Well this thread grew in my brief absence (I suppose not a surprise at all).
All I’ll say is I’m with NFB, what TLJ did is exactly what SW needed to not become any other blockbuster franchise.
The MCU is not like any other blockbuster franchise. It’s far more successful for one thing, and also get’s a lot of praise from critics. In my view Star Wars will share many traits of the MCU, while also maintaining enough of it’s own identity to be extremely marketable. Disney knows what they’re doing. In the world of movies they’re top dog. It will be an entertaining ride. Whether it will be inspiring? Every now and then, I suppose.