OneCentSky said:

Do you think that JJ Abrams will see the prequels as important continuity? Do you think he'll abandon the prequels to have a fresher start? I think it would be okay if he kept the basic backstory of episodes 1-3. But I think Abrams should abandon the midi-chlorians forever. What do you think?

Nothing from the prequels strictly has to be acknowledged in the sequel films. Usually it's the lazier of EU stories that attempt to put PT stuff with the OT characters. They don't have to be written off as non-canon, but they don't technically need to be followed, especially if they do end up doing an original story.

The occasional allusion to past events is probably a given, though.