So in almost every scene of the movie I had a knife twisting in my side about how bad this was and didn’t make sense. Makes it really hard to appreciate the good aspects.
If you were willing to let the films tell their own stories and expand your understanding of the universe as you acquire more information about it, you would be able to accept and enjoy it.
The sequel trilogy doesn’t have its own stories, world-building wise. TFA was literally and intentionally a soft reboot back to Star Wars 1977. Rebels vs. Empire.
There is no understanding of the universe I can gain because there is nothing, in either movies, that ties this universe to the one we know and love from pre-Disney Star Wars. Empire is strong again despite their defeat at Endor. A new Republic does not exist. “The Resistance” is nonsensical. Why would I care about any of this?
Any attempt at an explanation is a Jedi Mind Trick. Disney obviously wanted a simple Rebels vs. Empire story to wash away the perceived stink of the Prequels’ trade disputes, and wrote that without any regard to links from the OT. That’s not something I can take at face value and just automatically love.