J.J. Abrams said no new trailers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" would be aired before the film's release, but as promised, new footage did air in a TV spot last night during ABC's #TGIT night of Shonda Rhimes' dramas (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder).

The 60-second commercial featured some familiar scenes, including footage from the recent Japanese trailer, but new clips show what appears to be Finn's TIE Fighter escaping from a hangar bay and Finn fighting a stormtrooper with Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber. 

Han Solo gets more screentime and is shown handing Rey a blaster saying, "You might need this." Later, Solo and Chewbacca are also shown in the midst of a battle. 

Also in a new clip, Rey and BB-8 descend into a command room where they find General (no more Princess) Leia, Solo, C-3PO, and an assortment of others gathered in a meeting. 

Check out the full TV spot below:

SEE ALSO: The script for the next 'Star Wars' movie after 'The Force Awakens' is already written

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NOW WATCH: Leah Remini blasts Scientology and Tom Cruise in new tell-all book

Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has teamed up with Disney to create an in-air experience that's perfect for the ultimate "Star Wars" fan.

Covered in an R2-D2-like design and a "Star Wars" logo on the outside, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft also has some fun galactic details inside, such as customized headrests, cups, and lighting. While in the air, passengers can even stream all six of the currently released "Star Wars" films.

The partnership is mainly for promoting the new "Star Wars" movie that comes out on December 25, but it's also good exposure for ANA, who is trying to draw in more passengers of all ages from around the globe.

SEE ALSO: An explanation for everything you see in the new 'Star Wars' trailer

The plane will — and already has — flown both internationally and domestically.

Fans got their first glimpse of the plane at a fan-appreciation-flight event held at Singapore's Changi Airport on October 17.

Some took it more seriously than others, and a few fans decided to dress up as characters from the films.

"Star Wars" fans are in a frenzy because Luke Skywalker has been missing from every single trailer and poster for the new movie, "The Force Awakens."

But there's a reason we haven't seen Skywalker yet.

It's all part of J.J. Abrams' philosophy as a filmmaker. In a TED talk in 2008 he referred to this as "The Mystery Box."

"The withholding of information... doing that intentionally is much more engaging," Abrams said. "I find myself drawn to infinite possibility and that sense of potential. And I realize that mystery is the catalyst for imagination."

He added that the reason "Jaws" and "Alien" are so engaging is that we barely see the monsters.

So what part does Skywalker play in the new "Star Wars?"

Find out for yourself on December 18th.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Thursday evening, ABC debuted a new commercial for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with even more new footage.

One of the most talked about scenes has quickly become one between Finn (John Boyega) and a stormtrooper. 

Finn attempts to strike down one of the new First Order stormtroopers — and this happens:

What IS that?

The stormtrooper has what looks like an electrostaff blocking the lightsaber. 

At first sight, it sort of resembles one of the electrostaffs wielded by one of General Greivous' goons in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith."

However, many have pointed out it looks like it may actually be riot gear.

If some of the latest toys are any inclination, then it looks like we'll be seeing stormtroopers with shields and batons.

If that's the case, "The Force Awakens" is going back to the roots of the original 1977 "Star Wars" film "A New Hope."

Legendary "Star Wars" concept artist Ralph McQuarrie's original design for the stormtroopers included a lightsaber and a shield to defend themselves against Jedi.

Here's a link to the actual concept art.

Sideshow Collectibles will be releasing a version of McQuarrie's stormtrooper concept next year.

“I gave Han Solo a lightsaber, and I thought it was reasonable to assume the opposing forces would have the same weapons," McQuarrie has said of his reasoning for the stormtroopers to wield a lightsaber. 

While McQuarrie's artwork helped get the film greenlit by Fox, the idea for the Stormtrooper armor was scrapped from the final film. 

We're not sure about those lightsabers, but it looks like we'll finally be seeing some version of McQuarrie's riot gear on screen.

Pretty cool.

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NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how 'Star Wars' lightsabers could actually work

There is a 'fan' poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens that is going around, and it's getting a lot of praise. The backstory on this one-sheet is that it was actually turned into the studios by artist Adam Relf, but it was rejected by Disney and LucasFilm. And there might be a very good reason for that. It has Luke Skywalker front and center, looking like Obi-Wan Kenobi 2.0.

Some have decided that this art is even cooler than the official poster that was released a few weeks ago in conjunction with the third and final Force Awakens trailer. If this art was commissioned and turned into LucasFilm, then we have no reason to doubt that we're looking at a real depiction of Luke Skywalker. It does, after all, fall in line with the infamous leaked photo of the Master Jedi in his white robes. Though, it also looks like some of the fan art that was rendered before anyone saw any photos or images from the movie at all.

The proof that this might be right on is in the beard and the hair. Mark Hamill's facial growth in the movie does perfectly match up with what we're seeing here, where it has been slightly off in other unofficially rendered images. TheForce.net were the first to break this story. The claim it is rejected art, and that makes it a little more 'official'. We can't confirm that, or when this was painted. But the other characters on the poster perfectly match what we've seen coming from the marketing department thus far.

Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker is one of the few main characters who has not been revealed in any of the previously released footage. There have been several rumors regarding Luke Skywalker throughout the past two years, some claiming that he has gone into exile following Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, and others claiming that his original lightsaber, which was found in the desert, sends new heroes Rey and Finn on their heroic journey. Producer Kathleen Kennedy did offer a tantalizing tidbit earlier this month, revealing that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX all revolve around Skywalker's family.

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NOW WATCH: Everything we know about the new 'Star Wars' movie

There’s a new buzzword in Hollywood: “Shared Universe.” Marvel and DC fans think their franchise of choice created the term, but in reality, Star Wars is the granddaddy of all shared universes. George Lucas loyalists see Star Wars as a kind of hipster blockbuster movie. Why? Because it shared universes before sharing was cool.

With Daredevil and Jessica Jones on Netflix, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter on ABC, Marvel has quickly become the media’s poster child for all things interconnected. Though it hasn’t gotten as much coverage, Star Wars is taking things a step further.

Star Wars is like a religion. Just like actual councils met to decide which books should be published in Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Lucasfilm Story Group officially made a decree: that all of the old (pre-2014) Star Wars“Expanded Universe” material would be given the non-canonical status of Star Wars Legends. From then on, only the six feature films and The Clone Wars would be considered canon.

In the meantime, however, Disney Lucasfilm has been producing novels, comic books, cartoons and video games, all set within the new shared universe, at a pretty fast clip, and it’s a lot to keep track of, so that’s why we’re bringing you the 27 Major Canonical Star Wars Events Not Shown in the Movies. Read this and you’ll be all caught up on the Star Wars universe in time for The Force Awakens.

Anakin Skywalker had a padawan

Between the time of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker took on a Padawan named Ahsoka Tano. While initially reluctant to be responsible for her, Anakin formed a strong bond with Ahsoka, who was training to become a powerful Jedi. Before she could complete her trials and become a full fledged Knight, however, Ahsoka was framed for murder by a former friend. Due to political pressure on the Jedi from Chancellor Palpatine, she was expelled from the Jedi Order.  

This initiated Anakin’s mistrust in the Jedi Council. Ahsoka’s rejection contributed to sewing the seeds of distrust that eventually allowed Anakin to turn his back on the council altogether, side with Palpatine, and accept the mantle of Darth Vader.

You can find more on this in The Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars: Rebels animated series.

Darth Maul is still alive

Star Wars fans were thrilled to see a new and exciting villain, Darth Maul, appear in The Phantom Menace. They weren’t so thrilled to watch his premature death at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. As it turns out, Maul’s bisection and interminable fall into the reactor pit was simply a flesh wound.

Several years later, Darth Maul reemerged with shiny new legs, a powerful apprentice named Savage Opress, and a hunger for revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi.  After subverting a group of Mandalorian mercenaries, however, he was captured by Darth Sidious and witnessed the death of Savage Opress. Maul managed to escape captivity and has remained quiet for all StarWars stories since.

You can find more on this in The Clone Wars animated series and Son of Dathomir comics.

The Jedi and the Sith aren't the only Force users in the galaxy

Star Wars is famous for its clearly defined struggle of good versus evil. The first Episode VII trailer mentioned “the dark side” and “the light” (as embodied by the Sith and the Jedi, respectively), but there are also some gray areas. Several other force users have been introduced, such as the Nightsisters of Dathomir, who practice a sort of dark side witchcraft using the Force, or the mysterious force wielders encountered by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on the planet Mortis.

This proves that the Force is merely an energy source, and that the Jedi and Sith are more akin to strict religious groups than anything else. This leaves the door open for alternate ideologies among Force users, like the Knights of Ren.

You can find more on this in The Clone Wars animated series.

The new "Star Wars" movie, "The Force Awakens," isn't in theaters for another month, but if you're in New York City you can get a closeup look at characters from all of the Star Wars films.

Starting November 14, Discovery Time Square is hosting a huge exhibit of 60 costumes from the first six movies showcasing original pieces from Chewbacca's suit to Emperor Palpatine.

The exhibit even has a few costumes from the new movie, in theaters December 18.

If you can't make it any time soon, don't worry. The "Star Wars: and the Power of Costume" exhibit will be featured through September 2016.

Tech Insider stopped by the exhibit, which was put together by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in partnership with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and Lucasfilm.

For any "Star Wars" fan it's definitely worth the admission (Adults: $27.50/Children 3-11: $20).

Scroll to check out some of the costumes on display.

After watching a quick introductory video, you're filed through a side door into a galaxy far, far away.

A total of 67 costumes are on display from now until September 5, 2016.

There aren't any replicas here. Every piece in the exhibit is an actual costume worn in one of the "Star Wars" movies.

The release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is just a little over a month away, and we're slowly learning more tidbits about the highly anticipated movie.

Entertainment Weekly recently released a large feature on the new film filled with interviews from director J.J. Abrams and cast and crew members.

The issue is a must-read for fans. 

Keep reading to see a few of the biggest things we learned about the new film.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is two hours and 15 minutes long.

The final runtime makes it one of the shortest "Star Wars" movies. "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" is the shortest at two hours and seven minutes while prequel film "Attack of the Clones" is the longest of the seven films at two hours and 22 minutes.

Rey was abandoned on Jakku.

The new lead actress of "The Force Awakens" was left on the desert planet at the age of five.

"There was no one really guiding her,"Ridley says. "She's never sat around a table and had a meal with someone else. She has a boss, she has someone to answer to, she has to trade the junk for food, and that’s how it has to be. She works to feed herself, and she goes to sleep, and she gets up again. It is a sad life."

There's more to BB-8 than being a cute little droid.

Sure the new ball droid is pretty adorable, but there just may be more to him than meets the eye. 

"We always imagined BB-8 as being quite manipulative," creature shop head Neal Scanlan tells EW. "I think he knows he's cute. He knows that he can win people over. And he uses that the way children do, to get his own way. In this film, he has a very important mission to accomplish, and so he uses his personality [to his advantage]." 

The perfect movie pitch can be done in one sentence. 

Lucasfilm chief creative officer John Knoll pitched a new "Star Wars" movie to the company's current president Kathleen Kennedy in 2012, according to a lengthy "Star Wars" feature in Wired out Tuesday.

"I just have this very simple idea,” said Knoll, "about the rebel spies in the opening crawl of A New Hope who steal the plans for the Death Star."

The idea came straight from a line in the opening crawl of 1977's "Star Wars."

It reads: "During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR."

Kennedy loved it.

However, the idea didn't become the basis for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," out this December. Nope. It's the foundation for 2016's first standalone spinoff movie, "Rogue One."

The anthology movie, as Disney prefers it to be called, will take place between "Star Wars: Episode III" and "Episode IV" as a group of resistance fighters work together to, yeah, steal the plans to the Death Star. 

Much of the cast was announced back in August at Disney's fan convention D23. The film will star Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, and Mads Mikkelsen.

"Rogue One" will be in theaters December 16, 2016.

You can read the full feature at Wired here. Here's the cover art, which shows off the Millennium Falcon going head to head with some TIE fighters on Jakku.

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NOW WATCH: This JJ Abrams TED Talk explains why the new 'Star Wars' trailers are so mysterious

Greatest hits albums can be a lot of fun. They're full of hits, right? That's the good stuff!

Greatest hits albums can also be a drag. They're full of singles, right? That's all the stuff you've heard 10,000 times before.

The new "Star Wars" game, "Star Wars Battlefront," is a greatest hits album.

Fight Darth Vader as Luke Skywalker while a snowspeeder wraps a cable around the legs of an AT-AT on Hoth. "Whoa, that's a lot of 'Star Wars' greatest hits right there," you might say. And maybe for you, that's very exciting. That's understandable: This stuff looks pretty incredible, and it's hugely enjoyable to experience. 

At least for the first few spins.

Somewhere around the dozenth time I'd run between the hulking legs of an AT-AT (or maybe it was the seventh time I'd shot a stormtrooper off of a speeder bike?), "Star Wars Battlefront" lost its luster. 

Yes, it's gorgeous. And yes, it's the digital manifestation of the fantasy that every young "Star Wars" fan has played out with action figures. But "Star Wars Battlefront" just isn't much more than a greatest hits album: a rehash of popular standouts with little soul behind the repackaging. 

What is it?

Allow me to be frank: "Star Wars Battlefront" will more than suffice for most casual game fans who love "Star Wars." You want a casual, fun game experience full of "Star Wars" references? This is your game. 

So, what type of game is it? 

• First and foremost: "Star Wars Battlefront" is a shooting game. The vast majority of the game has you playing as a random stormtrooper or rebel soldier, shooting laser blasters of varying types at enemies. 
• Second, "Battlefront" is a flying game. There's an entire mode dedicated to flying TIE fighters and X-Wings and all manner of spacecraft (yes, including the Millennium Falcon). This is also a shooting-focused mode, only you're shooting down enemy ships instead of other people.
• Third, it's all online multiplayer. This is very important: there is almost nothing to do in "Star Wars Battlefront" that isn't played online against other actual human beings.
• There is a nominal bit of single-player that puts you (or you and some friends) in a multiplayer map where you have to fend off waves of computer-controlled enemies. It's not so hot.

To continue my (somewhat tenuous) metaphor: like a greatest hits album, what's there in "Star Wars Battlefront' can be gobs of fun.

For example, while playing online, pick-ups are scattered throughout the world that offer a variety of bonuses.

One may give you a single shot with a rocket launcher; one may give you a chance to fly an X-Wing over the battlefield; and yet another will unlock "Hero" and "Villain" characters. These are your Luke Skywalkers, your Han Solos, your Boba Fetts, and Darth Vaders. 

Since these are special characters, they get special abilities. Vader can throw his lightsaber, and Boba Fett has his signature jet pack. Princess Leia is a hero as well, and she can...shoot a gun? Offer a protective shield? All that to say that some of these special characters feel better thought out than others. While Skywalker is literally leaping all over the battlefield, cutting fools with his lightsaber and force-throwing others, Leia and Emperor Palpatine are lumbering along, feeling dopey.

"Star Wars: The Shooter"

Shooting laser guns sounds a lot more fun than it actually is, it turns out. I had no idea.

The world of "Star Wars" is all laser blasters, all the time. That's fine for them, but it's not so great if you're playing a shooting game. In my 10-ish hours with the game so far, I've yet to encounter a gun that felt meaningfully different from the stock blaster you start with. 

And that's unfortunate, because the stock gun you start with just isn't that fun to shoot. It's kind of erratic, and who knows how many laser blasts it'll take to take someone out.

The lack of weapon variety leads to less-than-thrilling scenarios where a shotgun (close quarters) or a sniper rifle (long range) might be more appropriate, but your best bet is to try and patiently fire your generic, mid-range blaster. 

None of this is bad, per se, it's just kind of generic.

The same applies to the flying mode, which puts players in iconic "Star Wars" spacecraft. But after the tenth or twelfth time you lock on and destroy an enemy, it's lost much of its initial excitement. It no longer matters that you're flying a Millennium Falcon because you're holding down one trigger, firing with the other, and asking yourself, "Do I really want to do this again?"

Should you buy it?

Let's not kid ourselves: if you like "Star Wars," you're going to buy this game. (I get it. I was going to buy "Fallout 4" regardless of what critics said.)

For you, know that more is coming in the form of four promised expansion packs, which you can order now for an additional $50 on top of the $60 the basic game costs. Hopefully that will help sate your burning desire for more "Star Wars" content as the glow from the upcoming movie's launch fades throughout 2016.

For the rest of us, know what you're getting into: a glorified "Star Wars" greatest hits album, with all the highs and lows that brings. You will smile as you slice through stormtroopers with Luke Skywalker's light saber. You'll marvel at the dense forest of Endor. But you'll smile once or twice, and then you'll have played it several times and your smile will fade. At least that's what happened to me.

So, should you buy "Star Wars Battlefront?" Probably not, honestly. But you're going to anyway, aren't you? Yeah you are.

"Star Wars Battlefront" is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

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NOW WATCH: 7 reasons you should play 'Star Wars Battlefront' right now

Who doesn't want to take on Darth Vader's Imperial forces, carefully toppling a massive AT-AT walker as Storm Troopers scatter for their lives across the snow-covered hills of Hoth? Perhaps you're more of a Darth yourself, and the hippie dippy Rebel forces are the last distraction between you and inter-galactic dominance?

"Star Wars Battlefront" wants to enable both of these fantasies – and many, many more. The game's developers at Electronic Arts-owned DICE in Stockholm, Sweden are going deep on fan service with "Battlefront," even taking the time to carefully capture all of the aging models of the original trilogy's most iconic components: the original Lightsaber, the Death Star, the X-Wing, and much more. 

DICE general manager Patrick Bach talked through the process of re-creation for "Star Wars: Battlefront" with Tech Insider, as seen in the video above. The game is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. But, whether "Battlefront" succeeds at what it sets out to do is another question: check out our full review of "Star Wars Battlefront" right here.

Report by Ben Gilbert; Video by Corey Protin.

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"Star Wars: Battlefront," a video game where you can live out all your greatest "Star Wars" fantasies, is finally available for purchase starting today.

There's been a lot of hype for this game, and yet, I completely agree with my colleague Ben Gilbert when he called "Star Wars: Battlefront" a "major letdown... a rehash of popular standouts with little soul behind the repackaging."

The whole package might not be worth your money, but there are still a few major redeeming aspects about "Star Wars: Battlefront" that almost anyone will love — especially if you're familiar with the "Star Wars" movies.

The music is incredible.

The "Star Wars" franchise is nothing without the music — specifically, from master composer John Williams, who has written some of the most recognizable film scores in movie history. In "Star Wars: Battlefront," you'll hear the sweeping orchestral arrangements from the movies everywhere you go, which is a real treat. The music even seems to follow the action, and it often picks up towards the end of every online multiplayer match. If you need just one reason to play this game, do it for the music.

Explosions are just as satisfying as they are in the movies.

"Star Wars: Battlefront," at its core, is about shooting bad guys. You'll be shooting them on foot, in the air, and in giant robots. But thankfully, landing your shots is super satisfying since the game uses the same special effects you'll see in the "Star Wars" movies for all the explosions. So when you take out a stormtrooper with your laser blaster, or you destroy an X-wing with your TIE fighter, you'll be treated to the same colorful bursts of light and color that's synonymous with the "Star Wars" films.

Playing as Darth Vader is a trip.

Darth Vader is one of the best movie villains ever created. In "Star Wars: Battlefront," you'll get a chance to don the signature black robe and helmet and you'll even control his Sith powers: you can choke enemies from a distance and lift them into the air, and you can even hurl your lightsaber at enemies and have it boomerang back to you. So even if the overall gameplay is repetitive, stalking the battlefield as Darth Vader — striking fear into your enemies and eliminating them just as quickly — never gets old.

"Star Wars: Battlefront" is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Auditioning for any movie can be daunting, but auditioning for a new “Star Wars” film, which will undoubtedly launch any actor into the spotlight, has to be extra stressful.

Actor John Boyega went through several auditions for "The Force Awakens," in theaters December 18, before landing the role of Finn, a former stormtrooper who appears to go rogue.

"For the first few auditions that I did for 'Star Wars,' I had to acquire a dramatic approach because of the content on the page,"Boyega told CNET. "But then after a while I thought to myself, 'Wait, this is ‘Star Wars.’ ‘Star Wars’ is different from any other project. ‘Star Wars’ has its own culture. It has its own energy.”

To prepare for his auditions he turned to the original cast — and the internet.

Boyega said he went to YouTube to watch Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford's audition tapes for the original movies. 

"And I watched their audition, and there was this casual approach to danger and to being a hero that I drew some inspiration from," explained Boyega. "If you see Harrison in his audition and Mark, there’s this, 'The ship’s about to blow up, but, woo hoo! Switch to light speed!' I love that. No other movie does that. In another movie they’d be crying and calling their parents, but in 'Star Wars' it’s like, 'woo!'"

Here's an audition tape of 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope" featuring Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford:

At “Star Wars: Celebration” in April, Boyega revealed after he found out he landed the role of Finn he was scared to tell his parents he got the part in case they didn’t believe him.

“I waited until that cast photo was released before I told my parents." he said back in April. “I just told him [my dad] I was filming '24'."

Here's the cast photo Boyega's talking about:

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NOW WATCH: Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how 'Star Wars' lightsabers could actually work

The only thing better than going to a midnight showing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is being one of the first to see the movie — with the film's entire cast.

Thursday, online fundraiser Omaze launched a new campaign with Disney and Lucasfilm to give two lucky fans the chance to head to the US and UK premieres of the new movie.

Harrison Ford made the announcement in a video surprising previous donors with the news they could win.

Two grand prize winners will not only head to the premieres, but they'll also walk the red carpet, meet the cast of "The Force Awakens," and get to head to the film's after-party.

They'll also get to bring along three extra friends.

For a chance to head to the premiere, fans are asked to donate as little as $10 through Omaze to support Star Wars: Force for Change, an initiative launched in 2014 by Disney and Lucasfilm to help find solutions to some of the world's biggest problems.

Money raised from the event will benefit one of 15 different causes selected by the cast and crew: Africa Cancer Foundation (Lupita Nyong'o), Arts in the Armed Forces (Adam Driver), Barnardo's UK (Andy Serkis), Central London Samaritans (Anthony Daniels), Damilola Taylor Trust (John Boyega), fStop (Harrison Ford), Feeding America (Mark Hamill), Make-A-Wish (Peter Mayhew), Malala Fund (J.J. Abrams), PACER (Carrie Fisher), Phab (Daisy Ridley), St. Francis Hospice, Raheny (Domhnall Gleeson), The Circle (Gwendoline Christie), UNICEF (Kathleen Kennedy), and Union of Concerned Scientists (Oscar Isaac). 

Omaze's last "Star Wars" campaign, which allowed a lucky fan to be an extra in "The Force Awakens," was a huge success raising over $4.2 million for United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund's (UNICEF) Innovation Labs.

"It once again speaks to how innovative Disney and Bad Robot [director J.J. Abrams' production company] are," Omaze co-founder Ryan Cummins told Tech Insider. "They're really taking a moment where there's so much awareness around 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' — probably the biggest film release ever — the fact that amid all of that [they're] taking the time to make sure that this raises money for 15 really remarkable causes speaks to how creative and innovative they both are."

The amount you donate corresponds to how many entries you will have in the contest. 

Every donation level comes with a "Star Wars" treat for fans ranging from Millennium Falcon artwork to newly-designed "The Force Awakens" T-shirts.

If you donate $10,000 you'll receive a replica Kylo Ren helmet. $20,000 will get you your own life-sized Stormtrooper suit.

The contest runs through December 4 11:59 PST.

Enter for a chance to win HERE.

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NOW WATCH: Everything we know about the new 'Star Wars' movie

We’ve known since the day they bought Lucasfilm that Disney had big plans for "Star Wars." First, they announced three new entries in the saga beloved by millions, and then they announced more. We’re getting films based on side stories and standalone films for individual characters. There are several of these in various stages of production already.

Exactly how many "Star Wars" films is Disney planning to make? Well, they’re planning one a year for the next six years. After that, they hope to continue to make one a year, every year, forever.

Episodes one through three were not the prequels. The entire franchise has been the prequel up to this point. According to an extensive feature in Wired Magazine, the plan for "Star Wars" is to continue to make films until people stop buying tickets. The next three years of "Star Wars" are set in stone. "The Force Awakens" hits next month. The anthology film "Rogue One" is currently in production for a release date in 2016, and "Episode VIII" will hit in 2017.

It’s not clear at this point what’s planned for 2018, in between "Episode VIII" and "IX." The plan for a young Han Solo story appears to be the furthest along at this point as we know the movie has a director, but there are also plans for a Boba Fett film as well as at least one, if not three, being considered about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

While it’s easy enough to look at this as Disney viewing the franchise as a never-ending ATM machine, and to some extent, that certainly is obviously true. That shouldn’t be the only thing to take away from this, though. They’re using their success with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a template to recreate the same magic with "Star Wars."

While the MCU has been immensely profitable for Disney, it should not be overlooked that it has also created a fantastic series of films. They haven’t just made financially successful movies, they’ve made good movies. While opinions do vary, of course, by and large the Marvel films have worked on every level.

And Marvel has nothing on "Star Wars" when it comes to the fan base. The MCU has turned people into Marvel fans, but "Star Wars" already has all the fans. If they can continue to make solid movies those fans will go to everyone. They may not buy all the tickets up in the first evening after a while, the uniqueness will eventually wear off, but if the films are still good, those fans will continue to come.

Does the prospect of an endless stream of Star Wars movies fill you with joy, or dread? Let us know in the comments.

SEE ALSO: 27 major "Star Wars" events not shown in the movies

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NOW WATCH: The new 'Star Wars' game is a fan's dream come true

It's seems as if we're getting new ads and teasers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" each day.

With one month until the new movie debuts in the US, Disney and Lucasfilm dropped another commercial showing several new snippets from the film.

The 30-second spot shows a few new shots of Harrison Ford, Kylo Ren, Finn, and everyone's new favorite droid, BB-8.

Finn tells us we don't know anything about him and what he’s seen. He looks like he’s talking to Rey aboard the Millennium Falcon here, about his time as a Stormtrooper.

A castle, which most likely belongs to Lupita Nyong’o’s alien pirate Maz Kanata, is under attack.

Nyong'o's voice repeats what she's said in other teasers: "Hope is not lost today. We must face them. Fight them." Perhaps this is in response to a potential attack on her castle.

We finally get a full look at the Stormtrooper who was facing off against Finn in another commercial. This is definitely riot gear based off of Ralph McQuarrie's original concept art for "A New Hope."

Here's a better look at how that scene between Finn and the First Order Stormtrooper will go down.

Kylo Ren looks like he may be behind this attack. 

Oh BB-8, stop being so adorable. 

Han Solo and Finn get ready to fight side by side as Chewie's in the background. Han: "Are you sure you're up for this?" 

Not so much.

But then we cut to a scene of Finn in the Millennium Falcon. 

Yeah, I think he's got this whole ditch-the-Dark-Side-for-the-light-one thing down.

Check out the full spot, via Facebook, below.

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Of all the characters in "Star Wars," creator George Lucas says he'd be Jar Jar Binks in a video for Vanity Fair.

"I like all the characters," he said when posed the question of which character he'd want to be, before making his unusual choice.

In the interview, Lucas gives his thoughts on the new "Star Wars" film, and he says that he doesn't enjoy being criticized for making the movies he wants to make.

"You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized, and people try to make decisions about what you're going to do before you do it, and it's not much fun," he says. "You can't experiment. You can't do anything. You have to do it a certain way. I don't like that; I never did."

He'd rather make experimental films.

"I started out in experimental films, I want to go back to experimental films, and of course, nobody wants to see experiemental films." 

He also had a question for "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams: "What happened to Darth Vadar's grandchildren?" 

Watch the Vanity Fair video below: 

SEE ALSO: Finn goes full-on hero in new 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' TV spot

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With the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” less than a month away, anticipation for the seventh installment and seeing the original cast in the saga after a 32-year hiatus is at an all-time high.

And though box-office numbers are projected to be record-breaking, it’s unlikely that the J.J. Abrams-directed movie will compete for much award consideration.

Disney did not enter “The Force Awakens” to be eligible for awards-season staples like the National Board of Review, the New York City Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics, or the Screen Actors Guild Awards, according to The Wrap. 

The major reason why the movie will be largely absent this awards season is simple: Disney does not want any spoilers to come out.

To be considered for end-of-year awards, a film has to be sent to (or screened for) voters. And for a movie like “The Force Awakens,” that's too much of a risk for plot revelations (Not to mention the likelihood of bootleg versions suddenly appearing on the streets.)

In fact, rumors have swirled for a month that Disney will likely not have any advanced screenings of the movie for press. (A source at the studio has confirmed to Business Insider that this is likely.)

But historically, “Star Wars” movies haven’t meshed with Oscar season.

The Hollywood Reporter points out that while “Star Wars: A New Hope” earned 10 nominations, including best picture, director, and original screenplay at the 50th Academy Awards, the other entries have won only a few Oscars (mostly for visual effects), and the three prequels didn’t take home any gold statues.

With the film having its world premiere on December 14 before a wide US release on December 18, it’s still possible the film could grab some Oscar nominations, as voting doesn’t close until January 8. But if history proves correct, it won’t be an impressive showing.

SEE ALSO: Finn goes full-on hero in new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" TV spot

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It's a still a month away from release, and the new "Star Wars" is already breaking box-office records.

The Wall Street Journal reports that insider sources say "The Force Awakens" has already sold more than $50 million in advance tickets.

That figure means "Force Awakens" is setting new records for all-time presale numbers, with Fandango and IMAX saying they've beaten their previous bests. 

It's widely assumed the J.J. Abrams-directed sequel will become one of the highest-grossing films ever, if not the highest-grossing, which will depend largely on how it does internationally. The current record holder for biggest global box-office take is "Avatar" with $2.79 billion.

"The Force Awakens" opens December 18, and there will be plenty of time over the holidays to catch it in theaters.

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Late-night host Stephen Colbert is a mega "Star Wars" fan. 

He's already had the chance to interview George Lucas earlier this year, and Saturday evening he'll be hosting a conversation with "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams at an event for New Jersey's Montclair Film Festival (MFF). 

Described as a "nerd-off," Colbert will grill Abrams on everything from "Lost" to "Star Trek," and hopefully try to get a nugget or two from the director about the upcoming "Star Wars" movies. 

I'll be heading to the event for coverage, but how did Colbert end up snagging one of the most wanted men in the galaxy right now and convince him to come to Newark, New Jersey? 

WELL!

"The Late Show" host is from Montclair and he and his wife Evelyn are big supporters of the the non-profit, which brings awareness to both local and global filmmakers and provides education about cinema through year-round events.

Heading into its fifth year, MFF executive director Tom Hall tells Tech Insider Colbert has held conversations in the past for the festival with stars ranging from Jimmy Fallon to his old Comedy Central colleague Jon Stewart.

When it came time to pick someone for this year's festival Colbert — a huge, self-proclaimed "Star Wars" fan — wanted to go big. 

Colbert suggested Abrams they thought that would be great, but they weren't sure if they were going to be able to get him. They figured it may be a long shot with the movie being such a huge event this year.  

It also helped that online fundraiser Omaze, who is also partnering with the Montclair Film Festival on the event, has worked with both men in the past.

"We've had two really successful experiences with Stephen Colbert and his team. He's extremely charitable and always goes above and beyond on these campaigns."Omaze co-founder Ryan Cummings tells Tech Insider. "He also knew that we've done a number of campaigns with J.J. Abrams. We've launched a chance to be in 'Star War: The Force Awakens' ... and a chance to be in 'Star Trek.'"

Combined the two have raised over $6 million with the fundraiser. 

Cummings makes it clear the two knew each other outside of Omaze and have connected previously, but it helped that the two have supported each other's campaigns in the past.

"Once they'd seen that they've both done a couple campaigns with [us], it just made it really easy to connect up on this one."

After Colbert has a conversation with Abrams Saturday, a pre-selected fan, picked from a contest through Omaze, will go on stage to interview the duo.

"[He] only donated $25," says Cummings. "He's been a lifelong fan of Colbert. He also has gone to numerous 'Star Wars' marathons. For $25, be able to meet not just one, but two of his heroes and be able to ask them some questions during a nerd-off on a topic that he's such a fan of is what we get most excited about ... the opportunity to be able to deliver that experience."

Colbert's big nerd-off with Abrams will be taking place Saturday, November 21 at 8 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ. 

There are still some tickets available for purchase, which you can check out here.

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