I think a detailed response is in order here.
Firstly, a matter of perspective: I am not a fan of Star Wars per se, but of cinema. Television generally doesn't interest me, and literature is my other great passion. As such, I approach the Star Wars films from that perspective. Admittedly, there is a nostalgia lens of sorts, considering what the original trilogy meant to me when I was a child. But everything I say here, I say as objectively as possible (obviously it's not possible to be entirely objective) from the perspective of a cineaste, not a Star Wars fan.
The original trilogy are cinematic masterpieces that changed the course of cinema, literally dividing it into BC/AD type epochs. I won't bore you with detail on that, but my citation is the whole of cinema history (not just Hollywood either) both before and afterwards. Even if you hate Star Wars (and obviously I feel sorry for such people) it is undeniable that the original film, The Empire Strikes Back, and (to a lesser degree) Return of the Jedi are among the most influential and important films ever made. Their influence on cinema and pop culture (for better and worse) is seismic, and continues to be felt.
The same cannot be said for the Star Wars prequels, no matter what nostalgia is starting to kick in from the generation who saw them as children. If you're a fan of Star Wars and love them, great. Good for you. Personally, I think they are technically outstanding (cinematography, editing, sound, production design, visual effects, and especially music score) but the performances are lacklustre at best and the plots are unconvincing much of the time. As such, I consider them a tragically wasted opportunity, and lament what might have been. As a fiction writer myself, writing a good story is something of a passion, so I even outlined a version of what I would have done with the prequels - see below, if you're interested.
https://medium.com/cinemania/how-id-have-written-the-star-wars-prequels-813d867e688a
The sequels? Well, The Force Awakens was an entertaining but entirely superfluous rehash of the the original film (no one in my generation calls it A New Hope, by the way) but I wouldn't wish it away, purely because it leads to The Last Jedi, which is easily the most interesting Star Wars film, post Return of the Jedi, from a cinematic perspective. It did something genuinely different and interesting, and again, more about that below (in a rather personal article, so I hope you'll forgive me) if you want my full thoughts on the matter.
https://medium.com/cinemania/the-real-reason-some-star-wars-fans-hated-the-last-jedi-f4c142b85cfc
As for the rest of the films, not counting the Ewok TV movies (the first of which got a cinema release here in the UK) The Rise of Skywalker was a bit of a mess, Solo was fun but unnecessary, and Rogue One was pretty damn good in a Dirty Dozen in space sort of way. Beyond that, I've watched bits and pieces of the TV stuff, which wildly varies in quality (I quite liked Andor though) but in truth, there is very little I consider of interest outside the original trilogy. I could quite happily have left it at three, give or take The Last Jedi, which I'll simply term "The Star Wars film I didn't know I needed" for personal reasons. So if the prequels built modern Star Wars, as you put it, then I suppose I could grudgingly concede that The Last Jedi wouldn't exist without them. But I stand by all my opinions on them, which are well documented elsewhere. Attack of the Clones I consider particularly woeful (see below).
https://fanfare.pub/why-padme-and-anakin-is-cinemas-worst-love-story-ac675ad9a01f
(The title is hyperbole - there are worse love stories in cinema, in all fairness.)
I think I'll leave it there. :)