New hopes and old fears

The final Star Wars post before I turn my attention back to real politics.  In this episode, I ignore almost everything I've heard about what the movie WILL be, and just talk about what I'd like to see - and not see.

YES:

• What happens to Lando?
• What happens in the months immediately after the Battle of Endor?
• A new Jedi academy
• How difficult is it to go from fighting the government to becoming the government?
• Basically, I want influences from Game of Thrones.  A more serious look at how things work.  But IN SPACE.

NO:

• Superweapons.  We've already had two Death Stars.  I'd love for the Sith to be sneaky and more like assassins than evil space jocks whose last two superweapons have served as a stand in for their balls (And what does that make the Executor??).  It would also be great to know the Sith have learned that giant weapons are not as invincible as they appear.
• Family relations between the Dark and the Light side.  Yawn.
• Years of what should have been a relatively well documented civil war being lost from the collective memory.  I don't want to spend a lot of time hearing the new characters learn history.
• As little of Tatooine as possible.  That planet has an uncanny knack for being an important plot point.  I'd like to see other planets.

I also recently read an interview where J.J. Abrams said one of the main things that got him into the project was someone asking him "Who has Luke Skywalker become?"  I think that's an awesome hook.  Even at the end of Return of the Jedi he was very removed from the rest of the characters.  He didn't take part in the big celebration.  What was he thinking?  Did he become disillusioned?

Did he find a new purpose?  What did the Alliance expect from him?  Did those things align?  How does he feel, 20 (or is it 30?) years later, about what happened.  What if he's like Vader is at the start of A New Hope?  An old sorcerer mocked by politicians who ask why "his sad devotion to that ancient religion has helped him conjure up a solvent government, or given him clairvoyance enough to find the Imperials who are in hiding."  But Luke can't respond as Vader did, with a gratuitous show of his powers.  He just has to think, "Some people are dicks.  As a Jedi, though, I must control my feelings."  Or maybe he did force choke someone.  Just once.  What then?

I do not, under any circumstances, want Luke to be the main character, or even fulfilling the role of a mentor like Obi-Wan did.  But I would really like to learn - after you save the universe and your family's name and help bring balance to the Force.......  What does someone whose accomplished all that do with the rest of their life?

But honestly, My demands are superficial at this point.  3 days and counting.  I'm excited.  I'll always have a preferred way things were done.  But what is in the movie is what will be in the movie.  And part of the fun of being a fan is discussing and debating and disagreeing with the material.  Everything else I aside, I just want to laugh, to cry, and to be completely blown away.