The thing that people miss to is that the idea of history repeating itself is very much a part of one of the central themes of the film.
The main characters all have more or less the same arc: can you ever rise above the life you're born into?/can you really cause change?
- Rey has spent nearly her whole life in a rut as a scavenger on Jakku, and seems intent to continue, waiting for her family. Though the film, she realizes she can move on to have a better life elsewhere.
- Finn likewise has spent his whole life as a stormtrooper. He makes the decision early to escape, but it takes him a bit to realize he can be more than simply a fugitive - he can be part of the resistance.
- Han, having seen his effort as a father fail in the worst way, has fallen back on what he's always known - smuggling. His arc here thrusts him back towards his family and at the bitter end he finally makes a selfless sacrifice for his son.
- Even Kylo/Ben fits in, though possibly to the dismay of the heroes. This is a guy who's grown up with the calling to be a Jedi, and has more recently been seduced into the dark side by Snoke. So for him, there's a dual question of if he can make a change within himself - can he finally fully reject the light that has always been there? or can he finally escape the grasp of the manipulative Snoke?
On the macro level, in regards to the galactic conflict at play, Maz touches on it perfectly. There's always going to be the dark side, and they'll always be grabbing power. The ultimate question is, can we rise above it and cause change? Can we face it, fight it?
I believe the film is a lot more thematically coherent than anyone gives it credit for (and I didn't even get into how the concept of family plays into all of it). A highly entertaining film that is also in some ways the most emotionally rewarding of the franchise thus far.
