Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn't always have that title. Pablo Hidalgo, creative executive at Lucasfilm Story Group, said on Twitter that "for the longest time," The Force Awakens was known as Shadow of the Empire.


Does the name sound familiar? That's because it's close to the title of a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel by Steven Perry. Shadows of the Empire was released in 1996 and is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi—it was one part of a multimedia campaign, which also featured a video game, comic book, and set of action figures.

Hidalgo said that "with so many books, it's inevitable" that some pieces of the universe would share a name. The name might have only caused confusion though, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens has nothing to do with the book. And, after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the company declared that only the movies should be considered official canon.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted on December 18, and unsurprisingly, the movie has remained in its top spot at the box office, and continues to break lots of records.