, is that Abrams has to decide how to make a film that reconciles both previous installments
largely without the benefit of the original trilogy characters, and is likely open-ended enough to allow for future films. On top of that, Disney has seen reaction to films like the DCEU and MCU, which is probably a good indication that they won't allow the series to go dark, which they certainly haven't thus far. That means you can probably forget about Rey and/or Finn dying, or going over to the Dark Side. Kylo's fate is up in the air, but whether he dies, or converts back and lives, both of those scenarios are, in my opinion, boring as hell. After that, I really don't know what, if anything, the new film can accomplish, because so few of the other characters have really had any character development. Is Finn going to become a Jedi? Seems unlikely now, since Johnson has pretty much diluted the idea of Jedi being rare and special with the end of The Last Jedi. All that's left for Finn to do, is to pick a girl, and call it a day. As for Poe, it seems all he can do is become a Resistance leader, like Leia and Holdo. And once Rey decides she really is a Jedi, and (probably) that her lineage "doesn't matter" (which is a convenient loophole around the importance of bloodlines), all that's left for her to do is defeat Kylo--because let's face it, after the events of The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren is now the First Order--and then be covered in glory, as the bad guys retreat. That scenario is also really boring, and while having Carrie Fisher around may have allowed for some touching mother/son dynamics, the whole thing feels just as stale as what The Last Jedi is.
I think what a lot of people would have wanted going into this trilogy is to have Luke, Han and Leia in all three films, with all three, as well as Chewie, 3PO and R2 going on the adventure in their own ways, and mentoring the new characters. I know that's what I hoped for going in, and all seemed okay until the last part of The Force Awakens, with Han being killed, and Luke being reduced to an actual cameo.
But okay, I thought, I can deal with no Han. Harrison Ford never liked the role that much, and so he probably didn't like the idea of doing another trilogy. Besides, he could come back in flashbacks, or as a Force Ghost, or whatever. Then Carrie Fisher died, so now, no more Princess Leia. Okay, we still have Luke Skywalker. But then, when I finally saw The Last Jedi, a movie where Luke doesn't even leave his retirement island, and often behaves like an old crackpot before finally killing himself via virtual exertion (or however you want to describe it), I knew that the creators of the new trilogy were and are not interested in giving anything but lip service and a hasty exit to these characters. And sure, no one had any control over Carrie Fisher's death, and Disney/Lucasfilm were likely going to have her in Episode IX, but now that that isn't possible, the least that they could have done is given Luke the final film in the trilogy. Bring in Hamill for a quick reshoot, at least get Luke off the goddamn island, and possibly, meeting up with the new characters. Then, if you must, let Luke go out in a blaze of glory in Episode IX. As much as The Last Jedi has issues, its biggest problem, far and away, is its borderline disrespect of Luke Skywalker. If, especially in light of Fisher's death, Johnson had rectified that, I think I would have come away with a mixed reaction, but ready and willing to see Episode IX because of Luke's expanded role. Now? Well, because the Skywalker saga is essentially over, and I've never really warmed up to any of the new characters, I really just don't have any reason to go and see the film.