Luke as a Jedi Master teaching a new generation of Jedi restoring the order. Leia as Chancellor of the New Republic, Han Solo as a leader in the New Republic Navy.

The rest of the plot didn’t need to follow the EU generally.

There is plenty of room to make up a story around the OT heroes without erasing their accomplishments and making them worthless. Luke doesn’t need to be a superhero just to be Luke and a wise teacher, kind and generous.

Write the story around the original actors so the new protagonists fit the established world Lucas created. At least they should have prominent supporting roles. Not one off cameos for shock value in killing them off. They don’t all have to survive the trilogy but there had to be a better way of passing the torch without killing the past.