As much as TLJ sucked calling a guy with a critically acclaimed film and directed the often cited best episode of any TV show a nobody is a bit off the mark.
Well, directing and writing are two very different things. Rian didn't need to write those critically acclaimed TV episodes (much better script writters than him wrote those), and the Films of his are standalones and thus just proves the case that they had no idea what to do for a continuation inside an establised story; which is what Episode 8 was. So yes, Rian pretty much was a nobody in this instance, as they had zero experience in doing anything similar. Which is why he's a nobody, since I, or anyone else with zero experience would do around the same, and WE are nobodies.
If the story was set down and only he directed (because there's nothing glaringly obviously bad with the directing or style of their directing), likely we wouldn't be in this mess, but they decided to write it too. And we all know how that went.
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Personally, 4, 5, 6 is excellent as always.
1, 2 and 3 got some undeserved flak in "some" instances, not all or many in fact. But certainly some was unwarranted (attacks on cast). But it "felt" like Star Wars, you could see and feel the continuity despite the letdowns in various areas of 1-3 (like story progression; badly chosen age ranges to show across three films of Anakins downfall).
7, I've always said and still maintain, was a fine reintroduction for the sequel trilogy, as it has been near 10 years since the last Star Wars and people could be forgiven for wondering if it'll be more of the OT or the PT. Thankfully it at least felt like the OT enough and had enough plot points to continue with it. This was at least a sign that it could feel the same going forward.
Then 8 came. I watched this in the theatre and never went back to Star Wars again in the cinema. I don't even care about 9 as 8 basically cut a tangent into the entire ST, killing it in its track. Even though I've said many times that 8, if it was a side adventure/story of Star Wars, it likely could do well (like Joker, for differing reasons but close enough if it was a side story), but it was terrible for a continuation from 7. But all everyone could do was try to pile on and tell me I'm an "ist" of some kind and that's why I'm wrong about it and that it's fantastic. Yep. So fantastic that Star Wars is on life support AFTER Mandalorian managed to necro it with 2 seasons, and that took some effort to do since it could easily have failed.
And this once again, is all because of "subverting expectations" for the sake of "art", Rian wanted to do a Stand Alone movie inside a trilogy, which screwed 9, and messed up any reason for 7.
