Star Wars' JJ Abrams responds to criticism of The Force Awakens repeating A New Hope

Weeks ahead of his second Star Wars directorial release, JJ Abrams has responded to criticism of his take on the new trilogy, saying that he "respects" fans' problems with The Force Awakens.

As the premiere of Episode 9 – The Rise of Skywalker – draws closer, Abrams has been reflecting on his role in the Star Wars franchise, telling Rolling Stone that The Force Awakens was "not just history repeating itself".

Answering critics who suggested his debut was too similar to A New Hope, Abrams said: "I completely get the criticism, and for those who found it too much of an overlap, I say, 'I totally hear you and respect the review.'

Related: Why Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker brought back the second Death Star

"But the idea was to continue the story and to begin with this young woman who felt like Luke Skywalker was a myth. And to tell a story that was not just history repeating itself, but a story that embraced the movies that we know as the actual history of this galaxy."

Despite some fans' criticism – and Star Wars creator George Lucas feeling "betrayed" – Abrams insisted that the direction of the latest trilogy was the right one and "not a nostalgia play".

"They are still living in a place where there is good versus evil, they're still living in the shadow of what has come before, still grappling with the sins of the father and the people who have preceded them," he said.

"This was not about a nostalgia play. It felt, to me, like a way of saying, 'Let's go back to a Star Wars that we know, so we can tell another story.'"

Let's just hope that the 'other story' doesn't involve the one thing Lucas and Abrams have actually agreed on: those fabled midi-chlorians.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a release date of Thursday, December 19 in the UK and Friday, December 20 in the US.

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Rianne Houghton

Rianne Houghton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy.