1. Competing With The Original Trilogy
Whoever tackles Episode 7 absolutely cannot try to do this, because it will not work; our nostalgia for the original characters is sufficiently strong that reaching to evoke a similar feeling will come off as desperate. It would be better to do as Lucas did initially, and build a foundation of characters which, if the first one is a hit, we might come to love in later instalments. Distance here will be crucial, given that Episode 7 will not only have to contend with most likely establishing a new band of heroes, but also a new villain, and of course, living up to Luke's crew and Vader's Empire will prove extraordinarily difficult. Similarly, the Death Star is such an iconic vehicle, that though the temptation with sequels is always to go bigger - and therefore "better" - size really won't matter if it doesn't come to mean something first. Simply, whoever ends up scribing Episode 7 needs to nail the fundamentals before they try and focus on weaving a new myth. How are you feeling about the announcement of Episode 7? Excited? Terrified? Angry? And what other pitfalls will the filmmakers need to avoid? Let us know in the comments below.