I have been there since 1977. Been a fan ever since, all the ups and downs. But I firmly believe that the OT was a product of its time in the world, and that's hard to replicate. The "feel" of the OT is what I think most us want; the idea that we just saw a solid, good, entertaining film that caught us off guard and made us think. SW did this. TESB did this, with one heck of a sucker punch at the end. ROTJ did NOT do this, it was more of a rehash with a tidy bow on top. IF SW and TESB were a great steak dinner, then ROTJ was a cheeseburger. Filling, but not the same quality.
Lucas got exactly what he wanted for the PT. What we saw on screen was his directorial vision, AND his editing vision (right down to splicing to different takes from two different actors into one scene). There was good content there, but buried in the muck of his vision. But it was HIS vision.
Under Lucasfilm (really, I should say KK), the tides have changed. Outside of merchandising, I never felt that any of the 6 SW films Lucas did were exclusively for box office receipts. And even with the PT, social media was NOT the Wampa that it is today. Now, every spoiler/rumor/telephoto picture/key grip anonymous comment is immediately posted and then reposted as gospel.
Lucasfilm/KK want to make a "good" film, sure. But it's all about the Benjamins. Opening weekend draw, overseas numbers, DVD/Blu-ray and digital sales. Bad initial returns make board members and executive VPs-of-xyz department very nervous. Stock prices flutter, and people loose their jobs in the ensuing panic. KK answers to a Board of Directors, not the fans. So we live in a world of accelerated hype before a film, put butts in seats, then quickly get to digital distribution and DVD/Bluray before the embers have completely died out.
I really hope that JJ Abrams retcons the snot out of TLJ, but who knows? Seems to me there are some easy plot points that would satisfy old fans (like me) and new SW filmgoers, and still eave room for a unique story. Granted, this is all moot now that principal filming has ended:
1) Give Rey a background.
2) Have Kylo interact with Vader or Anakin, in some way
3) Bring back Luke, the "real" Luke character (we know Hamill is in the film, but is it a 30 second cameo a la TFA?)
4) ASK HAMILL HOW HE FEELS LUKE SHOULD BE USED AT THIS POINT (see above)
5) Give Leia a self sacrificing, meaningful death
6) Either redeem Kylo, or have him die fighting full of dark side rage. No Phasma or Fett outros here.
7) Close out the 9 film saga with our 2 droids
Under JJ, my biggest concern is NOT that Episode 9 will be a bad film, but more of a "sterile" one, a filling but ultimately lukewarm cheeseburger.