'Star Wars Episode 7' trailer: Names of characters featured in new preview revealed

The first teaser trailer for the new installment of the epic "Star Wars" franchise has been released, and it shows a plethora of new characters that will be introduced in the upcoming film. Director J.J. Abrams, the director of the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," revealed exclusively to Entertainment Weekly the names of the new characters.

The character name reveal was done using creative, faux-trading cards that provide the names of the actors and the characters that they portray. However, no other information was given to maintain the mystery of the roles.

Some of the names of the characters include:

  • Poe Dameron, portrayed by Oscar Issac: Poe is reportedly an X-Wing pilot, and he dons the same helmet as Luke Skywalker's seen on the original "Star Wars" trilogy.
  • Rey, played by Daisy Ridley: No surname was given for this character, which is why there are speculations saying that she might be the daughter of Princess Leia and Han Solo.
  • Kylo Ren, actor unknown: This character was earlier speculated as one of the Sith, but doubts surround it since there is no "Darth" attached to its name just like Darth Maul and Darth Sidious.
  • Finn, played by John Boyega: Another character without a family name, Finn might also have a popular relative from the earlier "Star Wars" movie.
  • BB-8, which is an adorable droid: Probably named after producer Bryan Burk, this new droid will be introduced in this installment of Star Wars.

Meanwhile, actor Mark Hamill, who reprisies his role as Luke Skywalker, was delighted when he first saw the trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." He even shared the reaction of other people who watched the trailer for the first time. 

The actor shared: "My daughter put it on for me. It was all these people watching the trailer. Sometimes you get sort of isolated and disconnected because I don't really follow it as closely as, say, [my son] Nathan does, but to see those people that thrilled, it was moving to me. I actually got a lump in my throat watching that. To see so many people that happy was a thrill. And it's hard to believe it's a whole year away that we have to wait but I'm practicing my phrase, 'You have to wait and see.' They asked me not to talk about it and I agreed but it's hard. People want to know!"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is slated for release on Dec. 18, 2015.