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8 Minor Characters From Star Wars: The Force Awakens With Insane Origin Stories

When watching a Star Wars film, we get the sense that every seemingly insignificant cantina patron or X-Wing pilot is carrying with them untold stories, and that’s exactly what makes the franchise’s universe so rich. It’s also why the Expanded Universe is appealing to passionate fans; we get to learn more about ridiculously minor elements of the movies that are only tangentially connected to the main characters. For example, a random dude running by during the Cloud City escape in The Empire Strikes Back receives a full name (Willrow Hood), an elaborate personal history and plenty of devotees at every convention.

8) Roodown

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Roodown, also known as Crusher, is one of the very first new aliens we see in The Force Awakens. As Rey returns to Niima Outpost after a day of hunting for parts, Crusher is lumbering along behind her, and that’s literally his entire role in the film. But the creature is so visually interesting that we immediately want to know more about him, and because this is Star Wars, there’s plenty to know.

As explained in the Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Roodown used to be one of the best scavengers on Jakku until he ran into some trouble with Unkar Plutt. Plutt got word that Crusher was selling supplies to another buyer, and so he sent some of his minions to go cut off Crusher’s arms. Kind of a harsh punishment, eh?

If something about Unkar Plutt and arms being ripped off rings a bell, hardcore fans may recall that in a deleted scene, Plutt makes his way to Maz’s Castle in pursuit of Rey and has his arms torn out by Chewbacca. If only that had made it into the film.

Since then, Crusher has had a pair of load-lifter arms installed to replace his real ones, as it wouldn’t be Star Wars without someone having a robotic limb. Sadly, he was never able to work as scavenger again, but he now makes a living around Niima Outpost hauling junk for hire. Rey mentions Crusher briefly in Rey’s Survival Guide, and she speculates that Plutt allowed him to continue working around Niima because he felt bad about the whole ordeal. See, Unkar does have a heart!