New Details On Lupita Nyong'o's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Character Revealed

11/12/2015 10:06 am EST

New details have been revealed about the pirate queen Maz Kanata, a new character played by Lupita Nyong'o in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

As some fans already figured out, Kanata is small alien with goggles pictured at the center of the film's theatrical poster. She also speaks the line, "I have lived long enough to see the same eyes in different people. I see your eyes. I know your eyes,"in the film's TV spot.

"That's Maz," director J.J. Abrams tells EW. "I had some specific ideas about how she would work and what she would do. I had this pitch about these goggles that she wore. Her eyes are an important aspect of her character, and you'll see how it plays out."

Kanata had a long life before settling into her castle, where she's found in The Force Awakens.

"Her history is that she was a pirate for a long time," Abrams revealed. "She's lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole for about a century, and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe.

Those are all the details Abrams was willing to dole out. While Kanata's entire 1000 year life may not be revealed in the film, Abrams promised it would be explored elsewhere.

"All that backstory will be forthcoming," he said. "In the movie, you don't learn these things, but I know that these are things that are coming out in other venues."

Check out when Star Wars: The Force Awakens and other movies are coming out in ComicBook.com's Movie Release Schedule.

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