Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasted The Force Awakens' setup more than The Last Jedi. In classic Star Wars fashion, there was not a singular, comprehensive plan that completely mapped out the entire sequel trilogy when Lucasfilm started work on it. On one hand, this was a blessing since it gave J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson creative freedom when crafting their installments, allowing them to take the story in whatever direction they wanted. That kind of leeway is refreshing on a major studio tentpole. However, the downside to this approach was a series of films that seemed at odds with each other instead of telling a cohesive story.
The Last Jedi was particularly polarizing, with many feeling it discarded Force Awakens setup to subvert expectations and shock audiences with surprising twists. The film's critics believed Johnson retconned the story, even though Abrams said on record nothing in The Last Jedi contradicts The Force Awakens. Ironically, Abrams arguably did a worse job of following his own setup when he returned to the Star Wars galaxy to helm The Rise of Skywalker.
Much has already been said about how The Rise of Skywalker seemingly retcons some of the more controversial aspects of The Last Jedi, but the film also fell short when it came to fulfilling some of the teases that were present in The Force Awakens. It's true the film had a lot on its plate as it looked to conclude the Skywalker saga on a resonant note, though there are still some flaws that are difficult to ignore.
The Rise of Skywalker Introduced (& Wasted) The Knights of Ren
The Force Awakens made a point to mention Kylo Ren was master of the Knights of Ren, a group of warriors briefly seen in Rey's Force vision on Takodana. Even though this idea had a lot of potential, it was never fleshed out. The Knights were absent from The Last Jedi, as there wasn't much of a place for them in a story that took place on the heels of The Force Awakens. When Abrams boarded The Rise of Skywalker, he brought the Knights back, giving them their proper onscreen introduction. Sadly, the Knights joined the growing list of cool-looking Star Wars villains that are more marketing gimmick than characters.
The Knights of Ren simply do not have much to do in The Rise of Skywalker. Their screen time is minimal and they hardly leave an impact on viewers. The most notable sequence they're a part of comes towards the end of the movie, when a redeemed Ben Solo comes to Exegol to save Rey. Ben makes quick work of his former allies, so the Knights didn't even get a standout action set piece a la the praetorian guards in The Last Jedi. It was disappointing because the Knights of Ren seemed like a very interesting concept when viewers first heard of them, but Abrams didn't know how to integrate them in The Rise of Skywalker. It would have been nice to see the Knights have unique personalities or traits, rather than being faceless, nameless suits of armor.
The Rise of Skywalker Once Again Wasted Finn's Force Story
Finn's role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is a hot button topic, particularly after John Boyega's comments about the way Disney handled the character. The actor was upset Finn was sold to audiences as being more important than he really was. Viewers may recall Force Awakens marketing materials depicted Finn wielding the Skywalker family lightsaber, implying he was going to be a Jedi in training. However, that was a red herring to disguise the fact The Force Awakens was actually Rey's story about her embracing the power of the Force. In the end, it was a needless bait-and-switch, and unfortunately something similar happened in The Rise of Skywalker.
A running thread in The Rise of Skywalker is Finn's failed attempts to tell Rey he's Force sensitive. It's a major development for the character, but the subplot is half-baked at best and it isn't given a proper resolution. Audiences were so confused by it, Boyega needed to come out and say Finn wasn't going to say, "I love you" to Rey. The Rise of Skywalker frustratingly keeps Finn's Force powers a secret (there isn't even a scene where he discovers his abilities), only vaguely hinting at the truth when Finn has "a feeling" about something at key moments. Finn received more of an arc in The Last Jedi, when his concerns evolved from just finding Rey to wanting to free the galaxy from the First Order. The Finn/Rose storyline was met with criticism (even from Boyega himself), but it was at least a full story that allowed Finn to change as a character. In The Rise of Skywalker, he's essentially an afterthought. If Finn was given a chance to display his Force powers in full effect, it would have been an excellent way of making up for the Force Awakens bait-and-switch.
The Rise of Skywalker Answered Two Big Force Awakens Mysteries (Badly)
After seeing The Force Awakens, many audiences were left with a couple of burning questions. They wanted to know who Rey's parents were and Supreme Leader Snoke's backstory. The Last Jedi not only revealed Rey's parents were two nobodies who sold her for drinking money, but also killed Snoke off before spelling out his history. These were controversial, but compelling, answers that looked to push Star Wars in new directions. The Rey twist was the most difficult thing she could have heard at the time, and taking Snoke out of the picture (telling audiences he didn't really matter) was a way to put Kylo Ren in the spotlight as the new Supreme Leader. Kylo was always the more fascinating antagonist in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Abrams undid all of this by bringing Emperor Palpatine back to the fold. Rey being Palpatine's granddaughter is perhaps The Rise of Skywalker's most divisive moment, providing conventional explanations for both her heritage and Force power. What's more is that The Force Awakens downplayed the importance of Rey's family moving forward, as Maz Kanata told her that her parents were never coming back. Instead, Rey ended up being a descendant of the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy, so her father (a failed Palpatine clone) was somebody just from that connection. As for Snoke, his origin was he was an artificial creation to do Palpatine's bidding while the Emperor toiled in his clone body. This came off as a lackluster attempt to tie Palpatine back to the events of the previous two films and raised more questions, especially since Palpatine wasn't hinted at in the other movies. It was a Rise of Skywalker twist that left some feeling unfulfilled.