I thought that was one of the things Rogue One did the best, honestly.

It really amplified the meaning of “hope” at the end of the movie and into ANH, as that scene demonstrated how jaded and un-unified the “Rebel Alliance” had become prior to the Death Star plans being stolen and Luke Skywalker coming into the picture. Idk, it was one of the things this movie did to make you appreciate the heroes and events of the OT more; how the universe at large - outside of Luke, Leia and Han’s personal bubbles and character arcs - was affected and influenced by the actions of the OT heroes. We knew the Rebel Alliance was losing before, but Rogue One showed how the Empire’s consistent dominance over them progressively broke their collective strength and resolve, and fractured their unity to the point where the Empire damn near won.