During last weekend's Star Wars Celebration, star Oscar Isaac made the bold claim that his character Poe Dameron is the "best frickin' pilot in the galaxy," which is pretty much fightin' words if you're Han Solo. IGN recently had the opportunity to speak with Isaac about the beautifully crafted sci-fi tale Ex Machina , which goes into wide release on Friday, April 24.

During the course of the conversation, we touched on his role in Star Wars, as well as the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, in which he plays the titular villain.

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The Best in the Galaxy

When asked about his best of the best statement, Isaac reiterated his proclamation by saying, "That's just fact."Adding laughingly, "The gauntlet's been thrown. No one's picked it up yet. Look, he's the best frickin' pilot in the galaxy! What more can you say?"Previously, the actor has talked about researching WWII pilots in preparation for his role in Star Wars. In fact, during an earlier interview Isaac mentioned to IGN that Harrison Ford had offered to take him flying as a part of that prep. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is by all accounts a grand sci-fi adventure story, as one would expect, but it's also a war movie and Poe Dameron's a soldier. In the vein of the Star Wars movies we love, however, there's a tremendous amount of joy in the trailer, particularly Poe's unrestrained "Whoohooo!"

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Bonding with a Droid

When asked if his character will be bringing in a lot of that exuberance to the film as a whole, Isaac said, "[Joy] is where J.J. [Abrams] operates from. You know the whole thing is infused with such enthusiasm. Such joy. And I think that I definitely do get to inhabit a lot of that feeling. And I know it sounds weird, but the ecstasy of war, which is something that I read about. I read this book called, 'What it's Like to Go to War', which is literal. And this guy talked about that a lot - particularly with pilots. You know that feeling takes you to this weird, sacred space. It's this kind of high that happens. But yeah, I think that J.J. just infuses his enthusiasm and his passion for this story in every frame."We know that director J.J. Abrams is putting an emphasis on practical effects in his Star Wars entry. Seeing the fully functioning BB-8 rolling around during the Star Wars Celebration panel, however, was impressive, most impressive.When asked if it was an interesting challenge for him as an actor to bond with a droid, Isaac enthused, "Well, I mean you've seen BB-8! It's very hard not to bond with that little guy. I mean, it's amazing. It's an amazing design, too. I mean, just everybody that worked to make him come to life - or to makecome to life. Let's not give it a gender. It was just so cool to witness that."Quite naturally, BB-8 and R2 are now being compared - there's enough love in fans hearts for both, though - and Isaac assures that, "BB-8 definitely has its own modes of expression that are very unique."

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Working with Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher

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When he took the stage during Star Wars Celebration, Isaac said that it is a "certain Princess" that sends him on a fateful mission which will lead him to John Boyega's character, forever interweaving their fates.Isaac is an acclaimed and accomplished actor who's already worked with some of the greats of this industry, but one has to wonder if in stepping onto the set to work with Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (Leia) on a Star Wars movie, there's ever a moment when he goes out of body."You need to give over to the relationship," the actor reflected. "I mean there is that moment when I first would walk on the set and just see what was there and see them in costume. Or visit set and see them. And those would be sort of pinch yourself moments. Like, 'Wow, how did I even end up here?' So that would be pretty surreal, but then it's like you almost need that extra bit of energy to compartmentalize and approach it like any other job. Even though in the back of your head you know this is not any other job. In order to function properly and do your job properly you kind of have to diminish the thing."The relationships that were established in the original trilogy have become iconic. When asked if similar bonds are being formed in The Force Awakens to carry the franchise forward, as this has been referred to as a film that at least to some degree passes the mantle, Isaac said, "I would say that there are unique relationships. But there are elements that are also very familiar, as well."Isaac, along with the rest of the world, did see the amazing Interstellar/Star Wars video in which Matthrew McConaughey reacts emotionally to the teaser. "Yes, that was very funny. Very funny," Isaac laughed. He noted, as many have, that the video is actually "not that far away from some reactions."In terms of his interactions with the fans, the actor said the enormity of the project has finally hit him."I mean I was there - and no matter how much compartmentalization that you do - when I was there at Star Wars Celebration with just thousands of people in a state of religious ecstasy and watching the trailer, and everyone just levitating together in this moment, it really hit me - just the cultural impact of this story."When asked if that was in some ways overwhelming, the actor said that it is now out of his hands and in those of the fans."I mean at this point my job is done, so what happens on the other end of that is not really in my control," Isaac mused. "But it's also exciting. It's exciting to add to this culture."You can see Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina now and as Poe Dameron when Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in December, 2015.For all things Star Wars, stay tuned to IGN.

Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN