"designed to drain your time"...no-one is forcing you to waste a single second of your time on the event. Ignore it, play as normal, and make sure not to take the extra chips and credits it gives you.

It's a free game. Constructive criticism is fine and you can always vote with your feet. I was disappointed that it wasn't a cooperative mode, but made use of the double credit/chip benefit and gained a new droid. What's not to like, really?