Left to their own devices, most writers try to write the kind of stories they like to read, and explore the kinds of conflicts and questions they find interesting. That's where The Black Fleet Crisis really came from. I tried to write about real people, not movie heroes, grappling with real issues, not technobabble and one-dimensional evil adversaries. I tried to respect the many-dimensioned wholeness of Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, and the others, and look in on them as they were facing problems that mattered in a world where failures and mistakes have consequences. But after that, you have to be philosophical.
Every reader has a different experience with, through and of a given book.
And I'm very conscious of the fact that there are many different kinds of SW fans, and what pleases one group can leave another wanting. In his younger days, Han wouldn't have dreamed of letting anyone else touch the Falcon. But the simple fact of the matter is that he has too many other responsibilities. He's the father of three fairly demanding kids, and the spouse of the single most important government official in the Galaxy. To borrow a phrase from a contemporary philosopher, the days are just packed.