Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the fall of the Empire and is the 7th movie in the Star Wars canon timeline order. A new dark force, the First Order, has risen from the remnants of the Empire, led by Supreme Leader Snoke and his apprentice, Kylo Ren. The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, fights to stop them. Leia sends her best pilot, Poe Dameron, to the desert planet Jakku to retrieve a map that leads to Luke Skywalker, who has gone into hiding. However, Poe is captured by Kylo Ren, while his droid, BB-8, escapes with the map.
Onboard a First Order Star Destroyer, Poe is tortured for information but is rescued by Finn, a stormtrooper who has become disillusioned with the First Order. They steal a TIE fighter and escape, but their ship crashes on Jakku, and Finn believes Poe has died in the crash. Meanwhile, BB-8 is found by Rey, a young scavenger living a lonely existence on Jakku, waiting for her family to return.
Finn reaches a settlement where he meets Rey and BB-8. When the First Order arrives to seize BB-8, Rey and Finn escape aboard the Millennium Falcon, which has been abandoned on Jakku. They are soon captured by none other than Han Solo and Chewbacca, who have been searching for their stolen ship. Han explains that Luke went into exile after his Jedi student, Kylo Ren, turned to the dark side and destroyed the new Jedi Order.
The group travels to Maz Kanata’s castle to seek help. There, Rey is drawn to Luke’s lightsaber, which gives her mysterious visions of the past. Frightened, she rejects the weapon and runs away. Meanwhile, the First Order demonstrates the power of their new superweapon, Starkiller Base, by destroying the New Republic’s capital and several planets. Kylo Ren and his forces attack Maz’s castle, capturing Rey after realizing she has seen the map to Luke Skywalker.
Han, Finn, and Chewbacca escape and reunite with Leia and the Resistance. Finn reveals he worked on Starkiller Base and helps plan a mission to destroy it. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren attempts to interrogate Rey, but she resists using the Force, realizing she has hidden powers. She escapes using a Jedi mind trick and makes her way into the snowy forests of Starkiller Base.
Han, Chewbacca, and Finn infiltrate Starkiller Base to disable its shields. While planting explosives, Han sees Kylo Ren, who is actually his son, Ben Solo. Han confronts him, pleading for him to abandon the dark side and come home. Kylo Ren hesitates but ultimately kills Han, shocking everyone. Chewbacca, enraged, shoots Kylo Ren and triggers the detonators, weakening the base.
As the Resistance fleet attacks, Finn and Rey try to escape but are confronted by Kylo Ren in the snowy forest. Finn wields Luke’s lightsaber but is quickly defeated. Kylo then tries to claim the weapon using the Force, but to his shock, Rey summons it instead. She fights back, tapping into the Force and ultimately overpowering Kylo Ren, leaving him wounded as the planet begins to collapse.
Poe leads the final attack on Starkiller Base, successfully destroying it. The heroes escape just before the base is consumed by an explosion. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren is taken away by General Hux to see Supreme Leader Snoke, who plans to complete his training.
Back at the Resistance base, R2-D2, who has been dormant, suddenly awakens and provides the missing piece of the map to Luke Skywalker. Rey, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 travel to the remote oceanic planet Ahch-To, where they find Luke Skywalker standing on a cliff. In the final moment, Rey silently offers him his lightsaber, setting the stage for the next chapter in the saga, entitled The Last Jedi.