Vanity Fair is a venerable treasure trove for ‘Star Wars’ fans this week. Since May the 4th, we’ve seen excerpts of their upcoming issue featuring tons of new ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ information such as director J.J. Abrams’ plans for Jar Jar Binks and the characters that big name stars like Adam Driver and Gwendoline Christie will play. Now, the filmmaker goes into the ways in which ‘Episode VII’ ties into the original trilogy, which occurred thirty years prior to the events that we’ll be seeing in theaters this December.

While speaking to Vanity Fair, by the sound of things, there are just enough allusions to tell the story that they’re trying to tell while keeping long-time fans appeased:

“We’ve obviously had a lot of time [during the development process] to talk about what’s happened outside of the borders of the story that you’re seeing. So there are, of course, references to things, and some are very oblique so that hopefully the audience can infer what the characters are referring to. We used to have more references to things that we pulled out because they almost felt like they were trying too hard to allude to something. I think that the key is—and whether we’ve accomplished that or not is, of course, up to the audience—but the key is that references be essential so that you don’t reference a lot of things that feel like, oh, we’re laying pipe for, you know, an animated series or further movies. It should feel like things are being referenced for a reason.”

These comments definitely give us a good indication of where Abrams’ head is at in all of this ‘Star Wars’ business. Despite being a fan himself, he’s not getting too caught up in fan service and Easter eggs. Instead, it seems like they’re pulling back a bit to preserve the integrity of the story, which is certainly commendable. Thinking like this on top of the use of practical effects and the inclusion of the original cast members makes me even more excited to return to a galaxy far, far away.

What do you think about J.J. Abrams comments about references to the original trilogy in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’? Do you see them adequately connecting this film to the events of ‘Return of the Jedi’ that happened thirty years prior? Let us know in the comments below.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker hits theaters on December 18, 2015.

Source: Vanity Fair via Comic Book Movie