I played and beat the main quest for both Skyrim and Starfield, and I thoroughly enjoyed both games. And while I agree that Starfield has things to complain about, I enjoyed the plot much more in Starfield. I'm a big sci-fi nut, so that helps, but once I finished the main quest in Skyrim, I didn't feel the pull to go any further.
In Starfield, I'm still loving all the side quests, and NG+. And although the ship builder is clunky, I love modding my ships.
I'm glad Bethesda finally came up with a new IP. I really don't get all the backlash.
I actually went back and replayed Vanilla Skyrim this year because I found myself enjoying Starfield more than Skyrim, and I'll back you up. Starfield's quest design is more complex, more apt for roleplaying (multiple options for each major questline so you don't have to be a psychopath to play both Companions and Dark Brotherhood), and general RPG design, but the world design is more lacking than Skyrim.