We here at The A.V. Club suppose this is as good a place as any for a spoiler alert. But seriously, what kind of fan are you if you haven’t seen The Force Awakens at least once in the past 24 hours?
It would appear that the only person in Hollywood who doesn’t want to be in a Star Wars movie is Harrison Ford. As far back as the prequels, celebrities clamored to be part of George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise, and while most fans would prefer to play a Jedi or a smuggler, even the smallest, most expendable role—i.e., a Stormtrooper—would do. Playing a Stormtrooper isn’t all that difficult a task, either; you don’t need to show up for makeup, and there‘s certainly no training on how to fire an F-11D blaster rifle accurately. And, if you play a Stormtrooper, your character is guaranteed to be immortalized as an action figure.
And now it’s been confirmed that Daniel Craig—as well as composer and Abrams crony Michael Giacchino and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich—all scored roles in the film as members of the First Order’s battalion. Craig’s appearance actually comes during one of the film’s comic highlights, proving that there are no small roles, only actors too short for a stormtrooper: Craig can be seen in the scene where the Daisy Ridley’s Rey, after being captured by the First Order, harnesses the power of the Force and pulls an old Jedi mind trick on her guard. Craig even delivers a couple of lines, even though his voice might not be immediately recognizable under the helmet.
Rumors that Bond was stepping into a cameo in the new Star Wars have been circulating for quite some time, even after Craig scoffed at the concept, saying, “Why would I ever bother doing something like that? Fucking hell. Play an extra in another movie.” Craig was more than likely just covering for Simon Pegg, who let the whole thing slip earlier in the year. Keeping a lid on Star Wars spoilers is probably a 24/7 job.
[h/t /Film]