But at the end of TESB we are left with Han frozen and the rebellion baseless. In TLJ we are left with the characters intact but the Resistance in shambles, but with hope. But in TESB, we have a galaxy wide Empire that is strong and unwavering. In TLJ, we have a First Order just beginning its conquest, not yet cemented or truly in power yet. The crawl uses the word reigns, but I take that to mean there is no force to oppose them rather than they have actually taken over anything and the rest of the text of the crawl agrees with that as does the movie dialog. It also provides a reason why Leia’s call was not answered. But the final scene in the stable shows that Luke had again brought hope and if word has reached Canto Bight, it will spread across the galaxy and give courage to those who want to resist the First Order’s conquest.
Yes, but that’s where our interpretations differ. TLJ makes a strong case, that the FO is a pretty much unstoppable force. Apart from the crawl, there’s the statement in the film, that the FO will control all major systems in weeks. This might not be very credible, but this is the message the film tries to get across. Then there’s the fact, that the Resistance/rebellion is decimated. People might be inspired, but it is hope without substance, wishful thinking at best. It is a spark that has to evaporate an ocean of bad. It may turn into a great big fire, but it may also be extinguished. If the latter is not the case, there’s no more tension in the film, as the heroes will prevail no matter what. The situation at the end of TESB is quite different. The Rebel Alliance may be without a base, but it has a fleet and personel. It has a real hope of defeating the Empire, more than just inspiration. There are unresolved story threads, like what will become of Han Solo? Is Darth Vader really Luke’s father? Is the Emperor really so powerful, that he can boss around Darth Vader?
Well, let’s handle the last one first. While in TESB Vader got to shine, in ANH and ROTJ he is definitely subordinate to both Tarkin and Palpatine. So I don’t think there was any question that the Emperor was more powerful. The scene in TESB really makes that clear when Vader calls him master. And there is no more hope of the Rebellion defeating the Empire at the end of the movie than at the beginning. However, in TLJ, that hope of defeating the First Order is implicit in the storyline. In the beginning it is slim, at the end, after Luke’s great act, it is strong. True the Resistance has been nearly wiped out, but Leia has allies. They didn’t respond because no one knows where the First Order is going to begin their conquest. And the only statement about when the First Order will take over is made by Rey, who, unless she has seen it in a force vision, probably doesn’t have Leia’s knowledge of galactic politics and strategy. I’m sure Leia knows who is going to cave and who will fight and we don’t have her estimate of the situation, only Rey’s. So I prefer to be optimistic of the galactic situation. Not to mention that Kylo Ren had just assumed power and may not make the same decisions as Snoke and things may proceed differently with him in control. We also don’t know the size of their fleet, now down by two of its largest ships. In the OT the Jedi were not back until the Sail Barge. In this ST, they are back and the galaxy knows it. I would say that changes the picture from where the movie started.