An Un-Calibrated Centrifuge

OK. The story is picking up. Real vague maybe slightly spoiler-ish Star Wars thoughts under the cut.

It's interesting reading this now that all the movies are out. The movies are not cohesive at all, and I wonder where the story ideas for the comics and books came from. Was each individual author given carte blanche or were there outlines/character specs they were working off? Was the plan to have everything (books, comics, movies, etc) work together as one larger story or did everyone involved know that this wasn't going to ever be canon in the films?

There are elements in the comics that showed up in the movies (or were taken from the movies? I haven't looked at publication dates vs premiere dates). Of the overlapping elements that I noticed, I'd say they worked better for me in the comics than in the films.

Also, please stop making me think about how spaceships are fueled. I don't care. I have never cared. Why is this such a thing with this new trilogy?