<P> Star Wars : The Force Awakens ( also known as Star Wars : Episode VII -- The Force Awakens ) is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced , co-written and directed by J.J. Abrams . It is the first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the seventh main installment of the Star Wars franchise , following Return of the Jedi ( 1983 ) . The film stars Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Lupita Nyong'o , Andy Serkis , Domhnall Gleeson , Anthony Daniels , Peter Mayhew , and Max von Sydow , and was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and Abrams ' production company Bad Robot Productions . The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film to not involve franchise creator George Lucas . Set 30 years after Return of the Jedi , the film follows Rey , Finn , and Poe Dameron 's search for Luke Skywalker and their fight alongside the Resistance , led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance , against Kylo Ren and the First Order , a successor to the Galactic Empire . </P>
when is star wars the force awakens set
30 years after Return of the Jedi