Yep, very true.
The original trilogy had three different directors. But somewhere in it all must've been a "big picture"/rough outline to guide it all. Those three movies - despite three different directors and a
six year timespan (1977-1983) - manage to hang together quite nicely. Clearly proving that it's the foundation (writing/story) that holds it all together. That's obviously lacking in this 2015-2019 effort. There's no way in hell Kennedy, Abrams and whoever else sat down in 2014-2015 and mapped all this out. If they did, they failed miserably. But it looks like something that was made up as they went, each installment.
And, yeah...Rian did them no favors whatsoever with his little student film. I'll never understand how fire-happy Kathleen didn't put the brakes on that or bring in Ron Howard or someone to straighten all that out? Her strongest skill seems to be firing directors, and she couldn't/didn't do it the one time it might've truly helped?!
I certainly wouldn't want Abrams handling all three. But had he done so, maybe it would've been consistent hackery/suckage? There's something to say for that, I suppose. At least they would've come across like a unified, cohesive saga (you know, like the prequels with George in the writing/directing chair)?
They're poorly-written, unwatchable schlock-fests, but at least they're that way across the board without a jarring, out-of-place tonal shift right in the middle?
I do wonder what Colin Trevorrow's episode 9 would've looked like? What could he have done that was so fire-worthy? He may have said "WTF am I supposed to do with unworkable this turd Rian left me?" and that angered Kennedy (who then took 10 minutes from screen-printing The Force is Female™ T-shirts* to fire him for not recognizing Rian's greatness)?
Good grief, what a soap opera.
Undeserving, unqualified diphits put in charge of the one property that really can't afford to have undeserving, unqualified dipshits being in charge (it's just too big, too complex, too much baggage, too high expectations/demands, a loyal, rabid fanbase who aren't in the mood for Maze Runner/Pirates of the Caribbean-level nonsense and tomfoolery, etc.).