jedi_bendu, I sort of agree. I do think having Luke, Leia, and Han as failures definitely works on some level but it was never wrapped up in a satisfying way to give them an arc where they overcame their failures to pass the torch to the next generation in a way that still respects them. I think this is one way George’s treatments work better as they face adversity and failure, and yet presumably the grandchildren and new generation characters would face the more direct threats. Sort of like how Obi-Wan goes from the padawan to a more directly involved major player and mentor while Luke, Leia, and Han have the story passed on to them. He then serves more the function of torch passer. I could see Luke serving that kind of role. He’d be involved but not in a way that takes away from the accomplishments of the grandchildren or next generation. I think they were so worried Luke would overshadow the new generation.

That’s also sort of how I see The Last Jedi. I really like it for the most part but I also don’t think it connects to the previous six films in a satisfying way. I find watching the ending of Return of the Jedi now is filled with joy yet sadness for what could’ve been with George’s story. Thankfully learning to let go has made me slowly get better at separating and seeing things as two different Star Wars franchises.