Excellent analysis.

Nope. Tarkin, Krennic, Vader > Rylo, Snoke, Hux

He needed the money.

Well, how did The Force Awakens expand the saga? By rebooting everything? Han Solo going back to his old ways? The First Order learning zilch from the failures of the Empire? Rogue One may not be perfect, but it did add quite a bit more to the OT.