Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens will be streamlined to keep a short running time. This comes as a bit of a surprise from Disney, whose Marvel movies have proven that the shared universe model—with interlocking characters and plot from movie to movie—has far longer legs than many analysts would have supposed. A new Vanity Fair interview with Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter behind Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and co-writer of Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens, outlines the streamlined Star Wars plot we’re likely to encounter when Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens hits its Dec. 18 release date.