While I'd love to consider that to be possible, I have zero confidence that JJ and co. put that level of forethought into the Starkiller Base.I agree 100%
I like the movie, but I'm not going to try and figure out ways to make it smarter than it was.
Theory making the rounds that would basically means the First Order was even smarter than we suspected, and the Resistance's win even costlier than losing Han.
So, in Clone Wars we learn that as part of making their lightsabers, jedi travel to the ice planet of Illum to obtain the kyber crystals used as the focal point of the lightsaber. These crystals are not unique to Illum (they're found on Lothal and a few other locations), but it's the primary source. In other sources (part of the new canon), we learn that a very large kyber crystal was used as part of constructing the Death Star to focus the superlaser.
Now. If one overlay the new canon map over the old EU maps, two things appear.
First, all planets that appear on both match fairly closely to very closely to their original location.
Second, the location marked "Starkiller base's original location" is nowhere near any planet on the old EU map.
Except one, which it matches perfectly. Illum.
Starkiller base, of course, is an ice world that hosts a superweapon that would probably have had a very big use for kyber crystals.
So it's very possible that the First Order were even smarter than suspected in carving out their weapon out of a planet by carving out a planet full of death-beam-focusing crystals,. And that the Resistance, in destroying Starkiller base, also destroyed one of the most sacred sites of the old jedi order, and the largest source of lightsaber crystals.
I wouldn't call it good sci-fi, but that's because I don't see the movies as sci-fi (the EU sometimes qualifies). A fun bit of space fantasy, though? Definitely.Mhh i think i would have to rewatch it, to see wether i would give it the Space-Fantasy Quality Stamp of the Old Star Wars ^^
I understand most of the issues people here have with it, and even agree with many, but I still can't shake the impression that many here are judging it using a different criteria than is used on the old movies, and that the old are getting passes not granted to the new.Funny thing, i talked with a few friends of mine about the movie and the exact same thing came up.
I don't see how the ENTIRE New Republic fleet was destroyed on the Hosnian System however, must have been pretty small. I have a feeling the Imperial Remnant may show up at some point, but in what form I have no clue.
I never expected originality from JJ, so it didn't bother me that there wasn't much. EDIT: If it helps, this lack of originality is my main criticism of the movie as well, and why I seem to rate it a point or so below most of the people I know IRL, why I deem the movie to be "good" rather than "great". Your grading scale just seems to give originality more weight than mine. 
Kuscidave, I listed multiple problems I had with it as a film. It is highly unoriginal story wise, nearly is an identical copy of IV, has extremely weak villains, relies heavily on the nostalgia and special effects over substance and anything actually new and worst of all has the laziest soundtrack of any of the movies. Say what you will about the prequels but at least tgey brought us memorable music like Dual of the Fates, Battle of the Heros, Grievous theme and the Order 66 piece. This one was on auto tune and insert Force theme hereFunny thing is that the soundtrack was composed by the same person who did every single Star Wars movie, and J.J gave him free hand.