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In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey and Finn hide under one of the floor panels of the Falcon while they prepare to release poisonous gas. Han somehow finds them before they can release it.

How was Han able to find them so fast?

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  • 15
    Because it was the same trick he used when the DS1 picked up the Falcon.
    – phantom42
    Jan 6, 2016 at 15:40
  • 13
    Rey dropped something and made a noise.
    – PiousVenom
    Jan 6, 2016 at 15:40
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    Note regarding phantom42's comment: Same trick, different location. Rey and Finn weren't hiding in the aftermarket secret compartments, there were merely hiding in a mantenance bay. That was the same bay in which Chewie and Han spend some time working in Empire. The maintenance bay has a slotted panel that covers it, while the secret compartments have smooth, polished floor panels on top.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 6, 2016 at 19:18
  • It's the Falcon. Han and Chewie know exactly where every compartment where something can be smuggled in is because they put them there.
    – Shadur
    Sep 10, 2016 at 8:21
  • @Shadur - But how did he know which compartment to check first?
    – ibid
    Sep 11, 2016 at 1:29

3 Answers 3

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In the film, one can hear a sound of metal on metal just before Han and Chewie turn their attention to the floor panel. It sounds as if Rey or Finn dropped a tool on the floor. Alternately, the sound effect might be intended to represent the sounds of actually tampering with the gas line. In either case, it seems like Han and Chewie both overheard this sound, and they know the layout of the Falcon well enough to tell that it came from the compartments beneath the flooring.

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  • 2
    (I was confused about this as well the first time I watched the film, but it seemed to stand out on second viewing)
    – recognizer
    Jan 6, 2016 at 15:42
  • Just saw it again last night. There was definitely a noise.
    – T.J.L.
    Jan 7, 2016 at 15:18
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According to the film's junior novel, it was because Rey didn't put the deck plate back down properly:

Her current operators weren’t hard to find. A deck plate in the lounge wasn’t flush with the floor. Chewbacca tore it free and Han pointed his blaster at two youths—a male and female, both human—and a newfangled round-modeled droid. The youths raised their hands in surrender.

We actually see this in the film, although it's not made especially obvious:

enter image description here

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  • 5
    This time you can't complain. Someone went through and downvoted ALL 3 later answers. AND the question. I suspect it's a Resistance spy. Or an escaped rathtar
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jan 6, 2016 at 16:41
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    @DVK - But mine has a picture. A picture, dammit!
    – Valorum
    Jan 6, 2016 at 16:44
  • 8
    technically, yours has a still. A picture would take far more time to paint than it took you to post.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Jan 6, 2016 at 16:46
  • 3
    How do you get a image(still) of a movie still in theaters?
    – John
    Jan 6, 2016 at 22:02
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    @John - I drew it from memory. That's actually a painting.
    – Valorum
    Jan 6, 2016 at 22:07
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According to the WGA script, they simply split up and went to check.

HAN
Chewie, we're home. Han gives Chewie a nod to check out the ship.
Chewie heads off one way, Han in another.
The grating above LIFTS OFF
-- hands in surrender, they look up at Han, who's training his blaster on them, threatening.
They're SCARED.

Which makes sense:

  • The Falcon is a small ship

  • Han knows it like the back of his hand. Or better

  • And the Secret compartments under the floor are all on one place, at the center of the ship

map of the Millenium Falcon

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