Agreed. Don't worry about Yoda this time around. He comes around every other month, and you don't really need him just yet. I think it's a mistake to deviate from Phoenix. Instead, just keep farming them, and keep farming their gear. Get them all to Gear 9 before moving on to something else. Then, when Thrawn does come back, the event will be significantly easier. Also, you'll have a decent enough team that can work still work well in the Arena (for a little while longer for you at your level), the GW, TWs, TBs, and even Fleet Arena (if you also farm the blueprints for their two ships there).
You are a long way from the Commander Luke requirements, so don't worry about Old Ben until you finish Hera and Ezra. Don't farm Luminara; use your GW tokens to finish Biggs first; he's the most important toon in that shop, and is vital to pretty much every Fleet. Likewise, stop farming QGJ and start farming Chopper again. When you finish Chopper, there are other more important toons in that shop than QGJ (who, like Luminara, isn't really needed anywhere in the game).
Edit: Here, just follow this guide. It isn't perfect, but it is as close as you'll find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2_J_BwXSOY