What an impact in such a short time!
He was in command of the assault the second death, not from ground base but taking live fire. That sigh of relief and exhaustion he gives when they take down the star destroyer, it's a great moment. And let's not forget his line that has been quoted for the last 35 years..."IT'S A TRAP!" Not to mention he has been in the fight with the rebels / resistance for over 35 years.
He deserved a better death than a just a passing line of dialogue. It was this movies equivalent of Chewie walking right by Leia after Hans death in TFA. Small detail, but a missed opportunity for a big impact. It just wasn't right.