Simon Pegg’s role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been unveiled.

The Mission: Impossible star, who is a life-long fan of the sci-fi franchise, has been spotted by eagle-eyed viewers as an alien-type creature in a new TV featurette about Daisy Ridley’s character Rey.

Simon, who worked with the film’s director JJ Abrams on the Star Trek movies, has described his character as “rather troll-like. He’s an angry looking oaf” with “a huge downturned nose”.

Sources believe the 45-year-old’s character is called Unkar Plutt, who is a junk dealer on the remote, lawless world of Jakku.

The British actor, who joins fellow UK stars such as Daisy, John Boyega, Andy Serkis, Gwendoline Christie and Warwick Davis in the movie, featured in a behind-the-scenes video released at this year’s Comic-Con.

He was seen both in and out of costume in the footage, where he revealed: “My whole life has led to this moment. I’m in heaven. It’s Star Wars. I burn for Star Wars.”

The Star Trek cast
Simon Pegg, JJ Abrams and the Star Trek cast (Ian West/PA)

Simon previously played it coy over rumours he would be appearing in the seventh Star Wars instalment, telling Vulture: “JJ uses me in different roles, and we’re good friends.

“I feel like my face in Star Wars would pop people out of the movie. Look, I love Star Wars and I don’t want people to watch and go, ‘Oh, there’s Simon Pegg’s face’.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, also starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong’o, opens in UK cinemas on December 17.