Apple has acquired a Swiss real-time motion capture startup called Faceshift for an unknown amount, according to TechCrunch.

The company's virtual reality technology can be used to generate animated avatars and other computer generated figures that capture a person’s facial expressions in real time.

There were reports out earlier this year that Apple had already acquired Faceshift but these were unconfirmed.

TechCrunch, however, claims to have multiple sources and conclusive links between the companies.

When TechCrunch put the acquisition claim to Apple, the Cupertino firm said: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." Apple has used this response in the past to comment on acquisitions.

A number of Faceshift employees now work for Apple outside Europe, according to TechCrunch.

It's currently unclear how Apple will use Faceshift but the company's technology is already being used in a number of areas.

For example, Faceshift allows gamers to control their on-screen avatars by pulling faces in real life. It also allows the movie industry to create avatars that mimic actor's facial expressions more closely.

Faceshift was used in the latest Star Wars film (see 0:41 of this YouTube video) to make non-human characters appear more real by improving their facial expressions.

It's possible that Faceshift's technology could also be used to verify a person's identity but it's understood that this is not something the company has focused on yet.

The company was founded in Zurich, Switzerland, by academics Thibaut Weise, Brian Amberg and Sofien Bouaziz. Today the company also has offices in San Francisco and London. TechCrunch highlights that the London office is led by Nico Scapel, a visual effects expert with an impressive list of film credits.

Apple has already acquired several other companies focusing on augmented reality, motion pictures and facial recognition. In Europe, for example, it's acquired PrimeSense, Polar Rose, and Metaio. Faceshift could help Apple to further progress its efforts in these areas.

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With "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in theaters December, everyone will be heading to a galaxy far, far away for their holiday shopping.

We've tried out the toys kids will want and searched for the gifts you'll be looking for.

Whether you're buying for a young padawan or a Jedi Master, here are some of the most-wanted items on any "Star Wars" fan's wishlist.

Sphero's app-controlled BB-8

The breakout character from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" so far has been the adorable new ball droid BB-8. Sphero's miniature version of the droid, which you can control through an app on your phone or tablet, allows you to take a piece of the film home.

BB-8's a speedy little guy, going up to 5 mph and is incredibly reactive with real noises from the movie. It's a bit on the pricey side, but no collector or adult fan will be disappointed. The best part? No batteries are required. Place him on the charging base included and he's good to go.

Price:$150

Hasbro's remote-controlled BB-8

If you're looking for something more suitable for a kid check out Hasbro's remote-controlled BB-8, exclusively at Target. 

It doesn't move anywhere as fast as Sphero's toy and requires a total of six batteries (four AA/two AAA), which aren't included. However, it's more than double the size of Sphero's ball droid at over 7 inches tall so it's less likely to get caught under the couch or caught in tiny nooks. The remote also allows for easier control for young children.

Price:$74.99

A stuffed, talking Chewbacca

If you don't want your own droid, maybe you want a Wookiee. This 9-inch tall stuffed Chewbacca talks and growls when you squeeze him. 

Price:starts at $21.65

Fox News contributor Katherine Timpf is getting death threats for a jab at "Star Wars" she made during a segment on "Red Eye w/ Tom Shillue" last month.

As a guest on the satirical political news comedy show that airs at 3 a.m. on Fox News Channel, Timpf said: "I have never had any interest in watching space nerds poke each other with their little space nerd sticks, and I’m not going to start now. You people are crazy. You "Star Wars" people are crazy. Yesterday I tweeted something, and all I said was that I wasn’t familiar with "Star Wars" because I’ve been too busy liking cool things and being attractive — people threatened my life.”

Monday, Timpf, also a writer for the "National Review," shared some of the threats along with a piece she penned about the abuse she's been receiving.  

Nice that he at least gives an exact time! pic.twitter.com/K8DlC0C42R

— Katherine Timpf (@KatTimpf) November 25, 2015

@KatTimpf I saw. That's pretty scary. Not sure I'd have your courage.

— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) November 25, 2015

"A lot of people are clearly a lot of upset. But guess what? I’m not apologizing. Why? Because the all-too-common knee-jerk reaction of apologizing for harmless jokes after overblown hysteria is ruining our culture. This political-correctness obsession threatens free speech, and I absolutely refuse to be a part of it," she wrote in Monday's piece. "Obviously, the totally insane whackjobs who have been attacking me don’t represent most Star Wars fans. But the fact that so many adults have responded with so much unhinged emotion astounds me."

A request for comment from Fox News was not immediately returned.

SEE ALSO: Google has an amazing hidden 'Star Wars' joke right in the search engine

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At this point, we're just expecting a new "Star Wars" trailer every other day. 

Disney and Lucasfilm dropped another minute-long teaser for the film Thursday morning with even more new footage on Facebook.

This time the trailer has a darker tone as it centers around new villain Kylo Ren. 

Check it out below:

Did you catch all of that?

Here are a few of the new scenes from the footage.

An ominous red light shines above the First Order gathering. Is this a premonition of the future or the crowd gathering to watch the annihilation of another world?

We get a better look at Poe Dameron as he appears to get tortured by Kylo Ren. A voiceover says the familiar line, "There's been an awakening. Have you felt it?"

Oh, he's feeling it.

Did Kylo just give him a Force tap?

We hear a few new words right after this: "Even you have never felt such a test." It's not clear who that's directed at.

Hi Poe! Dameron's giving out commands here, but do you want to bet this scene comes before his encounter with Kylo?

Explosions!

This is most likely one of the First Order ships taking fire.

Take another close look at this image of Poe and you'll notice ball droid BB-8 is riding along with him.

BB-8, as we've learned from the toys, is Dameron's droid. Somehow, the two get separated and he'll end up in Rey's possession on the desert planet Jakku.

Han is looking extrememly concerned on a snowy planet. 

This is a great shot of the Millennium Falcon coming out from a forest of trees.

Rey is seeing red. 

Does she see Kylo in front of her?

If she's shooting at him, no dice.

Sparks fly as Kylo Ren deflects a few blaster shots.

Finn is very unsettled by something.

But he should probably look out for that shadowy figure over his right shoulder.

And finally, we get a good shot of Chewbacca giving his iconic Wookiee roar.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is in theaters December 18.

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The new "Star Wars" movie will include a pink robot that was created by a "Star Wars" fan to honour his daughter who was dying of cancer, it has been confirmed.

"R2-KT" is a pink astromech droid that looks similar to R2-D2, but pink. The robot was created for "Star Wars" fan Albin Johnson's daughter Katie, who suffered from brain cancer.

Katie Johnson died in 2005, but the pink droid named after her has been used to raise money for charity and has since appeared at "Star Wars" conventions around the world.

Albin Johnson tweeted on Saturday that the pink droid will appear in the new "Star Wars" movie, making it part of the story canon.

R2-KT has already appeared several times in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" TV show, but it will now be given a part in the new movie.

Reddit user "llvihearsevil"pointed out that the pink droid was spotted in the corner of a behind the scenes video that was released at Comic-Con in July:

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NOW WATCH: A 56-year-old man filmed a conversation with his 18-year-old self, and it's going viral

With "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in theaters December, everyone will be heading to a galaxy far, far away for their holiday shopping.

We've tried out the toys kids will want and searched for the gifts you'll be looking for.

Join the conversation about this story »

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The “Star Wars” saga has always been fun for the whole family, but at the end of the day the buzzkills at the Motion Picture Association of America still need to do their job. Most “Star Wars” films to date have merely been classified as PG, but the dark, somber tone of “The Force Awakens” means that the latest entry to the “Star Wars” universe will garner a somewhat stricter rating.
 
Variety has confirmed that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has officially received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA, primarily for "sci-fi action violence." This is pretty much the exact reason one would expect an installment in the “Star Wars” saga to receive such a rating. Despite being largely bloodless affairs – lightsabers and blasters conveniently cauterize wounds – the “Star Wars” films are still about wars at the end of the day; as a result of this they tend to rack up some fairly impressive body counts. It also puts to fears – or hopes? – that we may get a wookiee nude scene at some point in the film.
 
This rating is not exactly an unprecedented decision for the franchise. While the first two prequel films were primarily geared towards younger audiences, the most recent – and arguably darkest – entry to the “Star Wars” saga (“Revenge of the Sith”) garnered a PG-13 rating as well. It’s also worth noting that the original trilogy was released during a time when the PG-13 rating did not exist, and as such, it seems likely that a film like “The Empire Strikes Back” would have also received a PG-13 rating if the option had been available. Check out the final trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” below to see if it deserves a PG-13 rating.

PG-13 seems to be the go-to for most major blockbusters of the modern era. Movies like “Avatar,” “The Dark Knight,” and every installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have opted for a PG-13 rating because it seemingly casts the widest possible audience net. Even Warner Bros. recently came out stating that the entirety of their DC Extended Universe would be rated PG-13 to ensure tonal cohesion – therefore killing our dreams of an R rated “Suicide Squad.”
 
At the end of the day, we cannot exactly say that the rating surprises us. “The Force Awakens” was always going to be a darker affair that felt more in line with the tone of the original trilogy than the kid friendly prequels. We will know for sure if “The Force Awakens” earns its PG-13 rating on December 18 when the film finally blasts its way into theaters.

SEE ALSO: The new "Star Wars" game has an Easter Egg only the most serious "Star Wars" fans understand

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NOW WATCH: Fans made a low-budget version of the 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' trailer and it's spot-on

It seems fandom's obsession with “Star Wars” forced George Lucas off the web.

In a lengthy new Washington Post profile of the creator of the “Star Wars” saga, Lucas said that since 2000, he’s avoided the internet and all its trappings like Facebook, Twitter, even email.

A large part of this has to do with the constant ridicule he’s received since making the “Star Wars” prequels from 1999-2005. Though they were huge box-office draws, most fans thought they couldn’t hold a candle to the original trilogy.

Lucas told Vanity Fair back in June: 

“It was fine before the internet... But now... it’s gotten very vicious and very personal. You just say, ‘Why do I need to do this?’”

In the Post story, Lucas also chimed in on the decades-long debated question: Did Han Solo shoot first in the Mos Eisley cantina? 

Since “A New Hope” came out in 1977, many have argued about if it was Solo or Greedo, one of Jabba the Hut’s henchmen searching for Solo, who shot first in their famous faceoff.

That can now be put to rest by Lucas' answer.

“I was thinking mythologically — should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, ‘Yeah, he should be John Wayne.’ And when you’re John Wayne, you don’t shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It’s a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to," he said.

This is also obvious when looking at how Lucas changed the scene when he did his special edition. Here’s a comparison of it next to the original:

So there you have it, Greedo shot first. Don’t bother emailing George your thoughts.

SEE ALSO: Why this scene in "Return of the Jedi" is the most disappointing from all the "Star Wars" special editions

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We're just a few weeks away from the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

The final version of the movie is done and has already been screened — Steven Spielberg has reportedly seen it a few times— but as of a few weeks ago, one important person still hadn't seen it: "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, according to an interview with the Washington Post.

Lucas thought he might end up screening the film with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy (who took over the reins from Lucas) and "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams., he told the Post.

And while this will be the first time Lucas will get to experience a "Star Wars" film purely as a fan, he doesn't sound particularly eager to head to a galaxy far, far away. If anything, it sounds like he just wants to get it over with, if he hasn't already.

“Now I’m faced with this awkward reality, which is fine,” Lucas told the Washington Post. “I gotta go to the wedding. My ex will be there, my new wife will be there, but I’m going to have to take a very deep breath and be a good person and sit through it and just enjoy the moment, because it is what it is and it’s a conscious decision that I made.”

It may not be the response you'd expect, but it's not an unreasonable one.

Lucas has had an idea of what episode VII should be like for some time. Mark Hamill has said Lucas originally pitched the idea for a seventh "Star Wars" movie to him back in the '80s. A 1978 Time magazine article suggested Lucas planned up to a dozen "Star Wars" movies.

Earlier this year, Lucas told USA Today he originally planned to make episode VII himself. His plan was to release the film in May 2015 and then sell his company Lucasfilm afterward. 

Instead, he sold the company to Disney for $4 billion in October 2012 along with treatments for three more "Star Wars" films.

He knew a third trilogy could take up to another decade of his life, and the 71-year-old filmmaker said at a January press conference for his animated picture "Strange Magic" that he'd rather spend the time with his newborn daughter Everest.

Though CEO Bob Iger told Bloomberg the treatments "had a lot of potential," Disney ended up scrapping Lucas' ideas for a new "Star Wars" trilogy.

“The ones that I sold to Disney, they came up to the decision that they didn't really want to do those,” Lucas told Cinemablend. “So they made up their own. It's not the ones that I originally wrote.”

After selling Lucasfilm to Disney, Lucas was originally brought on in the vague role of a creative consultant for the new films.

Basically, Kennedy defined his role as being available to answer any "Star Wars"-related questions which may arise in order to make sure items made sense within the constructs of the universe.

That doesn't seem like it ended up working out. According to the Washington Post's lengthy interview, Lucas had no connection to the new film.

"There is no such thing as working over someone’s shoulder,” said Lucas. “You’re either the dictator or you’re not. And to do that would never work, so I said ‘I’m going to get divorced.’ . . . I knew that I couldn’t be involved. All I’d do is make them miserable. I’d make myself miserable. It would probably ruin a vision — J.J. has a vision, and it’s his vision."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is in theaters December 18, 2015.

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NOW WATCH: Harrison Ford surprised a bunch of 'Star Wars' fans, and they totally freaked out

There's a scene in the 1977 "Star Wars" that has been driving fans mad since then.

For years, they debated whether Han Solo (Harrison Ford) or Greedo took the first shot in the famous Cantina scene, until an updated version released in 1997 in which Lucas edited it to make it clear that Greedo shot first.

This decision drove fans crazy.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Lucas finally justified his decision. He wanted to make sure that Solo was a hero, and having him shoot first just didn't seem to be in the character's nature. 

"Han Solo was going to marry Leia, and you look back and say, 'Should he be a cold-blooded killer?'" he said. 

"Star Wars" is first and foremost a space Western and Han Solo has frequently been compared to a cowboy. In Lucas' mind, the best Western characters don't shoot first.

"Because I was thinking mythologically — should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, 'Yeah, he should be John Wayne.' And when you’re John Wayne, you don't shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It's a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to," Lucas said. 

See Han Solo's continued adventures in "The Force Awakens" on December 18th.

Story by Ian Phillips and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Lin-Manuel Miranda probably has enough on his plate, as his current musical “Hamilton” is a massive hit on Broadway, but director J.J. Abrams revealed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Monday that Miranda also helped him with music for a specific scene in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Abrams told Fallon that while he was seeing “Hamilton” with his son, Miranda came up to him during intermission (he was not performing that night) and jokingly said to Abrams, “If you need music for the cantina, I’ll write it.”

What Miranda didn’t know was that Abrams really did need music for the cantina scene he has in the movie, as the legendary composer on the film, John Williams, focused more on the film’s score.

“So I end up e-mailing Lin Miranda and I say, ‘I know you were kidding, but if you actually want to write this music, I’m actually working on something.’ And he said, ‘I’ll drop everything!’”

Abrams and Miranda sent back and forth music files, which included Miranda singing and playing instruments. A version of that collaboration between the two, Abrams said, is now in the movie.

Watch Abrams on "Fallon":

 And here's the cantina song from the original "Star Wars" trilogy:

SEE ALSO: George Lucas hasn't looked at the internet in 15 years — this is why

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Harrison Ford has officially seen "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and he gives it a thumbs up.

“It’s a wonderful movie, it’s got great production values," Ford revealed on "Good Morning America" without giving much away. "It’s a real big movie, and I was delighted to see it.”

The 73-year-old actor said it was great to see the film back up on the big screen, and that "a really great script" helped convince him to reprise his iconic role of Han Solo.

Ford is among a handful of people who have reportedly seen the movie so far.

Director J.J. Abrams previously showed a first cut of the film awhile back to Disney CEO Bob Iger and executives including Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, an experience Abrams called "horrifying."

Actress Daisy Ridley claims that Steven Spielberg has seen the movie three times.

One person who has yet to see it is creator George Lucas. 

He's okay with that at the moment.

While Lucas has said he'll look forward to finally being a spectator to a new "Star Wars" film, he told the Washington Post any viewing with Disney, to whom he sold his company Lucasfilm in 2012, would feel like attending an "awkward" wedding.

We only have to wait a few more weeks to know just how great and wonderful "The Force Awakens" is, too.

The film will be released December 18.

Watch the clip of Harrison Ford on "GMA" below:

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Disney just launched its first virtual reality "experience" to tie in with the launch of the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" movie.

It features the show's iconic title sequence — and the Millennium Falcon being pursued by fighters.

The movie studio and Google have teamed up to release a series of virtual reality "experiences" based on the sci-fi blockbusters series, the companies announced earlier in November. They are being developed by Lucasfilm lab ILMxLAB.

You watch the experience using Google Cardboard, Google's DIY virtual reality headset made of — you guessed it — cardboard. It works on both Android and iOS. Access the experience itself using the official Star Wars app: Download the Android version here, or the iOS version here. You watch it using Google Cardboard, Google's DIY virtual reality headset made out of — you guessed it — cardboard.

In the US, you can pick up a special version of Cardboard from Verizon shops starting from today. Alternately, you can get one directly from Google or its partners. It will work on both iOS and Android.

If you don't have a Google Cardboard headset, that's not a problem. There's also an option to view it as a regular video, moving the phone to see from different angles.

The first experience — named "Jakku Spy"— went live at 8AM GMT on Wednesday morning. The roughly minute-long clip features Star Wars' iconic title sequence and the Millennium Falcon being pursued over the desert world Jakku by fighters. It appears to be the same chase scene seen in an earlier trailer for the movie.

It's the first in a series of these experiences — 8 more are still to come, with the next dropping two days from now.

The VR project is one of a number of tie-ins between Google and Disney ahead of the new movies. Google users can also choose a special theme for their apps based on either the Light or Dark Side, and Easter eggs have been littered through Google's products.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens in cinemas on December 17.

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Harrison Ford didn't reprise his role as Han Solo in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for nostalgia's sake. He's very clear that he was a hired hand.

Ford made an appearance on "The Tonight Show" last night and host Jimmy Fallon asked if the 73-year-old star got emotional from putting Solo's costume on again.

"No, I got paid," Ford responded. 

The actor also demonstrated the leg injury he receieved on set by using a Han Solo doll Fallon provided. 

"They closed the f---king door on me," he "whispered" to Fallon before breaking pieces off of the doll.

During the course of the interview, the duo took a couple shots and did spit takes in response to saying J.J. Abrams' name. Harrison Ford also joked about being nominated for but not winning an Oscar, and he completely destroyed an original Han Solo action figure.

You can watch the clip of Harrison Ford getting very honest and funny below: 

SEE ALSO: Harrison Ford has seen 'Star Wars' and says it's 'wonderful'

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NOW WATCH: Will Smith has a very unique parenting style, and it has produced some interesting results

Most people connect with "Star Wars" because we all either hate or fear our fathers. At least that's what Ryan Britt, author of the upcoming book "Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths," thinks. In the book, Britt runs with this idea, which he says stems from fellow author Chuck Klosterman. See what he has to say about how our parental relationships color our feelings for the film "Star Wars."

Produced by Corey Protin

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Setting up a Christmas tree can be quite the chore, but one father and son duo found the perfect helpers to make the process more fun.

In anticipation for the new "Star Wars" movie, Phil Shearrer and his son Kyle took a bunch of Stormtrooper toys and cleverly posed them to make it appear as if they set up their holiday tree.

The over two dozen photos have been shared over 150,000 times and have received over 10,000 comments since they were uploaded to Facebook November 29.

Kyle Shearrer, from Columbia, Missouri, tells Tech Insider he and his father are excited for the new movie so they decided to take a bunch of his dad's 12-inch Hasbro figures from the '80s and '90s and pose them while setting up the tree. 

"We've always kind of played with them whenever we get bored, so it was a pretty natural progression to just start taking pictures of them," said Shearrer.

As the photos progress, there are a lot of fun little gags in the background. Luke Skywalker gets caught sleeping on the job and gets taken away. Another Stormtrooper gets electrocuted after trying to put a fork into a wall outlet. (He thought someone told him to use the fork, not the force.)

Kyle says he came up with a lot of those on the fly. 

"We wanted to always have stuff going on in the background, we bounced ideas back and forth and I ran around finding little props like the fork and cigarette and pieces of paper," says Shearrer. "That was my favorite part of this project — the little details everyone caught on to."

In total, Kyle predicts it took a total of two hours to set up the tree and do the photoshoot.

"It usually takes us about an hour to set up the tree, we probably spent another one posing the guys and taking pictures," says Shearrer.

Even the family dog Max, a Morkie (a Maltese/Yorkshire terrier mix), got in on the fun.

Shearrer says he's been surprised by the amount of people who have seen their photos. "It's crazy! We just love how everyone has embraced them. Dad said it was like sharing a Christmas card with a million people!"

And since the family regularly poses their toys, this may not be the last we see of them.

"There may be something in the works, we will see," Shearrer hints.

Fans probably wouldn't mind seeing more. Head here to see all of Kyle and Phil Shearrer's Stormtrooper photos.  

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Major geopolitical events have often been followed by volatility in the economy and financial markets.

World War II helped to shake the US out of the Great Depression. The Civil War set the economy of the Southern US back for generations.

Now you can add to those annals of financial catastrophes the Rebel Alliance's destruction of the Galactic Empire's Death Star.

Zachary Feinstein, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, published a study of the financial impact of the events in the Star Wars films on the economy of the fictional galaxy.

With tongue almost certainly in cheek, Feinstein wrote the paper exactly as you would any other academic finding.

"In this paper we study the financial repercussions of the destruction of two fully armed and operational moon-sized battle stations (“Death Stars”) in a 4-year period and the dissolution of the galactic government in Star Wars," began the abstract of the study.

"The emphasis of this work is to calibrate and simulate a model of the banking and financial systems within the galaxy. Along these lines, we measure the level of systemic risk that may have been generated by the death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the second Death Star."

With full on footnotes and in-text citations to "Lucas" and "Kershner" (the screenwriters of Star Wars, George and Irvin respectively), Feinstein found that the destruction of the Death Stars and collapse of the Galactic Empire would throw the galactic economy into chaos.

"In this case study we found that the Rebel Alliance would need to prepare a bailout of at least 15%, and likely at least 20%, of [Gross Galactic Product] in order to mitigate the systemic risks and the sudden and catastrophic economic collapse," said the study. "Without such funds at the ready, it likely the Galactic economy would enter an economic depression of astronomical proportions."

The scale of the Galactic economy, as modeled by Feinstein, is massive. Average Gross Galactic Product, similar to our GDP, during the 20 year reign of the Empire is around $4.6 sextillion a year. For reference, a sextillion is a 1 followed by 21 zeros (in the US) and 59 million times the Earth's 2014 GDP.

Feinstein estimates that based on the cost of building the Death Stars, loans from the Galactic Banking system and a fiscally conservative Emperor, the government would default on $515.5 quintillion (1 and 18 zeroes in the US) in bonds.

This would then cause the galactic banking system to collapse, necessitating a bailout as over 1,700 banks would be "too big to fail."

As mentioned by Feinstein, this would again be a problem as the central government structure would most likely collapse after the death of the Emperor and the "scrappy underdogs", as Feinstein says, of the Rebel Alliance would be unlikely to pick up the slack.

Based on all of this analysis, maybe we should have been rooting for Darth Vader after all.

SEE ALSO: From Mariah Carey to 10-month-old pizza sauce — here are the oddest things execs told investors

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Everyone, from President Obama down to a lowly moisture farmer on Tatooine can agree that planet-destroying weapons are bad news. Barring a few Imperial hold-outs, it's clear that not only is the Death Star massively expensive, the best case for using a Death Star is war crimes on a galactic scale.

So it should come as no surprise that not only are Death Stars themselves bad news, but the economics of building them might mean that, if the Empire collapses, the mortgage on the Death Star could send the entire galaxy into ruins as well.

One of the more perplexing facets of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens is how, after the Rebel Alliance successfully destroyed two Imperial Death Stars (and the Emperor himself), the titular war is still going on. 

Note: Minor spoilers follow.

As already spoiled, the Empire's legacy seems to live on in The First Order, and what remains of the Rebel Alliance is now The Resistance. Unlike other visions of a post-Imperial galaxy for Star Wars, there is no glorious New Republic spreading freedom and democracy wherever it goes.

So how could a victorious Rebellion succeed in battle but fail in governance?

Economics, it turns out. “It's a Trap: Emperor Palpatine's Poison Pill," is a new, highly detailed analysis paper of the economic fallout of the Death Stars' destruction published today on the open source server Arxiv.

The work of financial engineering professor Zachary Feinstein of Washington University in St. Louis, it is a deep and thorough dive into the financial systems of a galaxy far, far away.

The true cost of the Death Star

The Death Star in life was a threat to individual planets, but according to Feinstein's paper, in death it was a guarantee of financial destruction.

First, Feinstein uses estimates of the steel in the Death Star to reach a lower bound for the cost of the raw material. Then, by comparison to an aircraft carrier, Feinstein derives the cost of the non-steel components of the Death Star. That tells us the rough, low estimate cost of the station itself, but even astronomical costs on earth are insignificant on the scale of Galactic Empire.

So to figure out the relative cost, Feinstein goes with the reasonable assumption that the Death Star took a Manhattan Project proportion of resources to make, and working backwards derives the relative size of the Imperial economy.

The net result: if the first Death Star cost the Empire $193 Quintillion (in 2012 U.S. dollars), then the gross domestic product of the galactic economy was roughly $4.6 Sextillion a year.

The economic impact of destroying the two Death Stars

Feinstein isn't directly concerned with the costs. Instead, he wants to understand the banking and financial mechanisms that sustained a project like that.

Following logic stitched together from prequels and Wookiepedia, we get a galactic banking sector with assets that are 60 percent of the gross galactic domestic product.

Since these banks are likely heavily invested in the Empire itself and the Death Star specifically, the destruction of one Death Star by intergalactic terrorists and the collapse of the Empire following the destruction of the second, would devastate the galactic markets, and create a financial crisis on a truly massive scale.

A Galactic Bailout?

To avert this catastrophe, the Rebel Alliance would need to have not just the legitimacy of Imperial defeat, but tremendous reserves of hard cash to bail out the collapsing financial system. Feinstein concludes:

In this case study we found that the Rebel Alliance would need to prepare a bailout of at least 15%, and likely at least 20%, of GGP in order to mitigate the systemic risks and the sudden and catastrophic economic collapse. Without such funds at the ready, it likely the Galactic economy would enter an economic depression of astronomical proportions

Cruel as the Empire was, there's some strong economic reasons for how they were able to stay in power. As for the Rebels — sadly, it seems they left their wallets on Alderaan.

This article was written by Kelsey D. Atherton from Popular Science and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

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Someone has finally done it.

YouTube channel Disneyland Experience has taken all of the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailers, TV ads, and features and attempted to put them all in chronological order.

We spotted this first on the blog /film, and it's really good. 

The six-minute long trailer starts off showing Rey scavenging on Jakku before cutting to Kylo Ren and the First Order setting a planet — maybe Jakku, maybe not — ablaze. We then see Poe captured and tortured by Kylo. Finn then makes a decision to flee the First Order and winds up on Jakku.

Rey saves the abandoned BB-8 from a few rogue scavengers and meets up with Finn, who has shed his Stormtrooper gear. The First Order, perhaps in search of Finn, but most likely to find BB-8, who is supposed to have some important information, are then seen chasing after Finn, Rey, and BB-8. 

The trio winds up aboard the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca. They head to another planet, presumably with Lupita Nyong'o's CG alien character, Maz Kanata, before the First Order finds them there.

Personally, I think some of these scenes are still out of order. Poe may not appear this early in the film, and scenes with the First Order gathering and Kylo Ren looking out of a spaceship have no context whatsoever. They can easily occur early or later in the film.

Still, the video does a good job of piecing together similar scenes. The only issue: None of the dialogue made it in. So if you haven't watched all the trailers and ads obsessively, it can be tough to follow along.

What we do know is that "The Force Awakens" is two hours and 16 minutes long, so this six-minute chunk still barely even scratches the surface of the film.

Check out the compilation below.

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Adding to the list of original "Star Wars" characters returning to the galaxy in "The Force Awakens" is a character from with one line of dialogue in "Return of the Jedi" but a lot of staying power.

Fans can rest assured that Admiral Ackbar is coming back.

In its "Star Wars" cover story, Rolling Stone confirmed that the former rebel leader, known for his "It's a trap" line, will make an appearance in the upcoming film. 

Fans did think they spotted the Admiral in a TV spot that debuted last month, but this confirms the news. 

Other fan favorites making a return include: Han Solo, Princess (now General) Leia, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, C-3P0, and R2-D2

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will be released December 18. 

SEE ALSO: The world's top designers made these 'Star Wars'-inspired clothes you'd actually want to wear

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