"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" transports us to the desert planet Jakku, aka Abu Dhabi, in this new featurette that focuses on the importance of the film's first shooting location.

Featuring director J.J. Abrams, stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, and numerous crew members, the video highlights the "huge operation" involved in building the sets and filming in the desert, which required local production staff and the assistance of the United Arab Emirates military, civil defense and Ministry of the Interior.

"It was an incredible thing to be in the actual desert," Abrams says, "where you could see what looked like endless dunes of sand, with actual Stormtroopers -- it just felt like we were in this world."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens Friday across North America.