( CNN ) -- `` Star Wars : Episode VII - The Force Awakens '' director J.J. Abrams has come up with a nostalgic way to reveal the names of the movie 's characters . We 've known for months that `` The Force Awakens '' features fresh faces like John Boyega , Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac . We even got to see them in action in the movie 's first trailer , which was released the day after Thanksgiving . But the lingering mystery was who exactly those actors are playing . Now , thanks to some clever retro-style trading cards , we know the names of their characters . The Force is with the new 'Star Wars ' trailer . Abrams teamed up with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy to create a set of trading cards that are a callback to the ones issued with `` Star Wars '' debut in 1977 . The cards , which were unveiled by Entertainment Weekly , do n't tell us a lot ; we pretty much just get a name and a small description . Hate the new lightsaber ? Stephen Colbert shows why you 're wrong . In other words , let the speculation begin . According to the cards , Isaac , the X-wing pilot seen in the first trailer , is playing someone named Poe Dameron . We do n't know whether he 's a good guy or a villain , but that name is n't exactly friendly . John Boyega , the actor seen at the start of the trailer stressed out in his Stormtrooper suit , is playing someone named Finn . His card acknowledges that he 's `` On the run , '' which might fuel speculation that Boyega 's wearing Stormtrooper gear as a disguise . And Daisy Ridley , the actress we see speeding through a desert landscape in the trailer , is playing a character named Rey . Earlier this year , rumors circulated that Ridley 's character was called Kira on set . In addition to those three , Abrams also revealed the name of the cloaked figure wielding that heavily debated new lightsaber : That character is Kylo Ren . Plus , we also learned that the little rolling droid at the beginning of the trailer is called BB-8 , which Entertainment Weekly suspects will be as sweet as it looks . That 's all Abrams has shared for now , but we 're still a long way off from `` The Force Awakens ' `` release date . The movie is set to bow on December 18 , 2015 . George Lucas has n't seen the new 'Star Wars ' trailer .
J.J. Abrams has revealed names of some `` Star Wars '' characters . The new film will be called " Episode VII : The cards do n't reveal much other than the character names .