The Mysterious and Marvelous Maz Kanata

Of the many wondrous and exhilarating elements of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the introduction of new characters (on both sides) was the best part. Many viewers were eager to see Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma since so much of the pre-release advertising centered on them and their First Order brethren. Of course, newcomers Rey, Finn, and Poe also were front and center for so much of the promotional assault too. But, buried halfway through the film and seen minimally in the poster was the diminutive, but intriguing Maz Kanata. Voiced and performance captured by Lupita N’youngo; little was known about Maz leading up to the film’s release, but after the fact it was a different story altogether.

I was pleasantly surprised by the character of Maz Kanata. She was/is a fitting addition to the Star Wars universe. Even before the trio of Han, Rey, and Finn stepped into her castle, Han stated she’d been running this watering hole “for a thousand years”. This piqued my interest since in the lore of Star Wars we are all familiar with the age of certain characters. Yoda was 900 years old in “Return of the Jedi” and Wookiees exceed 200 years. This revelation that Maz is 1000 years old, certainly indicates that she may be one of THE oldest characters we’ve ever been introduced to in the canon.

What’s more enticing about Maz though, is the undeniable question of whether or not, she is attuned to the ways of the force. It’s the first thing that came to my mind when, with her back to the door she blurts out “HAN SOLO!” I looked at my friend to my right with an “aha” and a point of the finger to the screen. Of course, her next quip to Solo about Chewbacca is equally amusing and just cements her as one of the most interesting, if not, lovable characters we’ve met. BUT, it’s her keen eyes, judging looks and knowing intuition, that simply intrigues me about her. Oh, that and whether or not she is touching the vein of the force.

Ok let’s just very briefly think about why a space pirate might be force sensitive. Well, from ‘a certain point of view’… being force sensitive, while running a criminal enterprise, could certainly have its advantages on both a financial and competitive level. But that still doesn’t get to the WHY. Why is Maz force sensitive? Because she obviously is, so don’t say she isn’t. Why would this 1000 year old pirate have gone out of her way to obtain and then hold onto the Skywalker Saber in a box, deep in the confines of her enclave? In her conversation with Rey in the hallway after her ‘force vision’, Maz clearly understands the tenets of the force. While she does not verbatim state the same things Yoda did to Luke; she is obviously either aware of the nature of the force or was, at some point, a padawan or follower of the ways of the force.

Additionally in her roundtable discussion, she makes it clear, she has over the years seen many iterations of the dark side of the force. The Sith, the Empire, the First Order. What else has she seen, what else does she know? She’s only referring to the last 40-60 years! If she is 1000 years old then she has seen things that weren’t even touched upon in the prequels. Which of course brings me to the next obvious question, is Maz Kanata of the same species as Yoda?

My first and worst suspicion is her lack of (or concealed) ears. Maz wears a very simple headscarf that obscures or hides any olfactory extremities. My thought is that JJ deliberately hid her ears for a reason. Second are her funky magnifying eye goggles. She and Yoda’s eyes are distinctively different, but perhaps her eyesight failed her millennia ago and the necessity of the goggles altered her appearance to a degree? Their height could also be disputed as could the color of the skin, but look around at our own human race; height, color and hair differentialites are all varied and unique, but all still human. Perhaps Yoda’s species is similar?

I’ve also heard that there is allegedly a scene that was shot where she prevents falling rubble from crashing down on Han, Chewie, and Finn in the tunnels under her castle. This is of course, very reminiscent of when Yoda stops debris from falling onto Obi-Wan and Anakin in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Regardless, this introduction to Maz has me hoping we see more of her diminutive character in Episode VIII. Of course, it will also be far more interesting if some of her backstory is revealed.

The Cantina Cast

The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!

• I’m a jack of many trades, but master of none; though I excel at drawing, writing and love photography. Aside from this blog I also review movies weekly in my column ‘Film Unfiltered’ for the Valley Breeze in Northern RI. You can find me on Facebook at teburke3, Twitter & Instagram: .MTFBWY, Tom