Star Wars: 8 Ways The Last Jedi Says F**k You To J.J. Abrams
How to make a sequel: Discard everything the former set up. Wait... what?
Read into the behind the scenes machinations of how Star Wars - as a series of films - is being handled, and you'll quickly come across the staggering lack of planned continuity.
Per George Lucas' original intentions way back before Star Wars (the well-financed indie project) became Star Wars (the cultural behemoth), Lucas once envisioned a world where the franchise could be handed from creative to creative, letting the story contort and change in tow.
As such, it's easy to assume this is why Rian Johnson was given full creative freedom, and going forward, different teams will surely inject their own identity into each new instalment. You can see this already in the huge tonal-jump from The Force Awakens to Rogue One, and then The Last Jedi, especially in tone.
Honestly, it would be better for the franchise overall if this "shared box of toys" mentality became an advertised factor - it would certainly help with plot threads and general hype. Yet, even if you take into account how JJ Abrams liked Rian Johnson's first script back at the end of 2015, there are some monumental missteps present as far as this being the connective tissue of a trilogy is concerned.