'Star Wars' trailers vs. what ended up in the film

LOS ANGELES -- J.J. Abrams never intended to guide "Star Wars" fans in the wrong direction.

The writer-director said -- spoiler alert! -- while trailers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" feature footage and dialogue that didn't end up in the final cut of the movie, the discrepancies weren't meant to throw anyone off.

"It's a fairly common occurrence when you're working on a movie, and it's a year or six months out," Abrams said.

"We were still editing, refining and adjusting the film. That evolution process is something that's hard to predict."

In a recent interview, Abrams detailed his decisions -- along with editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon -- on what footage landed in "The Force Awakens" and what was sent down the garbage chute.

"Star Wars" fans flipped their Stormtrooper helmets when a pair of beams flared out from the side of Kylo Ren's lightsaber in the first teaser trailer; however, "The Force Awakens" doesn't actually feature the moment the masked baddie ignites his flickering lightsaber hilt.

"There might be a look or scene in a trailer that identifies as being powerful in that short form, but sometimes that doesn't jibe with what's happening in the long form," Abrams said.

Other trailer portions cut from the film include Rey (Daisy Ridley) entering a derelict Star Destroyer on her home planet and an ominous exchange between the spunky scavenger and itty-bitty pirate Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o).

In the second trailer, Maz Kanata is seen passing a lightsaber to another woman. But it's Finn (John Boyega) who takes it from her in the movie.

"Star Wars" fans shouldn't expect an extended edition of "The Force Awakens" with such moments folded back into the narrative.

"I'm not a huge fan of directors' cuts and modifications to a movie," he said. "I feel the movie that comes out is the movie that should be the intended final product."