‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ a guide to the new galaxy of characters

The light side

REY

Who: A desert scavenger stuck on a middle-of-nowhere junkyard planet (echoes of Luke Skywalker?)

Played by: Daisy Ridley (co-star in a few British TV shows)

FINN

Who: Recovering Stormtrooper FN-2187, who switches to the good guys

Played by: John Boyega (British star of cult teens-vs.-aliens film “Attack the Block”)

POE DAMERON

Who: Rebel X-wing fighter pilot

Played by: Oscar Isaac (“Ex Machina,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” the main baddie in next year’s “X-Men: Apocalypse”)

BB-8

Who: A Rebel droid carrying a secret message (echoes of R2-D2?)

Played by: A puppet born from director J.J. Abrams’ drawing on a napkin, with a bit of soccer ball mixed in

MAZ KANATA

Who: An ancient, magical space pirate (not pictured)

Played by: Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) in motion-captured CGI

The dark side

KYLO REN

Who: A Force-ful warrior in the First Order, the new legion of evil. He rose from the shadowy Knights of Ren and is absolutely obsessed with Darth Vader.

Played by: Adam Driver (“This Is Where I Leave You,” HBO’s “Girls”)

CAPTAIN PHASMA

Who: Stormtrooper commander (and the franchise’s first female villain)

Played by: Gwedoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth on “Game of Thrones”)

GENERAL HUX

Who: Commander of the First Order

Played by: Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley in “Harry Potter” films, “Ex Machina,” “Brooklyn”)

SUPREME LEADER SNOKE

Who: The top dog on the dark side (not pictured)

Played by: Andy Serkis, in motion-captured CGI (as he did in “Lord of the Rings” and “Planet of the Apes”)

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 11:31 AM with the headline "‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ a guide to the new galaxy of characters."