People are convinced the first line in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is an insult aimed at George Lucas
You might not remember exactly what the first spoken line in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was, so let us refresh your memory:
In the opening scene, Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) meets Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe to give him part of the map that could lead to finding Luke Skywalker.
(The new movie takes place a few decades after "Episode VI: The Empire Strikes Back," during which time Skywalker has vanished, and the whole plot is dedicated to finding Luke's secret location in the galaxy.)
The first thing San Tekka says is, "This will begin to make things right."
Now, in the context of the plot, he obviously means: This Skywalker map clue will hopefully bring back the Jedi Knights and return balance to the Force.
But if you want to read it on another level, the line could mean: This new "Star Wars" franchise, spearheaded by Disney and kicking off with "The Force Awakens," will right the sins of the (to many fans, disgraceful) prequels that George Lucas made previously.
It might be a stretch, but that's never stopped fans before. There's a raging debate going on over at Quora, with commenters split between believing the line must be a winking nod to "Star Wars" fans, and others saying J.J. Abrams is too much of a "gent" and doesn't have enough reason to make such a dig.
J.J. Abrams has been completely cordial in press appearances for "The Force Awakens" and doesn't seem like the type to go after Lucas directly.
Then again, he wrote the script for the new movie with Lawrence Kasdan, who also wrote "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi," and had no involvement in the prequels. "The Force Awakens" has a lot more in common with those original-trilogy films, which many fans will tell you is one way to "make things right."