7. Less Politics
Abrams did a fantastic job with 2009's Star Trek by "popularising" the franchise in a way that made it sexier and more exciting while not entirely abandoning the intellectual aspirations of the original TV series. Spock's absolutionist attitude was firmly juxtaposed against Kirk's more free-wheeling deameanour, though at the same time, the more allegorical nature of the series, in examining race, religion and warfare of contemporary America was toned down into a more agreeable action spectacular, as is appropriate for the movie. Expect the same to happen with Episode 7, and with good reason too; who honestly wants to hear another verbose, dull dialogue about trade routes and the Senate? Why George Lucas blew so much prequel screen time on these mind-numbing asides is anyone's guess, but we can expect Abrams, with the help of super-talented scribe Michael Arndt, to streamline the narrative for maximum punchiness.