The Rise of Skywalker vs. Dark Empire

I believe in light or recent information, it is appropriate to bump this.

So, which was better, the Legends or Canon version?

At least Legends was original, if more like an overblown fanfic complete with weird over the top effects. TROS couldn't even manage that beyond its bass boosted lightning scene.

Both were pretty dumb in different ways, but I think from a certain point of view it is unfair to compare them because DE was published years before the PT was even released, years before the entire Anakin being the prophesied Chosen One who destroys the Sith and brings balance to the Force had been established by the PT, so the writers of DE formed the story under the OT being the only SW movies in existence and were completely in the dark of how important Anakin was to the saga. George Lucas was apparently also involved in the creative process of DE, but he started the creative process of TPM 5 years before it got released in 1999 (correct me if I'm wrong), so it's not likely that he had thought of the Chosen One prophecy conceptualised that far in advance.

TROS creative team however were in a completely different day and age. The PT had been been around for over a decade, you'd have to be living under a rock if you're a SW fan but you're unaware of the whole prophecy and balance to the Force subplot, and George Lucas, Qui-Gon Jinn and TCW have made it clear that Anakin fulfilled the prophecy and brought balance to the Force in RotJ. All what TROS is gives us a throwaway voice cameo from Hayden Anakin saying "Bring back the balance, Rey, as I did" while empowering Rey, a Palpatine, alongside all those other dead Jedi, to end Palpatine once and for all. If Ben Solo was the one to end Palpatine, that would've been much better homage to Anakin's legacy because he's obviously a Skywalker, is a more compelling character, and it would be poetic with his line "Nothing will stand in our way, I will finish... What you started" in TFA. Plus, Ben has so many glaring similarities with Anakin e.g. getting groomed by a creepy old man from a young age.