Great post. I actually agree with a lot of what you’ve said (and even though I loved the movie, I expect you’re right about repeat viewings much later down the line).

I do wonder though - if they hadn’t acknowledged the history and heroed those moments in the way they did, would we feel unsatisfied in a different way? They had a choice to either do it or not do it, and they chose to do it. Arguably they made the wrong decision, but equally the opposite decision could have backfired.

It was always going to be a bit of a lose/lose situation for whoever made this film. As I said, I agree with your points, but I’m not sure if I (and the rest of the audience) would have preferred it the other way. Do we want the re-introduction of the falcon to pass without fanfare? Or Han and Chewie to walk back into our lives with no sense of event? Unfortunately we’ll never know, because the film is how it is.