As has been announced, LucasFilm/Disney has hired a fleet of writers to flesh out the world surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens. From books that fill in the gaps between Episodes VI and VII, officially-sanctioned literary solo adventures for certain characters, and the upcoming Star Wars Anthology films, it's clear that the folks in charge are taking that "galaxy far, far away" to a whole new scale. In a recent chat with Vanity Fair, director J.J. Abrams shed some light on the production's philosophy towards incorporating some of this "beyond this movie" content into the script.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to premiere on December 18, 2015.