sequels feel like Marvel movies, the Ben vs Poe scene -- OMG I get it!!! You're so right, I can't imagine OT, or even PT, clowning with their villain like that. It really does feel more like Guardians of the Galaxy than SW. Whow. Now I feel like I need to rewatch the whole damn saga just to see where else that shows up.

"a very hard story to tell" -- absolutely. And I agree, it wasn't done well. I mean, I wouldn't love that story even if it was done excellently (if I want to see a tragedy, I open the news or a history book), but it did deserve better. At least the dialogue, ffs.

fix-its -- haha, yes. I admit, this is what draws me to Star Wars... or at least to being actively fannish about Star Wars. If the canon had everything I wanted, what would I write fic about?