"Luke Skywalker has vanished," declared the opening text scroll of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and finding him became the movie's narrative thrust. The film ends with Rey (Daisy Ridley) finally finding Luke on a remote planet, Ahch-To, where he's living on a small rock island surrounded by a vast sea.

Director J.J. Abrams and his crew stressed "authenticity" with their location choices. "We wanted to make sure that wherever we went in this movie, you always felt you were really there," recounted Production Designer Rick Carter in an Ireland tourism video. For Luke's hiding place, they chose a truly remote site with history carved into its jagged exterior; Sceilg Mhichíl (Skellig Michael), a small island off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland, shaped like a mountain protruding out of the sea. Reportedly, Carter "stumbled across" a photo of the island and then Abrams fell in love at first sight.