It wasn’t a long time ago or a galaxy far, far away. (It was 2012. In Orlando.) That was the site of the sixth Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm’s semiannual convention for all things Jedi. The 2012 edition of the four-day nerdstravaganza included autograph signings, photo ops, Star Wars speed dating, droid races, and something called the “Super-Secret Star Wars Panel with Todd, Seth, and Matt.” “Todd” was animator and director Todd Grimes; “Matt” was Matthew Senreich and “Seth” was Seth Green, the co-creators of the stop-motion animated sketch show Robot Chicken. Their secret: The announcement of a Star Wars television series set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope called Star Wars: Detours.

It probably wouldn’t take much for a new Star Wars sequel to be better than the prequels, and while we’re all very excited for The Force Awakens, some fans have a vague, nagging fear in the back of their mind that maybe — just maybe — J.J. Abrams made something that isn’t as good as we hoped. Adam Driver is here to soothe your fears, assuring fans that The Force Awakens is most definitely better than the prequels.

Sure, there are lots of kids and teens buying Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys, but a long, long time ago in a galaxy that is actually this one, Star Wars belonged to another group of nerds — and those nerds are not going to let today’s kids take ownership of their fandom so easily, especially when these kids don’t know that action figures should STAY. IN. THE. BOX.

Although J.J. Abrams shot an entire sequence for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX, it’s not exactly easy to find a theater showing it in the format, which makes this new featurette pretty interesting. Abrams and the cast of the upcoming film convince fans why they should seek out a legitimate IMAX screening of the film by discussing the magic of shooting with these powerful cameras and teasing the awe-inspiring sequence they created.

We haven't even had the privilege of seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will have its world premiere on Monday, December 14 in Hollywood. But that hasn't stopped the press from asking Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams about Rian Johnson's plans for Episode 8 — because we're always onto the next big thing before the current big thing has even had a chance to play out. But if you want some potential Star Wars spoilers, read on.

As Sisters gets ready to take on The Force Awakens, we looked back at the history of movies that have opened against Star Wars movies to see how they fared, and to see what hope there is for Tina and Amy.

If you absolutely, positively cannot wait another seven days, there’s a new Chinese trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens that can satisfy your craving for MORE NEW FOOTAGE. Feed your impatient Star Wars beast with ALL THE NEW FOOTAGE. Insert Chewbacca noise. There’s so much new footage here. Maybe too much. Watch at your own risk, you’ve been warned, etc.

You might be scratching your head at that headline — didn’t tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens go on sale over a month ago? Why would fans be waiting in line for something they could easily purchase tickets for in advance? Don’t they know that we’re living in a technologically convenient society? To answer your questions (and ours): these guys are committed to the great Star Wars tradition, and their determination cannot be swayed by such modern conveniences and common sense.

When it was first reported that Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, would be starring alongside her mother in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, many assumed she’d be playing some version of Princess Leia, whether by flashback or archival footage. It turns out that many assumed wrong. Lourd, whose character name has yet to be revealed, says she’s not playing Princess Leia in the film, but based on this first official look at her character, she certainly bears a resemblance to the new General of The Resistance.

The end of the year brings a surplus of ranked lists enumerating the best offerings of film in the past twelve months. Some come from huge samplings of voters, such as the annual Village Voice poll of American and international film critics, and others still reflect the tastes and preferences of one person or publication, such as the idiosyncratic rankings that John Waters publishes every December