J.J. Abrams Considered Including References To Original Trilogy In Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Following the almost intolerable radio silence surrounding the project, Disney has been releasing a healthy supply of information for Star Wars: The Force Awakens ever since last month’s bi-annual, celebratory event in Anaheim. Earlier this week, we learned that Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie will step into the shiny shoes of the film’s foreboding Captain Phasma, while Girls star Adam Driver will indeed play the role of evil Sith Lord Kylo Ren.

With an ardent Star Wars supporter at the helm in J.J. Abrams, the loyal SW faithful are eagerly anticipating The Force Awakens‘ arrival in December, and according to Vanity Fair, the director once considered including a number of references to the franchise’s original trilogy in the final cut. Judging by the report, these nods in questions wouldn’t look out of place in a Marvel movie, though Abrams and Co. eventually concluded that they should remain on the cutting room floor.

“…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.”

Now that a full 30 years has lapsed between Return of the Jedi and Disney has written off the expanded universe as existing as a separate, autonomous entity, it’s understandable that the creative team would consider incorporating some semblance of fan service to bridge the gap. Still, everything we’ve seen from The Force Awakens thus far has been overwhelmingly positive, and the inclusion of easter eggs and other such nods and winks may have appeared heavy-handed in a sequel striving to be its own beast.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will signal the dawn of a new era when Abrams’ sequel lands on December 18.