The more I think about it, the biggest missed opportunity was the flashback. There hasn't been a flashback before in SW but if you're going to do one, make it a good one. This would have given us the opportunity to see "Jedi Master Luke"(not an astral projection) in full form, really battling against an angry Kylo, who maybe tried to destroy the academy and subvert his students FIRST. That would have shown motivation for Luke to act as he did.
Just like his father, Kylo needed to "shoot first"!
With the V.O., explain that he was powerful but always jealous of the abilities or attention that other students got from Luke. I always thought that Rey was going to be revealed as a young but very powerful student at the academy that Kylo was jealous of but when he and the KoR destroyed it, his light side wouldn't allow him to kill her so he took her and put her on a desolate planet to be rid of her. I mean, WHAT was the force flashback scene about when the figure that was about to "kill" Rey was killed by Kylo as if saving her about?! Maybe she was meant to be seeing it from Luke's vantage point, but why would he have been saving Luke?? Just too many setups that were abandoned.
They certainly set up a known past for Rey in TFA; Kylo saying"WHAT girl?!" as if he knew which girl this might be. Maz asking Han "Who's the girl?" and then cutting away without him saying "I don't know, just some kid" or "She's____". WHY do that if it's just going to be a red herring with the answer being "nobody" instead of "she was one of Luke's youngest and best students."? At least that way, Maz has more motivation to try to push Luke's lightsaber on her - she was Luke's student, she should have it.
I truly think this was the idea, but it's almost like they're playing "pass it on" writing with this plot. "Luke lowers his hood, stares at Rey and the lightsaber and...GO!"
