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'Star Trek' to 'Star Wars,' J.J. Abrams becomes go-to guardian of our childhood

When the lede of J.J. Abrams's obituary is one day written — in a time we hope is far, far away — it might well not even mention “Lost” or “Alias,” “Fringe” or “Felicity.” That is because in recent years, Abrams has carved out a more embraceable achievement:

J.J. has proved he can be trusted with our childhoods.

You hear it often, in response to Hollywood projects. A beloved character or story or series is rebooted by a big studio — sometimes even reimagineered with state-of-the-art effects that effectively abandon the state of the charm of the art — and the shorthand for the perceived injustice is: You have ruined my childhood. It is said — when not meant wholly sardonically — a bit as if your favorite entertainment from fifth grade were as sacred as an ancient tablet.

To J.J. Abrams's everlasting credit, though, he remakes and adapts and refashions fare from our childhoods as if it were aesthetically sacred. Because to him, in all his fan passion, it nearly is.

Abrams has worked with Harrison Ford on two feature films now — including of course this week's new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — and one can imagine he saw the first “Indiana Jones” film as an impressionable teen, because he handles franchises from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s as if painstakingly transporting the Ark of the Covenant.

And that is why Abrams — having so brilliantly shepherded “Star Trek” and now “Star Wars” — is not only Hollywood's supreme keeper of the stellar flame. He also now can be crowned the king guardian of our childhoods.

Yes, a little lens flare is a tiny price to pay for such gifted and articulate care. (It didn't hurt, too, that he shared writing duties with veteran Jedi scribe Lawrence Kasdan, as well as Michael Arndt, who preserved many childhoods first by helping to pen “Toy Story 3.”)

After all, what beloved film franchise was more fraught to commandeer than “Star Wars”? Yet Abrams keeps everything expertly juggled in this directorial high-wire act. He gets the most from engaging new characters. He not only pays homage to original characters, but he also mines our memories of them to deeply moving effect.

And he not only understands George Lucas's style of storytelling, but also clearly understands the references that inspired Lucas in the first place — from Saturday-movie serials to mystical fables to Stanley Kubrick's own space odyssey.

And through that deep comprehension, Abrams not only rescues another franchise. More than that: “It is ‘Star Wars' reinvested.”

Those are the words of actor Greg Grunberg (“Heroes,” “Lost,” “Alias”), who plays Rebel pilot Snap Wexley in “The Force Awakens.” Grunberg, who also will appear in the next “Star Trek” film, has a rare perspective on whether we should trust Abrams with our childhoods.

“I did,” Grunberg tells The Washington Post by phone from Los Angeles. “He was at my childhood. I went through my childhood with him.”

It was nearly 45 years ago, in West Angeles, that Grunberg and Abrams first met. They were just 5, starting elementary school, but they shared interests and became best friends.

“And we remained the best of friends,” says Grunberg, an Abrams regular whom the director cast on “Felicity” in the '90s, and who now stars in “Heroes Reborn.” “We have the exact same interests. I was the guy right next to the guy in all those Super-8 movies, and he was sleeping over at my house as we geeked out.”

And as they shared their young fandom in pop-culture fixtures like Star Wars, Grunberg appreciated the intelligence and attention to detail that Abrams applied to each object of his fandom. So it especially meant something to Grunberg when, on short notice a few weeks ago, Abrams called him to screen a climactic scene from “The Force Awakens.”

“It was during final spotting sessions, and then the (pivotal) scene” with an original character occurred, Grunberg, recounts. “And I'm yelling at the screen: ‘What? WHAT?!?' None of this had been in my script. I found myself so emotional.”

Yet, Grunberg notes, “You have to shock. You have to take big steps. You have to let go.”

Half a lifetime ago, Grunberg first trusted Abrams with his fan interests, and now — buckled into a X-wing fighter — their shared thrill ride continues today.

If Grunberg can trust Abrams with his childhood, it sure seems the rest of us can safely do so, too.

He's the Hollywood guardian we're looking for.

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