To be honest, after seeing TFA for a third time I’ve made my peace with the Starkiller Base. It’s quite a neat idea to have it kill a star while taking the word starkiller… it’s quite clever, in admittedly a wholly unoriginal way.
The main issue I can’t seem to make peace with is the map. That whole mcguffin doesn’t seem to have been thought out.
A) why would someone who doesn’t want to get found make a map to his location?
It’s a contingency. He goes off and destroys his ship so he can’t return of his own accord but if the galaxy should ever need him those who know him would be able to find him.
B) why does Artoo have some of the map and Max Von Sydow have the rest?
So if Kylo or Snoke should come looking for him they would have to acquire both pieces of the map. Yet another contingency.
C) why does Artoo wake up suddenly out of the blue and remember he has the map?
JJ Abrams explained this with a in universe explanation but we all know it’s a plot convenience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOCC5I1rhWA
D) why did no one think to check Artoo all the time he was catatonic in case he had a map to his old owner?
Maybe they did and the files were hidden. Like hidden hidden.