Yeah, Harrison Ford badly wanted Solo to be killed off in Return of the Jedi. I'm sure that was a stipulation of his return to the franchise.
Having recently rewatched Force Awakens in preparation for Last Jedi home viewing, I'm convinced that episode 7 is the better film.
Around two thirds of Last Jedi is really good material imo. Remainder is dodgy. If they had brought in another director for reshoots (as happened with Rogue One), it would have been a much better film.
But Kathleen Kennedy apparently loved all of Johnson's footage. Even the silly clothes iron looking like a spaceship moment (presumably a tribute to Hardware Wars?).
I think Rogue One is the best Disney Star Wars film to date.