Consider this as much a warning as anything else: Entertainment Weekly's new interview with J.J. Abrams confirms a major plot device for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Those who saw cinematic trailers and know the Star Wars universe well (or read one of those frame-by-frame analysis pieces) might have already guessed it, but those who are looking to go into the theaters relatively spoiler-free (yet somehow want to read an interview with the film's director), hey, we get it.

I also know by writing this, there's something in the back of your head dying to know what that piece of information is, whether it's a new revelation for you or a chance to confirm something you've suspected or read elsewhere. Spoilers are addicting, and it requires you to make a snap judgment about what's more important to you — a slow trickle of small details to tide you over or a chance to sit in the theater and be completely surprised by narrative revelations.

Now, for those who don't care about spoilers and want to talk about it, join me after this unrelated GIF.

Here's the relevant tidbit:

The Empire has morphed into a junta known as The First Order, while X-Wing pilots like Oscar Isaac's Poe Dameron now fly for a splinter group known as the Resistance. Princess Leia (Fisher) has come into possession of the lightsaber once possessed by her father, Darth Vader, and later lost by Luke (Hamill) when Vader separated him from his arm during that "join me" duel in The Empire Strikes Back.

The new bit here — the one that's been heavily rumored online but yet to be confirmed in any manner, casual or otherwise, is that Leia somehow has the Skywalker family heirloom.

Which is to say, this:

Which was last seen here:

Somehow fell out of the sky to parts unknown and yadda yadda yadda found its way here:

The Entertainment Weekly piece suggests one of the reasons Abrams joined the franchise was to answer the question, as posed by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, "Who is Luke Skywalker?" Which certainly suggests Chekhov's Laser Sword will be more than a passing Easter egg.

Now that you've made it this far, do you feel better knowing? Do you feel worse? (Hey, I warned you.) I'm gonna open comments on this one, and I'm adding asking to keep it devoid of rumors, but just in case... here's another spoiler warning for everything below.

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