The prequels were Lucas’s child, the sequels are just a (lacklustre) product.
This is one of the things I appreciate about TLJ - it’s very clearly Rian Johnson’s film; written and directed. You watch that movie and you get an insight into what RJ thinks about Star Wars; like how KOTOR 2 gives you a big fat injection of Chris Avellone’s take on Star Wars. JJ, on the other hand, had co-writers for both of his movies, doesn’t answer questions on Twitter, is much more of a director than a writer etc. and consequently his two sequel movies don’t feel like they have a clear idea of what they’re trying to convey to the audience. I don’t think they were “made by committee” but they certainly give the impression of being far from the work of a single auteur.