6 things you need to know before seeing ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

What’s a porg? Who is Rose Tico? And where in the galaxy is Luke Skywalker?

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” officially opens Dec. 15, but you can catch it as early as 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14. Here’s what you need to know before you go:

The timeline. Last year’s “Rogue One” was a prequel, taking place right before the very first “Star Wars” movie. If you didn’t see it, no problem. “The Last Jedi,” aka Episode VIII, continues the story from 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” picking up where we were left hanging, when mystery woman Rey (Daisy Ridley) delivered a lightsaber to Luke Skywalker (a bearded Mark Hamill) on a remote island (Ireland’s Great Skellig).

Watch this. Assuming you know the basics of Luke, Leia (the late Carrie Fisher) and The Force from the original trilogy, the only background you’ll need is “The Force Awakens.” In addition to Rey, that movie introduces Resistance newcomer Finn (John Boyega) and fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and, on the Dark Side, First Order baddies Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson). Sorry, it’s not streaming on Netflix, only Starz (for paying customers). Or buy it on other services such as Amazon, iTunes and Google Play. Or go old-school and get the DVD.

New characters. The universe expands with three major newcomers: Rose Tico is a Resistance mechanic played by Kelly Marie Tran, one of the first Asian-Americans cast in a major “Star Wars” role. Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern) helps General Leia lead the Resistance. And then there’s DJ (Benicio del Toro), a rogue conniver.

New critters. Are they included for the plot or merely for Disney’s holiday season merchandising? Regardless, the cutest little things in “Star Wars” are the porgs. They’ll remind you of Gremlins or those annoying Furby toys. But their inspiration comes from puffins, the little sea birds filmmakers saw all over Great Skellig island. Also look for the vulptex, sort of a shimmering crystal fox.

The KC connection. J.J. Abrams, who directed and co-wrote “The Force Awakens,” named Poe Dameron after his assistant, Morgan Dameron. Morgan, a KC native and Pembroke Hill graduate, is now a filmmaker in her own right, having shot “Different Flowers” in Kansas City last year.

What’s next. Abrams will return to direct the sequel to “Last Jedi,” the untitled “Episode IX,” due Dec. 20, 2019. But first, coming May 25, we’ll get another prequel, the Han Solo origin tale “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” directed by Ron Howard. After “Episode IX,” “Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson is on tap to deliver yet another trilogy, a story not related to the Skywalker family but instead focusing on a whole other galaxy of characters.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "6 things you need to know before seeing ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’."