My most disappointing aspect of the Sequel Trilogy:

The decision to start the construction of the final chapter’s story around mad-libbing deleted scenes of Carrie Fisher into the film proper. That single decision was one of the biggest handcuffs on the story’s total potential, led to the almost complete erasure of Rose Tico from the story, and worst of all - never worked as intended. It was intended to be an honoring of Fisher’s work, and an homage to her and her character, and it came off as one of the biggest acts of storytelling childishness in The Rise of Skywalker: an almost petulant refusal to accept things had changed, and to move on in a healthy, meaningful way. A better tribute would have likely involved finding a way for the characters to acknowledge and figure out their own ways to fill that Leia-sized hole in their hearts, preferably in a way that actually pays tribute to the character in spirit and in meaning, as opposed to literally turning the character’s dead body into a prop for about a half hour of screentime.

My most satisfying aspect of the Sequel Trilogy:

Honestly, it really has to be Rey plucking the saber out of the snow. I rarely get full-on goosebump moments during movies. I acknowledge how special they are, but I usually don’t physically react unless the movie has really nailed a moment, above and beyond. Not only did that saber flying into Rey’s hand as “Burning Homestead” played induce chills and goosebumps on first view, it happened on the second and third view, too. It’s just such a perfect reveal, and the potential of the sequel trilogy is made blindingly apparent when she switches it on. Even knowing how her story ends, that moment is still satisfying.