Back in October, merchandising photos fromStar Wars: The Force Awakenssurfaced, which revealed a brand new character called “Ello Asty.” Since many know that directorJ.J. Abramsis a longtime fan of the legendary rap groupBeastie Boys, it was believed that this character was named in honor of the group and their 1998 album “Hello Nasty.” Shortly thereafter, another theory surfaced that this character name also referenced the filmmaker’s beloved ABC seriesLost, since it phonetically spells out the title (El-Lo-As-Ty). While speaking withYahoo! Movies,J.J. Abramsconfirmed that this pilot’s name references bothBeastie BoysandLost.
“It is for me. But I’d be lying if I said I came up with that name. It was suggested to me from the creature department. And I loved it for that reason, because it referenced the album, and also because it spells outLost. And so both of those felt like, they were funny reasons to approve that name. Some names came from the creature department; some came from us, from me, from other people I’m working with. But it was one of the things that just felt like something funny that people might smile at.”
Shortly after the news of Ello Asty’s name surfaced, a Twitter user dubbedYakfacewent one step further and translated the Aurebesh writing on his helmet. The translation? ‘Born to Ill,’ an homage to theBeastie Boys' breakout 1986 album “Licensed to Ill.” If that wasn’t enough, Ello Asty is part of the Abednedo species. This ties intoBeastie Boyssong ‘Shadrach’, where the group references the Judaeo-Christian parable of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
J.J. Abramspreviously used theBeastie Boys' hit song “Sabotage” in his 2009Star Trekfranchise reboot. Ello Asty is described by the officialStar Warsdatabase as a skilled if occasionally reckless X-wing starfighter pilot for the Resistance. It isn’t known if this character has any speaking lines in the movie, or how large his role may be.
While there are many new characters inStar Wars: The Force Awakensthat have already been identified, we’ve probably only scratched the surface when it comes to theEaster EggsthatStar Wars: The Force Awakensmay contain. For example, we know that General Hux’s (Domhnall Gleeson) massive ice planet base is known as Starkiller, an homage to Luke Skywalker’s original name inGeorge Lucas' script. What do you think about thisStar Wars: The Force Awakenscharacter being named after theBeastie Boys?
