Mrebo said:

It is important to have the story not feel like a repeat of the OT.

Yes, it is. However, it also needs to feel similar to the OT and not be so different that it doesn't feel like the same universe, a lot of which could be done with the use of parallels and foreshadowing that enhance the OT. Anakin would have to lose his hand at one point. Mentors need to die. Sketchy social settings (cantina, jabba's palace, etc.) that usually play a big role in Star Wars. It needs to feel old and new. To me, the 2009 Star Trek movie is the perfect example of that old and new feeling that has to happen when you revisit a franchise, although I do cringe mentioning Star Trek positively on a Star Wars forum.