Glad I’m not the only one. I think a big part of it too is that there are these important new characters that I just really don’t care about. I haven’t read a lot of the EU, but I’ve read quite a few books that grabbed me more than the Thrawn ones.

In regards to capturing the spirit of the films on the page, I’d argue it’s not possible. SW is a cinematic saga, through and through. But I would love to read something that gets close. So far the best SW books I’ve read have captured some (not all) aspects of what makes the series great.