Indeed. Figures on display can mean whatever you want them to mean, or represent.
Exactly. For me, the reason why I collect these, and not statues or whatever (apart from the price difference; I can buy a 300 euro figure, but not a 600 euro statue) is that, one, they're like grown up versions of my childhood toys, two, I can justify them as the "endgame" of collectibles, where by getting a character in this format I can assure myself of my fan status, and three, their lifelike appearance allows me to pretend the stories in my head are "true". When you have them in a cabinet and they look like mini clones of the actors, you can forget what goes down in the actual movies/series/comics, and pretend that your own version is the real one. It's like a mini museum where every figure has a story and every display is a tale. That's why I think it's important to be selective, otherwise you end up with cluttered shelves that tell nothing.
I have the Hobo Luke and and Hologram Luke from the ST, because as figures they're excellent representations of the older Hamill/Luke. When I look at them I imagine them as being from some EU adventure, without any connection to the ST.
I was out of the hobby during those days, so I missed out on them. But I do have them on my to-buy list, because liek you said, as designs they're great, and I can easily pretend they're representations of EU Old Man Luke, at the height of his power, as Grandmaster or whatever else. Regardless of what the ST ended up being, when I do get them, they'll represent Luke as he's supposed to be in my head, canon be damned.
There are new designs from the new content that I really like, and which fit the aesthetic that feels right. Such as the Patrol Trooper and Mudtrooper from
Solo, K-2SO from
Rogue One, or the Transport Trooper from
The Mandalorian. And of course the Mandalorians themselves because they have quite a traditional OT appearance.
I have three versions of Jyn Erso on display, as she's not only a good character played by an actress I like, but as figure she never dies.
I doubt I'll ever get anything from RO, apart from maybe a Krennic when I'm done with hunting down new releases and can afford to go back. For me Star Wars is about the Jedi & Sith, so everything else is of secondary nature. If I collected only SW I could keep up, but between the comic book movies and random one-offs, I am more selective. I don't even have plans to get a Han/Chewbacka/Lewis/etc anytime soon.
But I get you. When I get an HT Grievous (in 2028), he'll exist as a representation of his GenndyWars self, as the character he should've been, instead of the canon RotS/TCW dissapointment he ended up being.
I even bought Dooku, in spite of my lack of love for the PT, because it was apt to have a Christopher Lee to go with the Peter Cushing Tarkin. In my head he's a dark force user existing in the OT era.
I grew up with the PT, so while I can see the problems in the movies, I'm very much into the worldbuilding it created. I'll have to get a Dooku too, but I'm playing catchup with all these. I am dissapointed in his character arc, but it is Christopher Lee as a Sith Lord; he's cool by default. For me the problem here arises in how to display it all if I double dip (say both Mando Luke & TLJ Luke). SW wise I'm going Sith & Jedi primarily, but there'll be some one-offs like a Boba or something. So the pure "Jedi Vs. Sith" display I was planning won't work. I was thinking of breaking it down to Eras. PT, OT, and "EU". Or maybe mini-vignettes and the such. Dunno, I guess I'll get to it as the figures keep coming.