Hence why all of the Imperials sound British.

...I'd click it right now.

They put their money where their mouth is, literally.

maybe the Queen can have a part in star wars?

But ILM (bought recently by Disney) will be opening offices there soon to take advantage of the over 35 percent tax subsidy offered by the UK government after hollowing out and laying off artists here in the US. Animators in the UK don't get overtime and routinely work extra unpaid hours to finish productions. So taxpayers in the UK fund subsidies offered by their government that strip US workers of their jobs while Disney pockets the subsidies and profits enormously. And in the UK taxpayers live with austerity measures while their government funnels money to the already insanely profitable Disney corporation.
The government of UK will say they are creating jobs. And they are! Mostly for US workers separated from their families who have been told move or lose your job.
We once had a huge community of animators in Los Angeles and San Francisco and many thriving studios. CA is where the animation and VFX industry was born But now with media consolidation and subsidies offered by places like the UK, Canada and New Zealand most work has been shifted out of the country.
I know this happens with other industries as well. Love how governments around the world work to benefit corporations eager to bribe them with taxpayer dollars to come use their labor pool. Next time you wonder why government is so eager to slash workers rights or environmental standards, to force austerity on it's populace, to shed it's traditional job of providing for the most needy among us, it's all to benefit already wealthy multi national corporations whose appetite for ever increasing profits will never be satiated. So kick grandma to the curb and enjoy the show!

that are very convincing settings for alien planets.

Odd thing is that some come and go. I'm pretty much surrounded by gravel and I noticed today that a field was excavated a few years ago for the gravel deposits has become a flat field again with freshly sewn grass.

Levesden which is one of the 3 studios is local too.

...to embellish what are otherwise stupefyingly boring plots, wooden acting and enough CGI to make one's eyeballs hurt.

Actually, I think Lucas started the trend.

JJ Abrams? They might as well have it directed by someone who's renamed himself I Hate Star Wars and Want to Destroy It. Hell, that would probably be better, because at least I'd think I could count on them being familiar with Star Wars.

Is how much England looks in no way like Southern Tatooine.

I enjoyed the most recent Star Trek film (unlike the previous brazillian in the franchise), so maybe the next Star Wars will be pretty good too.