeful our small team here grows and makes a big impact on the fan base in the region," Al-Bahiti said.

Bill McBride is the largest collector of Darth Vader memorabilia.

McBride was 6 when he saw "A New Hope" in theaters, and he was immediately drawn to Vader. At the time, he had already begun collecting items like baseball cards, so it was a natural segue into keeping toys and other merchandise. His admiration for the character has led to owning the largest collection of Darth Vader and Sith-related merchandise and artwork, according to the World Record Academy. 

"For all the six movies we’ve seen combined, [the saga] is basically the story of the rise and fall of Darth Vader," Bill McBride told TI. 

At 44, McBride has been formally collecting for the last 25 years. The items range from Campbell's soup cans to original visual storyboards used in production for "Empire Strikes Back." 

But McBride doesn't go for literally everything available — there's a qualitative aspect to his collection. "I tend to bond with the most historically significant pieces," he said. A particular standout item took nearly 17 years to acquire. "One of the original prototype Darth Vaders," he said. "[It's] a pre-production piece that ended up being used in almost all of the early original catalog photography."

When he's not adding to his collection, McBride spends his time writing and volunteering for German Shepherd breed rescues in the Washington, D.C. area. He's currently working on a coffee-table book based around photos of items in his collection.  

Ian Martin creates intricate "Star Wars" replicas like a working Holochess table.

Being a self-employed web application developer and a "Star Wars" fan can have its perks. For 28-year-old Ian Martin, it means hours spent in his garage building replica costumes and props from scratch.

In 2010, Martin was one of the few known fans with a functional C-3PO suit. It earned him an invitation to stand onstage in costume with Mark Hamill as the actor accepted the Jules Verne 'Legendaire' Award, celebrating movie stars who encourage the spirit of adventure. Martin also met George Lucas himself a few months later. "Needless to say, it was a very awesome reward for all the work I had put into the suit," Martin told TI. The C-3PO suit took just over a year to complete.

His latest creation is a full-sized Dejarik (or "Holochess") table. Fans will recognize the game from 1977's "A New Hope," when Chewbacca and R2-D2 memorably go head-t0-head in the holographic game. Martin programmed a life-size table to play the game with built-in LED screens and sound effects. The table includes handmade statues of all the creature playing pieces, but Martin is also developing an augmented reality program along with another developer.

The game will have small disks representing each monster, and with the help of either a phone app or a virtual reality headset, players will be able to watch animated 3D images of the creatures come to life as they battle. He hopes to have the application completed by April 2016. You can follow his YouTube channel for video updates.

"Star Wars" fans may not be able to go to a galaxy far, far away, but before the release of "The Force Awakens" fans in Chicago can head to the Mos Eisley Cantina bar featured in "A New Hope."

Chicago's cocktail bar The Whistler is transforming itself into Tatooine's famous Cantina bar for one night on Wednesday, December 16, complete with decorations, themed drinks, and a live jazz band to celebrate the film's arrival.

The bar has been named one of the best cocktail bars in the country.

Speaking with Tech Insider, co-owner Robert Brenner says The Whistler is known for its theme nights with cover band Silent Reading, who will perform as the Mos Eisley Cantina band. Previously, the pro jazz musicians have done a Meatloaf night and Christmas in July. 

Brenner says they have them back every few months.

"We're always looking for new stuff to do that's fun," Brenner tells Tech Insider. "This past Halloween we did one where they played all the John Carpenter horror music. They're always looking for interesting, fun musical projects."

When the band leader knew "The Force Awakens" was coming out in December, Brenner says he approached co-owner Billy Helmkamp to say they'd love to be the band from the Mos Eisley Cantina. 

"From there, it was a no brainer to go full-on with it and do a special menu and decorate the place as the Cantina," says Brenner. 

Silent Reading will perform as Cantina band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. In addition to the Cantina song they'll play other "Star Wars"-themed music.

"Our place is really small and intimate so once you have a band going and a special drink program everything else falls right in line."

While Brenner won't reveal the full drink menu, he did confirm at least one iconic drink will make the list.

"I think we can be sure there will be a blue milk on the menu," says Brenner. "That will definitely be on the menu." 

"This stuff's more fun when there's some mystery to it," he added. "But there's going to be bright colors, we're definitely going to break out the dry ice."

The blue milk drink is probably one of the most-recognized drinks from the original trilogy, having gained fame from its inclusion in the Lars' home.

Anyone in the Chicago area can stop by the bar on the 16th starting at 6 p.m. It's not a ticketed event. 

"First come, first serve." says Brenner. "That will also be true to the Mos Eisley Cantina. I don't see an establishment like that having any kind of ticketing system. Bring your phaser and behave."

The co-owner says they're expecting quite the turn out. While driving in Wisconsin he even heard an advertisement on the radio claiming they were transforming the bar for the entire month of December. That was when he realized this could have the potential to get out of control.

The bar has a capacity of 74 people. 

"We have a running bet at work of how many inquiries we'll get about 'Star Wars' every night," says Brenner. "We're expecting way more people to show up then can get in which is kind of a bummer, but what can we do?"

They can probably keep the theme going a few nights more, something Brenner says isn't completely out of the question. 

"We'll see what we're going to do," Brenner laughed.

"Like we've done with other things, if it's a success, well then we've got the stuff. We have at least two more opportunities when the other movies come out," he says referring to the upcoming "Episode VIII" and "Episode IX."

Since it's been reported they're hosting the event for the entire month, they've planned ahead just in case they get some fans rolling into the bar.

"We're expecting to see some random folks every night in full costume," says Brenner. "We're going to run at least one drink the — probably the blue milk — the entire month so we can offer something to people who have somehow gotten the wrong information."

You can check out more info on The Whistler here.  

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NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the problem with the Death Star

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" comes out in a week, but if the anticipation is too much, a new international trailer with lots of new scenes and dialogue might satiate you.

But beware of some spoilers below.

The trailer, featuring an introduction from Chinese singer Lu Han, focuses on Kylo Ren's (Adam Driver) drive to finish what Darth Vadar began and features new Stormtrooper scenes.

"We will crush the Resistence, once and for all," Kylo Ren says over footage of new battles. 

An extended scene of Finn (John Boyega), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and BB-8 running through Jakku features new dialogue and BB-8 also plays a major role in the trailer, popping up in a number scenes. These moments echo how the first "Star Wars" film "A New Hope" began.

A new Millennium Falcon sequence shows Han Solo (Harrison Ford) pleading with the spaceship, "Come on, baby. Don't let me down." And Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) roars faithfully beside him.

Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) appears in more scenes, including one in which he is a prisoner being led by a Stormtrooper, presumably to be tortured by Kylo Ren, as other trailers have shown. 

Watch the trailer below: 

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With the upcoming release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Tech Insider rounded up a list of the world’s biggest “Star Wars” fans. The resident tattoo artist featured: Josh Bodwell.

Bodwell has been tattooing professionally for 13 years with a focus on realism and portraiture for the last 8 years. His artistic inclinations paired with an obsessive love for "Star Wars" has made Bodwell a household name when it comes to tattooing images from the saga. 

His work has been featured in book and magazines, and he even participated in A&E’s tattooing reality show “Epic Ink.” One of Bodwell's pieces was even briefly mentioned in "Good Morning America" during a "Star Wars" actor interview. 

Scroll down to learn more about Bodwell’s love for all things “Star Wars” and character portraits.

Bodwell (right) is 35, and based out of Pennsylvania at Funhouse Tattoo.

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He specializes in realism and portraiture. Bodwell estimates he's done more than 200 "Star Wars" tattoos to date.

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“I love the unique challenge of recreating the likeness of my favorite 'Star Wars' and other pop culture characters on clients' skin,” he told Tech Insider.

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Director J.J. Abrams is weighing in on which female director he thinks should direct a "Star Wars" film.

It's no secret that the "Star Wars" franchise could have its first female director soon. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said earlier this year that there was "nothing we'd like more than to find a female director for 'Star Wars,'" and WME agent Adriana Alberghetti recently told the Los Angeles Times that she set up meetings with four female directors and three female writers for future "Star Wars" films.

Abrams, who directed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," believes Ava DuVernay would be perfect for the job.

In an interview with Nerdist, Abrams said, "She is as much a fan of genre movies, and hearing her talk not just 'Star Wars,' but hearing her talk about those kinds of films is evidence that she would just kill it."

He cited her work as director of "Selma" as an example of her strengths.

"When you look at her work in 'Selma,' which was as well-told and as sophisticated and humane a film as I think has come out in the last decade, if she can do that story that well, there's no question she would kill this movie."

DuVernay received a Golden Globe nomination for directing "Selma," which was based on the 1965 voting-rights marches in Alabama from Selma to Montgomery.

She is also well known for her indie film "Middle of Nowhere," for which she became the first black woman to be named best director at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The film stars David Oyelowo, who also portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma."

She is now working on a TV series called "Queen Sugar" for OWN that will star Oprah Winfrey.

DuVernay tweeted "The force is strong with this one" in response to Abrams' comments.

The force is strong with this one. xo https://t.co/FivfnY3Mud

— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) December 9, 2015

SEE ALSO: It looks like 'Star Wars' might get its first female director

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In case you've been craving even more "Star Wars" footage before December 18, a new Chinese international trailer has hit the web.

Chinese idol Lu Han gives a short intro to the trailer which features a few new shots and some new dialogue from the movie.

At this point, we don't need any more footage from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." But with the cast and crew currently on an international tour — and the film not out in China until January 29, 2016 — it's little surprise we're seeing some more new footage before the film's release.

Some are saying the trailer may be a little too spoiler-y, so if you're trying to go in somewhat fresh, you may not want to tune in below.

Otherwise, check it out.

If you've been watching all of the teasers and trailers released so far and keeping up with rumors about the film, it's easy to see how there could be some spoilers in the trailer. 

When we're introduced to Rey with BB-8 she asks the droid where it comes from. BB-8's response is "classified" and Rey says, "Really? Me too."

Before you start to overanalyze what that means, it seems like that's some careful cutting and editing of the lines. 

The trailer also makes it seem as if Rey knows who Han Solo is before she and Finn make it aboard the Millennium Falcon. Finn tells Rey they need a pilot. After she says they have one we see an immediate cut to the Falcon. Of course, this can be another careful edit. She may be referring to herself and her speeder.

We also see some new footage of Poe Dameron, the resistance pilot, along with his droid BB-8.

But the best bit of new footage comes near the end when we see an unmasked Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) starting to square off against Finn in a lightsaber duel. Don't worry, we don't see his face — just the back of his head.

SEE ALSO: How this 23-year-old went from British theater actor to starring in the next 'Star Wars'

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NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the problem with the Death Star

Getting cast in a "Star Wars" movie will change your life.

While it might not pay a lot, it will bring you international fame. There will also likely be an action figure made out of you.

Earlier this year, Disney announced that it's planning a prequel focused on Han Solo. It will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ("The Lego Movie") and open in theaters in 2018.

As soon as it was announced, people speculated who, if anybody, could possibly replace Harrison Ford, who played Han Solo in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, around 2,500 actors auditioned to play young Solo. While that complete list has not been released, some of the names have been discovered. They include actors who are on their way to major stardom. This franchise made stars out of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, and will likely do the same for John Boyega and Daisy Ridley in the upcoming "The Force Awakens." 

Here are 11 actors who auditioned to play the young Han Solo — and what you need to know about them:

Rami Malek, 34, is one of the many vying to be the next young Han Solo on film.

Malek had a breakout year in 2015. He earned rave reviews as eccentric hacker Elliot in the USA drama "Mr. Robot."

Dave Franco is the younger brother of actor James Franco.

Three years ago, footage for a new "Star Wars" game was unveiled that looked incredible. It was called "Star Wars 1313," and it was a dark twist on the usual tales of heroism defeating evil that the "Star Wars" universe is known for.

This is "Star Wars 1313":

There's only so much known about "Star Wars 1313," but what was shown was gorgeous and intriguing. It didn't even have a game console to debut on (this was before the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were announced, and it looked far too pretty for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).

In the wake of the recently-released, lackluster, "Star Wars Battlefront," we're revisiting the sadly canceled "Star Wars 1313."

SEE ALSO: The best video games you should be playing this holiday season

"Star Wars 1313" was set below the surface of Coruscant, the richest planet and the literal center of the "Star Wars" universe:

The game was supposed to star a young Boba Fett, the bounty hunter from the original "Star Wars" films:

This is Boba Fett from the films:

If you want to build the massive Death Star seen in the movie "Star Wars," you may want to talk to Brian Muirhead, the chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"If one wanted to build a death star, you didn't build it by launching a bunch of stuff off a planet," Muirhead says, in a new video from Wired.

Instead of the Empire's way of putting together a massive planet-killing space station through slave labor and materials brought in from throughout the galaxy, Muirhead thinks there's a much more natural way to get the job done: Use an asteroid.

"It could provide the metals, the organic compounds, you have water," he says. "All the building blocks you would need."

Muirhead has more than just a passing interest in asteroids.

He's working on NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission, an initiative to land a robot on an asteroid near Earth, use it to remove a boulder from the asteroid's surface, and then position it in a stable orbit around the moon so we can study and mine it. 

Though it's important to note that NASA isn't looking to use asteroids to destroy planets, but rather, to "protect Earth if needed in the future" by showing they can visit, land on, and potentially deflect an asteroid if it was heading on a path to Earth. 

NASA would send astronauts to land on and explore the asteroid while it's in orbit around the moon — sometime after 2020 — and they'd ultimately bring back samples to study. 

In order to navigate an asteroid field, the spacecraft that would deliver the boulder-grabbing machine needs the ability to sense something ahead and react quickly — a capability that the Millennium Falcon of "Star Wars" seems to have nailed down.

NASA's not quite that advanced. "That's a hard problem," Muirhead says.

They're working on it, though. The Dawn spacecraft is out in space studying objects around the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but since it's flying pretty slow (relatively speaking) and there's plenty of space between those gigantic rocks, it can make it through just fine without a scratch.

But to have the ability to maneuver as well as the Falcon, Muirhead explains, you need to perfect the ion propulsion engines it uses, which NASA has been working on since the 1950s. 

Dawn, which is currently in space, uses three ion propulsion engines, though they have far less thrust than what you've seen in "Star Wars."

SEE ALSO: The 'Star Wars' game that looked AMAZING and got canceled

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NOW WATCH: Here's why 2,500 actors are desperate to play Han Solo

One of the most impressive sights from the original "Star Wars" trilogy is the Death Star, the symbol of the Dark Side's incredible power suspended in space.

But could you create anything like that using real science?

It turns out you could, sort of, according to NASA engineer Brian Muirhead — and he and his team are doing something a bit like it.

To build the Death Star, Darth Vader and company couldn't have sent materials into space. Instead, "You went and got yourself an asteroid, and built it from that," Muirhead explains in a new video for Wired.

An asteroid contains everything you need for a theoretical Death Star: organic compounds, water, and metal.

Muirhead works on NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission, the first-ever mission to "visit a large near-Earth asteroid, collect a multi-ton boulder from its surface, and redirect it into a stable orbit around the moon." The mission then plans to study pieces of the boulder.

Not quite a Death Star, but cool.

He also explains that we're currently capable of flying through an asteroid field, though perhaps not as quickly as Han Solo.

Watch the whole video here:

SEE ALSO: These 11 rising stars are auditioning to be the next Han Solo — what you need to know about them

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Disney is aggressively trying to scrub photos of a "Star Wars" action figure from the internet after it accidentally went on sale early.

As also reported by Ars Technica, people who share photos of an action figure of the character "Rey" are being hit with Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices — a kind of legal threat that demands the offending media be removed.

Disney did not immediately respond when contacted by Business Insider for comment. We will update this story when we hear back.

It began when a Star Wars collector named Justin Kozisek found the action figure for sale in Walmart, before its intended release date. He bought it, and shared a photo of it to Star Wars Action News— a Facebook page dedicated to Star Wars news and merchandise.  

But Facebook subsequently took the image down after Lucasfilm — the studio behind Star Wars now owned by Disney — sent a DMCA notice to the social network alleging copyright infringement.

Business Insider is republishing the photo with permission from Marjorie Carvalho, one of the owners of Star Wars Action News. Scroll down for the full image. Carvalho told Business Insider:

When we received the notice from Facebook, we emailed the Disney email that was included. We received zero response from Disney however sometime overnight the picture was restored to our page. We received an email from Facebook that "The reporting party, The Walt Disney Company, has retracted their report." 

Jeremy Conrad, another Star Wars enthusiast, shared the same image. He wrote on the blog Star Wars Unity that he subsequently"woke up to numerous DMCA takedown notices on the @starwarsunity Twitter account, the Facebook account, the Google+ Page, and my personal Twitter for posting the image of an action figure that was legally purchased at Walmart. My webhost also received a takedown email from them with a threat of a lawsuit of the image wasn’t removed.

"I of course removed the image because I can’t afford to be sued by a toy company who likes to bully Star Wars fans." (Conrad blamed Hasbro, the action-figure manufacturer, for the DMCA takedown notices — but it looks like it was actually Lucasfilm/Disney who was responsible.)

Conrad has expressed frustration at the legal threats, arguing that because the toy was accidentally released, photos of it shouldn't be treated the same as leaked or stolen confidential info. "It’s not unreleased if you can walk into Walmart and buy the damn toy! This wasn’t a figure that was stolen off the back of a truck or stolen out from behind closed doors at Hasbro. It was legally purchased in a store by a fan and they posted a picture of their purchase on the internet."

The full image is below. Beware: It appears to contain a mild spoiler — that Rey uses a lightsaber, suggesting she will be (or become) a Jedi in the movie.

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NOW WATCH: Here's why 2,500 actors are desperate to play Han Solo

The "Star Wars" movie universe is full of inventive droids and fictitious weapons and battleships. But some of George Lucas' original concepts were more trivial.

Take holochess, for example. This game, known as Dejarik, was featured in the original "Star Wars" movie. It's a holographic battle game, where players pit various creatures against each other using chess-like moves. 

This was our first look at Dejarik, back in the 1977 release of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." The scene memorably includes C-3PO's game strategy advice: "Let the Wookie win."

Unsurprisingly, superfans have taken it upon themselves to make their own versions of Dejarik. One fan in particular, Ian Martin, went above-and-beyond in crafting a full-sized playable replica.

The 28-year-old web application developer builds detailed recreations of "Star Wars" characters and props. He's made a Salacious Crumb puppet, and built a C-3PO suit so realistic that George Lucas joked about hiring him when they met in 2010.

Martin's latest project was building a Dejarik table with hand-sculpted creatures. "It's a full-sized table with working electronics (10 working knobs, 54 functional buttons, 26 lights, and two LCD display screens), that can actually play the unofficial game using a circuit I designed and a program I have written," Martin told Tech Insider.

Here's how it looks:

Not only is the game fully functional and life-size, but with the help of a developing partner, Adrien Trouillaud, Martin is creating an augmented reality (AR) app. "Using 3-D scans of my monster sculpts we are able to create and animate 'holograms' that will appear on each of their corresponding game pieces when viewed through a cell phone application, or Augmented Reality capable headset," he told TI.

Martin previewed the augmented reality feature in his uploaded video of the completed table.

We first spotted the video of Martin's completed (and fully-functional) game table when he uploaded a video of his project to Reddit. So by the time Tech Insider was rounding up our list of impressive "Star Wars" fans, Martin was a shoo-in. 

"At the beginning of the year, I started the Dejarik project just as a creative outlet," Martin told TI. "I began to hand sculpt and cast 1:1 scale replicas of the original Holochess monsters."

Here's a close up look at one of the painstakingly crafted creatures: The Savrip. This guy took nearly a month to complete because Martin handsewed its clothes.

Here's the Savrip in action during the original "Star Wars" scene. 

Another monster, the M'onnok, took three weeks of careful sculpting, molding, and assembling with 12 separate parts.

The passion project turned into a full-blown effort to make the game playable. Martin adapted rules from an online source (another fan who wrote them out) and then his brother created a rulebook. Using a set of handmade dice, players roll to determine how far to move their creature, and then the option to attack or defend is selected from the buttons. 

The table was made partially by 3-D printing. Martin printed large sections of the table, and put them together in his workshop using a mold. So far, feedback from his followers on Facebook and YouTube has been overwhelming positive — and rightfully so. But despite requests from fans who want commissioned tables for themselves, Martin cannot sell the table due to copyright and licensing laws.

"I get an obnoxious amount of requests from those who want their own working tables and copies of my monster sculpts and game pieces," he explained. "It's difficult for me to have to turn many of them down due my not being licensed to sell these.

But Martin has plans to share what he can with the "Star Wars" fandom. "We are hoping to put this application on our website for free along with the rules and printable game pieces so that other fans can play at home," he said. "I’m also hoping I'll be able to bring the table to Comic-Cons and Maker Faires so that people will be able to sit down with a pair of AR glasses and live out their geeky dream of playing an actual game of Holographic Chess."

Martin and his developer aim to have the AR application completed by April 2016. For updates on the AR features and more, follow Martin's "Dejarik Creations"Facebook page and YouTube channel. 

SEE ALSO: The 'Star Wars' game that looked AMAZING and got canceled

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When you head out to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the film will have one very big change as soon as the movie starts. 

Up until now, each of the six films in the franchise has begun with the iconic drumroll and fanfare from Fox.

Here's how the logo has looked over the years:

When you head to go see "The Force Awakens," it will be noticably missing.  

Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 so any upcoming "Star Wars" movies will be devoid of the 20th Century Fox logo. If you've purchased any of the newly-released "Star Wars" movies from Disney, you'll already have noticed the change in every movie but 1977's "A New Hope" (Fox owns the rights to that film and always will).

Instead, you'll see the Lucasfilm Ltd. logo along with some other music play before the iconic opening "Star Wars" crawl begins.

Here's how it will look when you head to theaters:

This will take some getting used to.

SEE ALSO: These 11 rising stars are auditioning to be the next Han Solo — what you need to know about them

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A Barclays media analyst thinks that the new "Star Wars" movie would not live up to the hype. 

Next Saturday, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will be released. And, Barclays' Kannan Venkateshwar says that given all the anticipation since we got the last "Star Wars" movie ten years ago, the new installment would likely disappoint.

From his client note on Friday:

"Given the strength of the Star Wars franchise, it is not surprising that Star Wars has had among the most successful box office track records among long running franchises. While we expect the movie to be very successful, we believe a global box office performance of ~$2bn is likely to be seen as an “in line” performance and anything below that is likely to be considered a disappointment based on our conversations with investors.

To put this into context, there are only 2 movies which have achieved a global box office higher than $2bn (Avatar & Titanic). Consequently, given the expectations already baked in, one of the best performances of all time could actually be perceived as a disappointment."

So essentially, the hype is so much that the bar to be cleared is very, very high.

As for indicators of box office performance in the upcoming weeks, Venkateshwar is getting mixed signals.

There's been a spike in interest based on Google search, but it's not as much as the surge when the last movie was released, despite heavy promotions this time.

Advance ticket sales have reached $50 million according to the Wall Street Journal, double the record that "The Dark Knight Rises" set in 2012. However, it doesn't follow that everyone who gets an advance ticket would actually go to see the movie.

Looking at 15 years of data, Venkateshwar found that very successful movies like "Avatar" and "Titanic" hit 85% of their total domestic box office sales within the first four weeks after release, when the release was in December. He thinks these two movies were exceptions to the general rule, and Star Wars would have to prove to be one, too.

The movie would also have to be a huge hit internationally. Domestic box office revenues made up only 34% of the worldwide total for the most successful movies of 2015, he says. And so, if "The Force Awakens" is to be one of the biggest movies of all time, it has to outperform internationally, especially in China, which has the biggest cinema audience outside the US, and where "Star Wars" is not as big a cultural phenomenon as it is in America, according to Venkateshwar.

"Even if these numbers are achieved, we believe the multiples today are already pricing in this outcome with a high degree of certainty which limits the upside to the stock."

Disney's stock has been slammed in recent months as investors became more concerned about the threat of cord-cutting to traditional media networks.

A regulatory filing last month indicated that ESPN lost seven million subscribers between 2013 and this year. Disney shares have fallen 8% since that filing, although it's rallied 15% year-to-date. 

SEE ALSO: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST 'STAR WARS' FANS: Meet 17 people who have devoted their lives to the series

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We’re less than one week away from the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” With the Los Angeles premiere set for Monday evening, Disney and Lucasfilm have finally told press when embargoes for film reviews will be lifted.

Reviews for “The Force Awakens” will start to go live at 12:01 AM PST on Wednesday, December 16.

Don’t expect to see a lot of spoilers, though.

In its confirmation emails, Disney and Lucasfilm asked press to avoid giving away “surprises and plot twists” along with “revealing spoilers.”

After journalists see the film, we can’t even tell you what we think on social media.

It’s that crazy.

For the New York screening (I can’t tell you where it is or when), press was told there will be no reserve or VIP section. Typically, when you head to one of these screenings, there are a few rows marked off for press and special guests.

That’s what I’ll be heading to, so it should be really fun to see how early people start to line up.

In addition, security is expected to be extra tight.

Press was told to leave computers and tablets at home and that phones and other electronic devices will be collected.

We were also asked to “refrain from sharing on social media the date, time and location of the screening.” That also means we cannot “check in” anywhere on any social media platforms. You could just imagine a mob of fans heading to the theater.

Yeah. Disney is not messing around.

My initial review will be spoiler free until more people have had a chance to see the film upon its release Thursday and Friday in the US.

Be sure to check this space because after my screening, I’ll share what the experience was like heading in. I’m sure it’s going to be nuts.

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It can feel like just about everyone in the country has marked down December 18 as the day "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" comes out. Yet there are two studios that are brave enough to take it on.

Universal has the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy “Sisters,” and 20th Century Fox has “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” both coming out the same weekend as "Star Wars."

You can’t get more counter-programming than that.

It’s safe to say both studios are looking more at the long game with these titles rather than any impressive box office their opening weekend. (Neither would comment for this story.)

But looking at history, there are some interesting motivations for why both of these companies are poking a stick at the giant.

Fox is the old distribution home of the “Star Wars” franchise, before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for over $4 billion. Fox might be thinking that, coming out a week before Christmas, "Alvin" can be the option for the kids market in that week going into the holiday (by then many schools are closed for the holiday).

Universal has a little more teeth in the game. The latest movie to star the extremely popular duo of Poehler and Fey, “Sisters” is the ultimate girls-night-out movie, as opposed to the fanboy-crazed “Force Awakens.” Universal might also be confident from the last time they went up against a testosterone-heavy actioner.

In mid-May, Universal's “Pitch Perfect 2” went up against Warner Brothers' “Mad Max: Fury Road” and the Bellas took the opening-weekend box office with $69.2 million.

Now, no one at Universal thinks they will prevail over "Star Wars," but there is confidence from people within the studio who talked to BI off the record that "Sisters" can do well after opening weekend.

Also going for "Sisters" is the fact that it's R-rated, which gives it a core audience that's older and historically skips over a film’s opening weekend.

“I could see ‘Sisters’ opening in the mid-teens against ‘The Force Awakens,' same for ‘Alvin,’” Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, told Business Insider. “But it baffles my mind why any studio would attempt to cross paths with ‘The Force Awakens.’”

SEE ALSO: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" earns more than 50 million in advance ticket sales, breaking records

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There's no fandom like the "Star Wars" community when it comes to premiere preparation. Tickets for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" went on sale beginning October 19, nearly two full months ahead of the premiere date. This means the most dedicated fans have had plenty of time to plan the perfect viewing. 

Tech Insider recently spoke with some of the biggest "Star Wars" fans in the galaxy, and learned that no two people are the same when it comes to premiere plans. 

Though "The Force Awakens" officially opens Friday, December 18, most theaters in the US have showings beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 17. Reports began rolling on December 9 saying fans were already camped out in front of the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, more than a week early.

Melody Deel plans to get to her local theater in Denver, Colorado early Thursday morning with a whole squad of fellow fans. "Opening night there's a group of 50 of us going," Deel told TI. "We all have tickets for the 7 p.m. show, but [buying tickets] really was a panic." On the 18th, the same group will return to the theater to host a charity event. Deel will be wearing a handmade costume based on Princess Leia's look in "Return of the Jedi."

Josh Bodwell, a well-known "Star Wars" tattoo artist living in Pennsylvania, is also going Thursday. His main concern is avoiding crowds, so instead of heading to a nearby city with IMAX theaters, he's staying local in Tannersville. "What I don't want to end up in is an over-crowded theater where I don't get a good seat," Bodwell explained. "Us 'theater-nerds' need to be centrally located." He's already purchased tickets for a Friday matinee as well. 

The co-hosts of popular "Star Wars" podcast Rebel Force Radio, Jimmy Mac and Jason Swank, are hosting a live podcast from the lobby of a Chicago movie theater at 6 p.m. on Thursday. "Me and Jason had a pledge together that we were going to see this film in the same theater, on the same night," Mac explained. They'll see the movie for themselves after their podcast taping that night.

Resident lightsaber-maker Bob Iannaccone is taking his preparation for "The Force Awakens" very seriously. "I have all the trailers on my phone and have probably watched them 50 times each," he said. "I even extracted the sound off the trailers so I could listen to it [at work] on loop." He'll at his local theater at 7 p.m. Thursday evening.

The co-founder of lightsaber combat school New York Jedi, Flynn Michael, has more ambitious opening day plans aside from seeing the movie. "We’re about to set the world record for the largest lightsaber battle," he said. The event is taking place in downtown San Francisco on Friday, December 18, with multiple cities video conferencing in with their own battles at the same time.

Ian Martin, a superfan who built a holochess table from scratch, is originally from Los Angeles but now lives in Washington with his wife. He's going to a nearby theater at 7 p.m. Thursday night, but the weekend doesn't stop there. "I'm catching a plane down to Los Angeles just to see it with all of my hometown friends at the IMAX theater," Martin said. That's dedication.

But one fan isn't in a hurry to wait in line or deal with the crowds. James Haggerty is actually planning to wait until the excitement of opening weekend has died down. "I want to go when I'm at peace, and can just enjoy the movie experience," he explained. "I'll probably see it two or three times in the first week, though." 

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Reuters published a rather unique photo essay last Friday featuring Ukraine's Darth Vader going about his daily routine — including walking his dog, shaving, and riding the bus.

The wire service reported that the Ukrainian citizen officially changed his name to Darth Mykolaiovych Vader in order to run a stunt campaign for mayor in the port city of Odessa. In that race, he finished 15th out of 42 candidates after campaigning with a number of other supporters dressed in "Star Wars" costumes.

View the photo essay below. 

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Vader dries his hair.

Vader speaks to a woman while walking his dog.

Vader walks his dog along the water.

From the outside, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" might seem like a slam dunk. But inside Disney, nerves are at an all-time high.

In a new report about the film on "60 Minutes," Steven Spielberg says of director J.J. Abrams, "Oh J.J. is terrified. There's a lot of pressure on J.J. to start paying Disney back for, you know, the franchise they bought from George Lucas."

Disney bought "Star Wars" and Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4 billion in 2012. "Force Awakens" is the company's first movie in the franchise.

As the director hand-picked to lead the effort, J.J. Abrams is shouldering a lot of responsibility to please a fan base that is known to get vocal about its complaints.

According to "60 Minutes,""Force Awakens" needs to make at least $1.5 billion at the box office in order to be considered a success on Wall Street. It's hard to know exactly how this figure was determined, but with a filmmaking budget of $200 million, plus enormous marketing costs, and the investment in Lucas' franchise, it's not surprising that the goals are high.

"You just know that there will be people, no matter what you do, that will have issues with some aspect," Abrams said on "60 Minutes."

"You just know there is some number that is being thrown out there that will not be hit. You just know."

Box-office analysts think Abrams will be just fine, though. Tracking for the film already suggests $2.5 billion in international box office.

You can watch the "60 Minutes" segment below:

SEE ALSO: 10 stunning 'Star Wars' fan theories about what'll happen in 'The Force Awakens'

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