Old-time fans of Star Wars will have much to love when The Force Awakens opens this December. As well as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2, there are a host of other continuity references to the original trilogy. We pick the five we’re most excited by...

1) The Millennium Falcon 

When that first trailer hit the net last Christmas, our loudest cheer was saved for the reappearance of “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy”, the Millennium Falcon, swooping through the skies of Jakku, pursued by a gaggle of TIE Fighters. And from the glimpses we’ve had through the trailers and 'Making Of' videos, the Falcon looks pleasingly unchanged since the old days.

2) Holochess 

Yep, the chess game, named Dejarik, that Chewie and C-3PO play onboard the Falcon in the first Star Wars is reported to be making a return. And Phil Tippett, who animated the original sequence in 1977, is back on stop-motion duties for its reappearance in The Force Awakens. Despite the 30-plus years since A New Hope, we’re guessing there’s still only one rule that matters: "Let the Wookie win."

3) Luke’s original lightsaber 

If you recall, Luke lost his first lightsaber after his hand was sliced off by Darth Vader during their fight at Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. Word on the street is that that lightsaber is an important plot device in the new movie, and it can be seen being handed to Princess Leia in the second trailer (yes, that is her hand there), as well as being wielded by Finn in the recent Instagram post.

4) Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb

According to internet gossip, two familiar faces from Return of the Jedi will be making their returns in The Force Awakens. Admiral Ackbar was the Supreme Commander of the Rebel Alliance Fleet in the battle for Endor, while Nien Nunb helped Lando Calrissian pilot the Falcon in the attack on the second Death Star. Oh yes!

5) Darth Vader’s helmet 

He may be long dead, but it seems that the legacy of Darth Vader looms large over The Force Awakens. It’s said that the movie’s big bad, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), is obsessed with the late Sith Lord, and so we can only presume it’s him who’s in possession of Vader’s fire-charred helmet, as seen in the second trailer.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens at Cineworld on 17th December.