Do they not deserve the chance to walk down memory lane with stories and references from their favorite moments?
They do, and they can do it by watching the prequels.
Valid point. But couldn’t the same be said for the OT then?
If Disney made the new trilogy in PT era and fans criticized; would the answer “you can watch the OT” be a satisfactory one for you as a lifelong fan?
But we can’t watch the OT. There’s the rub.