Ah, you had me with your list of rules until you stipulated TFA had to be better than the Prequels. There I beg to differ. I think you have to start with an awesome story and, as the edits and novelizations prove, the stories are good. I found TFA to be weak in that area. Abrams excels at character vinettes, but tends to fail at the greater story arc a movie or TV series needs. He is horrible with endings, which may be why instead of a real ending, we get a “to be continued” setup for the next film. TFA is rubbish in so many ways. It has great dialog, set design, and character development, but no substance and so many breaks in logical story telling that it is only the homages to the OT and the great characters that make it watchable.
And please tell me that Cameron isn’t actually going to do more Avatar movies. I couldn’t stomach sitting through another CG crapfest like that again. Worst SF movie I have ever seen.