Thanks for updating the OP, I like the list! Of course for the sake of discussion and thinking/mauling over these ideas for the next several months to try and incorporate all/most of those ideas, I am curious about working around this one:

'Possibly remove the destruction of the planet, and the idea that the fleet each has a ‘gun that shoots Death Stars.’

The tough part is the way they defeat the destroyers is by targeting those big ole guns attached to those destroyers. Without understanding the significants of those guns and the power they use, then how would targeting them destroy the entire ship.

If the thinking is “Well, they are just big guns like the Dreadnaught in TLJ, we can pretend it’s something like that!” The issue with that then is “Ok, then why didn’t Poe target the big guns on that back in TLJ to take the whole thing down!” Because … that wouldn’t cause a huge chain reaction like a ship that can destroy a whole planet!

Anyway, just thinking out loud!