In a real-life parallel to the film Fanboys (2009), Mark Hamill and John Boyega successfully lobbied director J.J. Abrams to allow Star Wars fan Daniel Fleetwood to see the film before official release, as Fleetwood had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and was not expected to live to see the film's release date of December 15, 2015. Fleetwood was shown the film at a screening in his house, after Disney agreed. Fleetwood died November 10, 2015.
When Finn and Rey ask Han if he is THE Han Solo, he replies, "I used to be," which is a reply Ford himself regularly uses when fans ask if he is Harrison Ford.
John Williams received his 50th Oscar nomination for scoring this film. He's only the second person in history to receive 50 or more nominations. The first was Walt Disney, with 59 nominations.
Mark Hamill claimed George Lucas nonchalantly told him over lunch a new Star Wars trilogy was going to be made by Disney, and if he did not want to be involved, Luke Skywalker would simply be written out of the script. However, Hamill immediately agreed to reprise the role. Hamill admitted, however, that he pretended to also be nonchalant about it, so it didn't seem like he was excited for the role. He also said within five seconds Carrie Fisher exclaimed she'd do it, and asked if there was a part for her daughter Billie Lourd.
Only time Harrison Ford has received top billing in a Star Wars film, making him the first non-Jedi character to be credited first.
Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian: The two martial arts stars, from La redada (2011) and La redada 2 (2014), play Razoo Quin-Fee and Tasu Leech, two of the mercenaries who confront Han Solo with an unpaid debt.
Stefan Grube: X-Wing pilot Yolo Ziff (who says, "Black Leader, there's a brand new hole in that Oscilator") is played by the man who edited the trailers for this movie.
Nigel Godrich: Radiohead's producer makes a cameo as stormtrooper FN-9330, and composer Michael Giacchino, who has composed music for many of J.J. Abrams projects, plays stormtrooper FN-3181.
Daniel Craig: The Stormtrooper whom Rey convinces to release her restraints and leave the door open. Fittingly, because Craig has played James Bond aka Agent 007 repeatedly, and it's the 007th Star Wars film. Craig, who was shooting 007: Spectre (2015) at the same Pinewood Studios in the UK, jokingly asked friend and 2nd AD Ben Dixon to see if J.J. Abrams would allow him to play a small part. Craig was surprised when Abrams agreed to his cameo. Fans have given him the unofficial Stormtrooper number JB-007, although the Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016) game finally revealed the Stormtrooper's actual designation: FN-1824.
J.J. Abrams: In the bar on Takodana, a song is being sung by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There's also a second voice, that of Abrams.
J.J. Abrams: [Greg Grunberg] Almost every project Abrams has ever produced, directed, or been otherwise involved with, has contained a substantial role, a cameo or at least a reference to his childhood friend Greg Grunberg. Grunberg, who has known Abrams since the age of four, first appeared in an Abrams project at age ten (they made home movies together while on play dates). Grunberg plays the character "Snap Wexley" in this film. Their previous collaborations include Lost (2004), Alias (2001), Felicity (1998), Súper 8 (2011), Misión: Imposible III (2006) and Star Trek (2009). Abrams even managed to work Grunberg's name into his dialogue in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), a project in which Abrams was an actor, but not a writer, director, or producer.
J.J. Abrams: [Kelvin] Rey mentions "Kelvin Ridge" to BB-8. J.J. Abrams incorporates the name of his maternal grandfather, Henry Kelvin, into all his projects. In addition, the end credits reveal that one of the Resistance Pilots is named 'Niv Lek', or 'Kelvin' backwards.
J.J. Abrams: [father] Gerald W. Abrams appears as an extra in many of his son J.J. Abrams' projects, this time as Resistance member Captain Cypress.
J.J. Abrams: [47] When locating the site of Starkiller Base's shields, Finn mentions "Precinct 47". J.J. Abrams frequently uses the number "47" throughout his work, most notably Alias (2001), Lost (2004), and Star Trek (2009).
J.J. Abrams: [New York] When Han, Chewie, and Finn are searching for Rey some comm chatter states that there is a disturbance in sector "718". That is the phone area code for the New York City boroughs of Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. Abrams was born in New York City, and his favorite music group, Beastie Boys hail from Brooklyn.