This is a wall of text. I am speaking with you about this honestly and without hostility.
So you want me to say that those who like all star wars media are on the same tier as those who choose to hate it? Do you know where the word "Fan" comes from? It means fanatic. Of this, I am a textbook fan. If you hate some of the movies, you can't really be a fan within this context as now your appreciation of the franchise is conditional. Most claims that have to do with hate over the films are seen through a cinema political lens.
No, for me, I immerse myself in the story and take it as it is. Life's too short to bitch about a movie that I don't agree with. I chose to find things I do agree with, and there's a lot in the sequel trilogy. That's right, I was kinda miffed at TFA for being like A New Hope. I was mad at TLJ for Luke not being what I wanted him to be. I totally get that. I was ready to be done. But I told myself that this is the only 7, 8, and 9 I'm going to get. So, I might as well try to find something good.
I went on the internet and ignored all the hate videos and forums and looked for the few who really liked it to see what they saw.
My eyes were opened and I saw something truly magnificent. Once TRoS came around, it confirmed what the artist of the videos had been saying. Everything finally made sense. The tip of the iceberg, the introduction to the thoughts behind what defines the sequel trilogy, is acknowledging that it is meant to be a separate era, yet it must conclude the first and the second trilogy. That in itself is the story. We see history come full circle, we see how heroes can fall, but they will always get back up. That's what a hero is. It didn't assassinate him. It put him to the test again and he thrived.
There's so, so much more. It really depends on perspective and I think a lot of people don't understand that. There was so much hype in this sequel as it has been anticipated for over thirty years. Even if it followed the EU, it still would've had extreme pushback for a myriad of reasons that I could list off. Going to ask you to take my word for it.
From one "Fan" to another "fan" I hope you would be genuinely interested to consider the other themes, or takes from someone who enjoys it.