Star Wars Bits: J.J. Abrams Talks 'Star Wars' Nostalgia; Plus Harrison Ford, Watto, Hockey And Slot Machines

Two probable principals in Star Wars Episode VII speak about the franchise, plus there's talk of hockey, gambling, museums and all sorts of odds and ends in this edition of Star Wars Bits. Below, read about the following:

Speaking with the Times of London (via Hollywood Reporter), J.J. Abrams spoke about what made the original Star Wars so special, potentially teasing what we can expect from Episode VII:

If you watch the first movie, you don't actually know exactly what the Empire is trying to do. They're going to rule by fear – but you don't know what their end game is. You don't know what Leia is princess of. You don't yet understand who Jabba the Hutt is, even though there is a reference to him. You don't know that Vader is Luke's father, Leia is his sister – but the possibility is all there. The beauty of that movie was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went.

Harrison Ford was on the Today Show and was asked about Star Wars Episode VII. His response was classic Ford, saying it's "a work in progress...maybe."

While most people come up with ways to possibly improve the Star Wars prequels, others choose to look for subtext that's already there. That's the case with Amit Bhaumik, who wrote a great blog post surmising that Watto, the Toydarian junk deal who owned Anakin and Shmi Skywalker as slaves, is actually Anakin's father. It gives a whole new meaning to the line, "Ani? Little Ani?"

Here's a very cool trailer for the theatrical re-release of Star Wars in the late Seventies, including some unfinished special effects shots.

Walk around Las Vegas and you'll see a few Star Wars or Marvel slot machines but, under new ownership by Disney, the parent company has not renewed contracts meaning you won't see new Marvel or Star Wars slot machines anytime soon. Read more at New York Times via Hollywood Reporter.

Below are two sets of hockey jerseys worn by Toledo Walleye and Kalamazoo Wings this past weekend for Star Wars night. They are very limited and you can bid on them online. Read much more at Mashable.

Finally, StarWars.com tweeted that the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, George Lucas's museum to filmmaking, is now on Twitter. Follow here and watch a video tease