I don't want to get into any heated disputes, but coincidence is a large part of the Force folks. All of the movies have featured them. I'm not trying to go to bat for this movie, but a lot of complaints are a little off base. I hate to break out my Star Wars Encyclopedia knowledge but...
Both of the Lucas Trilogies fell into place much the same way - somewhat following the Joseph Campbell inspired Hero Myth - with TFA being no different. Yes, it did play it safe. It did follow the formula that ANH established for a number of reasons. For one Abrams liked the original movie the most. Secondly it is something familiar that would appease the largest group of fans. Third I think it is intentionally meant to be that way to retell the story for a new generation of kids.
The problem with Star Wars is a lot of the overcritical adults fans aren't the primary audience anymore. The movies were always meant to appeal to kids/families, touching on common themes that relate to us such as religion, family, morality, etc. Every story such as this has a mentor archetype whether it be Yoda or Maz Kanata whether it be deliberate or not. To those of us who are familiar with such things it might look like more of the same. After all Obi Wan played a much similar role in the original movie. Qui Gon was much the same in Phantom Menace. They turned this slightly on it's head with Palpatine being a mentor to Anakin later on.
We also have to take into account this is the beginning of a new push to widen the Star Wars universe. They want these kids to want more. They drop little hints of info so you will go buy the newest comic that tells all about your favorite characters side stories. The wonder just isn't there for a lot of people now. You go into the theater with that jaded adult mindset ready to pick the movie to pieces and over analyze every minor detail - it is natural after all since we are aware of the intent of the movies; they are supposed to manipulate your emotions, play on your hopes and fears, and just for one minute let you drop your guard and forget it is all an act to get your money.
TFA ends in a way that resembles Empire Strikes Back somewhat with Rey possibly being vetted for training. I suppose people expected something completely different but I couldn't say the same. Stop expecting these movies to top the originals and you might enjoy them more. Star Wars will now be treated like the Marvel Cinematic Universe for better or worse.
These movies will be yearly events, with global Star Wars saturation bombing us from orbit. Star Wars has already been desecrated by the mishandling of it's creator with the merchandising, Special Editions bullshit, the lackluster Prequels, and the EU situation. Disney choosing to focus on maintaining lore speaks a lot to their dedication to the series longevity. I don't see them mishandling this.
Basically we should be happy with what we got. This is in no way close to what was done to Fallout 4. That was already done by the time Return of the Jedi was out. Star Wars is one of those sacred cows that has managed to blind us to a lot of its flaws.
