Well, I think he only ignored world-building and plot for sure, but the entire movie was just character arcs and the themes that guided them. So I 2/3 agree with you.

But yeah, Rian is a very theme-oriented filmmaker, and I was just trying to explain what makes him that way, and how people like myself enjoy the film. I totally understand why people didn’t like it, and I’ve been the first to say on this page how unwieldy and perhaps misguided TLJ and its approach was. Star Wars is a brand - a lore that people follow - not just a series of films. Rian should have known that audience, not assume they were all film nerds. It’s not like TLJ is particularly super well-written enough anyway.

I guess I do want to dispute the idea that themes shouldn’t be put first. I think they inform pretty much all good storytelling, and you need to prioritize thematic consistency to bring any story together. I think focusing on theme can’t overtake plot, character, and world. It can only enhance them. But not caring about it can ruin them. The themes are the story. That’s where everything about your story comes from. Why it’s being told. People just doing stuff somewhere doesn’t work without a any sort of through-line to tie it together.