See, this is what makes me wonder. I'm guessing that they weren't getting enough bookings...a lot of people decided to go to DLR instead where they could do SW in the Summer, since a lot of people can't really travel in the off season. They have to go in the Summer, and if you're going to make only one trip, and you have SW fans, it's logical they will choose California. So I'm thinking they offered the free dining at WDW because bookings were low...and I'm guessing that the free dining promotion didn't solve the problem. The only thing that would solve the problem is opening SWLand, because that's what people are waiting for. Obviously, it wasn't going to be complete, so...what to do....open a small portion to get people to book vacations as soon as possible. And, they probably also have it in the back of their heads that by opening in stages, people will have to make multiple trips to see it all. I think they are banking on people being unwilling to wait until all of it is open...they are hoping the die hard fans will want to be among the first to experience it (or to not understand how insanely busy it's going to be) so they won't want to wait. So then they will have to come back. Just my theory.
But if you remember back in 2016, Rivers of light was supposed to debut in....I want to say February...then they said Spring....then it was April, then it was June, then it was pushed back indefinitely and they put the Jungle Book projection show as an intirim show. ROL didn't end up opening until 2017, a full year after the announced date, and that was for one attraction/show that didn't already have a following. They have a habit of being late. So if they weren't going to make the fall deadline for SW, and people are putting off trips until it opens, they HAD to get people to book trips NOW. Pretty much their only option is to open part of it so they can say "See? We opened it early!" and get bookings so they have some breathing room for the construction of the rest of the land. It saves their image and gets the cash flowing again.
As for a 1/2 day park, I totally get why people say that. I'd be happy to skip it altogether other than the jedi training for DS, and eating at Prime Time. We had to get there at rope drop to sign DS for jedi training, and we had to stay late to see Fantasmic, but there was nothing really in between that we HAD to do, except the Frozen Sing-along. We had to stay for DS to do the jedi training in the afternoon, and we had ADRs for lunch and Dinner. If it weren't for the Jedi Training being the only thing DS is excited about, I would just skip it and have more time at Epcot and MK or our resort. Even TSL isn't a draw for me. The movies are meh for me and I don't think the kids have ever even seen 2 and 3. So I guess for me, it's not even a 1/2 day park. But that's the cool thing about Disney....something for everyone. I hope you get to see everything on your September trip! If you aren't planning to visit SWL, you might want to consider rope dropping HS. SW isn't going to have fastpasses, at least initially, so everyone will be rushing in at Rope drop, which means they WON'T be rushing TSL...you will have a better chance of seeing those things at rope drop while everyone else runs to SW.
Am I good or what?! (Don't answer that . . . 
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