Some of the opening sequences from Star Wars: The Force Awakens have popped up with some slight alterations. There were a lot of changes and alterations to the story as it evolved. We got some things very wrong and some things very right. Now we’re going to hopefully set it straight. This information is likely as concrete as we can get short of having read the script. Once again the actions are very broad and there’s lots of implication to minor details. The general events were filmed last Summer at Pinewood Studios. Certain context is missing without the opening crawl too. I’m very confident in this information. It also links up and intertwines with a few other rumors that have been around the internet on these various topics.

As always, don’t read this if you’re not a spoiler junky. If you don’t mainline spoilers, you don’t want to read this at all.

What happens:

The film does open with a lightsaber in space. It falls to the ground in a savannah environment during the day. It is quickly discovered by a farmer named Naka. Naka accidentally ignites the weapon and starts a fire with it. At first he runs, but then turns around and obtains the weapon. I assume he snatches the weapon so it is not destroyed in the fire. Naka then takes the weapon to his elder called The Vicar.

The Vicar is most likely played by Max von Sydow. It is most likely a code name too. Chances are they didn’t need to name the character during filming so they just went with the title The Vicar. Anyways, the Vicar appears to contact the Rebels and this brings Poe Dameron to the planet.

Later that night, Poe Dameron arrives and retrieves the lightsaber from The Vicar. The only problem? They’ve brought the Empire there as well (not sure if the Empire followed Poe or intercepted the initially transmission he received). Poe sees Stormtroopers are coming and he places the laser sword safely in a little droid: BB-8. The droid flees and the heroic Poe Dameron prepares to fight!

Concurrently, a young Stormtrooper named Finn enters a situation that will drastically change his life forever. When his best friend dies in battle and he allows a few innocent villagers to escape, Kylo Ren orders him arrested and the village burned to the ground. Because Finn just isn’t naturally evil enough, he finds himself in the brig of a Star Destroyer with a Rebel pilot. Finn never learned to fly. Finn has the knowledge how to get out of the brig and Poe is their best chance to fly out of there. They hatch a plan to steal a TIE Fighter and make a run for it.

Brandon Rhea first mentioned that Poe would end up on the planet and get thrown in the brig. It was true as Star Wars 7 News reported that Poe and BB-8 are together at the start of the film, the brig is aboard a Star Destroyer and they do crash land on the planet afterward. Badass Digest were the first to report a hand in space with a lightsaber in it (there is no indication there is a hand involved). So we’re starting to see some of these loose strands coming together and making sense. It takes a village. Not just to burn down, but to figure this stuff out.