Years ago, two producers had the rights to do a US version of Space Battleship Yamato over at Disney. That would have had, most likely, a refitted USS Arizona coming up out of the ocean and flying off into space.

I thought I read somewhere else that Lucas hadn't even spoken with Abrams yet? Wouldn't it be difficult to make that kind of judgement then?

This doesn't really bother me.  Drew at Hitfix rightly pointed out that Arndt is being used to establish framework for the other films as well and as we get deeper into Pre-Pro on each movie individually, expect to see this sort of thing.  JJ still has to direct these things and while serving fandom, he also has to work his own sensibility to it, so this shouldn't be a shock.

Apparently there were two very specific plot points that Kasdan and Abrams agreed on but Arndt didn't, so it's easy to see who won.

Does Disney have anything substantial set for a 2015 release at this stage? Without Star Wars, where do they make their profit in the financial year?

Ya, but they want it out in Summer so they can sell the toys all through the Fall shopping season 

That is by far the best box-making analogy I have ever read.

IIRC, Lucas just handed over treatments that Ardnt later expanded and then developed a screenplay from. The rumour that's been doing the rounds is that Ardnt's script was focused on the wrong characters from J.J.'s point of view and that he and Kasdan are doing a full, page-one rewrite on the thing.