--- title: Star Wars the Force Awakens: How to Avoid Internet Spoilers description: For starters, don't talk to anyone. Seriously, no one. Not even dogs. canonical: https://time.com/4147941/avoid-star-wars-spoilers/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-15T14:10:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:52.267Z og:title: 7 Great Ways to Avoid 'Star Wars' Spoilers og:description: For starters, don't talk to anyone. Seriously, no one. Not even dogs. og:url: https://time.com/4147941/avoid-star-wars-spoilers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8933e95ecb170dc5/69887544ab6d7777f46a7918/star-wars-han-leia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: star-wars-han-leia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 7 Great Ways to Avoid 'Star Wars' Spoilers twitter:description: For starters, don't talk to anyone. Seriously, no one. Not even dogs. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8933e95ecb170dc5/69887544ab6d7777f46a7918/star-wars-han-leia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 7 Great Ways to Avoid _Star Wars_ Spoilers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Dec 15, 2015 2:10 PM UTC  Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm Ltd. by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Dec 15, 2015 2:10 PM UTC As you find yourself in public over the next few weeks, take a look around. Several of the people you’ll see will be silently grappling with a paralyzing fear. They’ll be pacing nervously, looking longingly at their phones without turning them on, and avoiding communication of any kind. Many of them, you’ll notice, will be very pale. What could possibly be plaguing so many people? That would be [_Star Wars_](http://time.com/4134371/how-j-j-abrams-brought-back-star-wars/) spoilers. Luckily, we’re here to help those people, with seven tips for avoiding pesky plot spoilers before they get a chance to see[_The Force Awakens_](http://time.com/4131635/star-wars-the-force-awakens-behind-the-scenes/) for themselves. **1\. Don’t talk to anyone.** This is the best place to start. Just cut off communication with literally ever other human being. No speaking, no whispering, no texting, no Snapchatting, no Morse code, no sign language, no carrier pigeons, no Words With Friends messages. Just don’t communicate with anyone. Dogs and cats are probably still fine to talk to. Wait, no, not even dogs. Sorry. **2\. Start paying for your own cell phone plan.** Once you realize how expensive data is, you definitely won’t want to use any, and then you won’t be tempted to go on the spoiler-infested Internet. **3\. Any time you see a male between the ages of 5 and 55, just start shouting.** He IS a _Star Wars_ fan, and he IS planning to spoil it for you. Your shouting will throw him off and allow you to make a safe exit while also drowning out his voice. **4\. Stay away from the grocery store.** _Star Wars-_branded [grapes](http://i.imgur.com/o94bsT4.jpg) and [oranges](http://i.imgur.com/R2zYkAj.jpg) and [apples](https://twitter.com/Odinsknot/status/676090276671332352) might ruin important plot points. To be safe, every time you see [J.J. Abrams](http://time.com/4133280/star-wars-the-force-awakens-jj-abrams-props/) — or anyone, really — near any sort of produce, run away with your hands over your ears. **5\. Stop drinking water until you’ve seen the movie.** Even [our water supply](https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5643/21945322809%5Fa0756fbebc%5Fz.jpg) isn’t safe from potential spoilers! > [](https://twitter.com/jeffgunn/status/676053565799071744) **6\. If you’re called for jury duty, stay home.** A crazy lady [who thinks she’s Princess Leia ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blcqvrt1T8c)might be there. It’s just not worth the risk. And hey, if you end up in jail for bailing on jury duty, your cell could be a great place to avoid additional spoilers. **7\. Abandon your life.** If you’re a _real_ fan who is serious about avoiding spoilers, then you should probably give everything up and go live as a hermit on a distant desert planet like Obi Wan Kenobi. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4147941/avoid-star-wars-spoilers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4147941/avoid-star-wars-spoilers/"},"headline":"7 Great Ways to Avoid Star Wars Spoilers","datePublished":"2015-12-15T14:10:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:52.267Z","description":"For starters, don't talk to anyone. Seriously, no one. 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