George Lucas is in a weird place with his relationship to Star Wars. It will always be his in a sense, but since Lucasfilm was sold to Disney, he’s gone from creative director to available guide. If people want to talk to Lucas or get his input, he’ll give it, but people can take or leave his notes on the thing he created, which must be very weird for him. But it’s good to show respect to the creator of Star Wars even if you disagree with some of his creative decisions, especially as they relate to the prequels.

Speaking to Total Film [via Games Radar] about prepping for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, director J.J. Abrams said that talking to Lucas was helpful even though Midi-chlorians did come up:

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Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

“He had a lot of things to say about the nature of the Force, the themes that he was dealing with when he was writing the movies,” Abrams reveals to our sister publication Total Film in their latest isse. “Yes, there were some conversations about Midi-chlorians – he loves his Midi-chlorians. But it was a very helpful thing. Sitting with him is a treat, just to hear him talk, because it’s fucking George Lucas talking about Star Wars. I always feel it’s a gift to hear him talk about that stuff. Because the effect that he had on me at 10 years old is utterly profound.”

Does this mean that Midi-chlorians will come up in The Rise of Skywalker? Probably not. One of the hallmarks of The Force Awakens was making sure to ignore the prequels as much as possible, and if Abrams is going to return to those movies in anyway, I doubt he’d touch on one of the most controversial aspects where the mystical nature of The Force was reduced down to tiny organisms in your bloodstream. It would also be a weird thing to drop into the final movie of the Skywalker Saga where Midi-chlorians haven’t been mentioned since The Phantom Menace.

But we’ll find out when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th. To keep up with the Star Wars timeline thus far, click here.