One week and three days separate us from the premiere of a science-fiction/adventure film called Star Wars: the Force Awakens on December 18, the latest sequel in a franchise that began in the late ‘70s. With bated breath, fans await what they’re certain will be a new masterpiece, J.J. Abrams returning the series to the lofty stature it once rightfully enjoyed. Hope springs eternal, as they say, but we’d be remiss not to at least temper that hope a smidgen by introducing a cold, troubling reality check.