The new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" takes a backwards glance to the 1977 original, based on a look at the trailers, and the presence of the film's first stars, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.

A University of Illinois media professor says the early look at a "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" probably reflects nostalgia as well as the fans' reactions to the prequels that came out after the original trilogy.

The original “Star Wars” was when special effects got “real,” at least for a certain generation of movie fans. They could believe they were there, “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” from the opening shot on. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” No. 7 in the series, opens Dec. 18, and film scholar Julie Turnock will be watching with an eye on those effects.