The new Star Wars trilogy didn't please everyone. It wasn't necessarily hated either, but for every step forward that it tried to take for the franchise as a whole, it also seemed to take two steps back. One of the most prominent examples of this is with the character choices made throughout these three films. Disney managed to introduce some truly awesome characters into the series, but then ended up muddling the execution when it came to their actual stories and individual growth. Part of this is due to the fact that the new franchise attempted to lean heavily on the inclusion of characters like Han, Luke, and Leia; none of which made it through the trilogy alive.
Instead of trying to pull the heartstrings of fans with the deaths of their most beloved characters, Disney should have doubled down and committed to the new characters they created. Take Finn for example. The premise of a stormtrooper turned Jedi in training was set up at the start of the trilogy. Instead, he ended up playing a role of minimal importance in the next two movies, going on lackluster side quests and ultimately hesitating to even tell Rey about how he feels connected to her in the force. There's one character that was also set up in The Force Awakens that has perhaps the most tantalizing back-story yet and could have served as a huge aspect of the new trilogy: Maz Kanata.
The new trilogy completely failed to capitalize on this character, missing a huge opportunity to drive the plot along in a meaningful way that still would have connected the new trilogy to the characters of the original. The way that Disney handled this character though viewers would be forgiven for completely forgetting that she existed. Just as a quick reminder, Maz Kanata is first introduced in Episode 7 when Han Solo takes Rey to her castle on the forest planet of Takodana. She's also played by Lupita Nyong'o of Black Panther and Us fame. Back to what makes her such an interesting character, she's described by Han as having "run this watering hole for a thousand years." By watering hole, Han is referring to her castle which Maz allows pirates and smugglers to come to so long as they leave politics and wartime involvements outside of her walls.
On paper, this is an incredible premise for a character. She's a pirate queen that is older than Yoda and has spent her lifetime traveling the galaxy and collecting rare treasures. She's also earned the respect of criminals from around the galaxy which leads the audience to believe that she's one tough (orange) cookie. That's an undeniably cool premise for a Star Wars character. Han Solo also clearly had a history with her, and the fact that she has so many fascinating trinkets in her collection combined with her age mean that she's been around for all of the major events in Star Wars history as well as had adventures of her own.
In her brief introduction in the first part of this trilogy, she's revealed to have found the lightsaber that once belonged to both Anakin and Luke. That's kind of a big plot point that certainly has an interesting story behind it- just not one that the new trilogy bothers to expand upon in any meaningful way. Instead, the lightsaber is just used as a way to have Rey find her way back to Luke Skywalker. This is both the ending shot of The Force Awakens and the first of The Last Jedi. It's very clear from this choice where Disney's focus was, forcing the audience's focus back to an old fan favorite while glossing over Maz Kanata's curiosity-inducing past.
On the note of The Last Jedi, Maz Kanata is also shortchanged within this movie as well. There is a brief appearance from the pirate queen via hologram in which a battle can be heard ensuing in the background. Maz simplifies the skirmish and downplays it as a "union dispute." Again, Disney touches upon the idea that Maz is in the middle of a plot that's just as interesting if not more so than the main plot of the movie it's lightly referenced within.
Viewers are treated to one last glimpse of Maz Kanata in The Rise of Skywalker. She's seen leading a group of rebel fighters in the final encounter with Palpatine's forces. Again, it's nice to see her included in some form, but it just feels like Disney failed to recognize one of their most interesting characters. Throw in that Maz is also force-sensitive and it becomes even more clear that she had more to offer in this saga. Her age, her abilities, and her general street smarts would have made her the perfect character to deliver revelations that were previously unexplored in the trilogies that preceded this one. As this trilogy was clearly meant to set the stage for less of a focus on Jedi in the franchise moving forward, she could have served as the ideal bridge for this shift. Maybe next time she'll get the shot she deserves.