Why was Jeff Goldblum in this?

I saw an interview where Trevorrow said he wanted to bring Jeff back as a nod to the earlier films. Paying homage, if you will.

He also said he wants to bring Sam Neill and Laura Dern back in the next film for the same reason.

I guess you can add that to all the cynical answers you've gotten so far.

I enjoyed Jeff in this. They basically brought him back just so he could say "I told you so!" lol Was it worth the million they probably paid him? Nah. But it was still a moment of fun in a dumb movie.

His scenes were the most interesting

Because Independence Day 2 went straight to DVD.