Now I have little to say about almost anything about JJ Abrams, other than he is a perfectly competent director. I have nothing to say about his writing, his qualities and downfalls as a filmmaker, and especially his ambivalence towards the Star Trek franchise. I have no horse in Trek outside of general, outsider respect. I think there is a reason he is noted, respected director and writer even if his films could be summarized with the expression, 'eh.' However, I will say nu-Trek's problems, especially Into Darkness, can easily be blamed on the writing, especially by Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. Now, these two have a very prolific joint-career in Hollywood, especially as writers for big budget action films, such as:
Michael Bay's The Island
Michael Bay's Transformers
Michael Bay's Transformers 2
Eagle Eye (A.K.A. Shia LaBeef gets stalked by a Computer)
Cowboys & Aliens
Now You See Me
Ender's Game
Amazing Spider-Man 2
As well as the first Star Trek, a polish on Watchmen, and a couple of terrible romantic comedies. Personally, I've mentally filed them as dork poison. Meanwhile, Lindelof has a career split up by (i) his work on Lost, a show I haven't seen, and (ii) his film work, which ranges from contentious like Prometheus to outright garbage like Cowboys & Aliens and World War Z. Now, I do think there is some excuses why his films are they are, but that's not the point.
There is a reason that Into Darkness' reputation slowly yet harshly soured over time. I imagine that a lot of people like me walked out of the theater placated if not wowed. Yet over time, a growing nagging feeling that the film didn't feel right set hold. At the time of watching, everything felt fine as events flowed and their reactions had yet to unfold. But as time passed, the events as a whole felt forced and unearned. It was competent, yet wrong. And I feel that the blame lays solely on the writers and the demands of the studio executives. With them lays the sins of forcing a plot that the film wasn't suited to tell, or being unable to string the events in a satisfying, believable way.
All that said, Ep VII is written by Kurtzman and Orci, or even Lindelof. The initial treatment was by Michael Arndt, who wrote Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3. He was supposed to be also pulling script duties, but was either pulled from the film or left of his own volition. In his wake, JJ and Lawrence Kasdan took to task to rewrite his script, the man who wrote Empire and Jedi as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Big Chill, and The Accidental. Again, I have little to say about JJ and his writing skills. However, I have faith that Arndt layed a good foundation for a film, and Kasdan has plenty experience to carry that baton, both as a vetran writer, and as a seasoned Star Wars storyteller. Personally, with the two most important jobs in making a good movie filled by competent people, I am expecting what is assuredly the best Star Wars film in literally decades. And if the trailer is anything to go by, one that is uniquely faithful to the world presented in the original trilogy as well. So at the very least, small victories.