EDIT: And, Scruffy, you know I don't generally trust George Lucas, but I still take what he says about his universe over the opinions of other writers. And if George says that it's the Death Star, then, as implausible and annoying as it may be, it is, simply, the Death Star. I can choose not to accept it as part of my own canon, but that's the way it is. Same with 3PO's mind wipe. George was trying to reduce his continuity errors, so he took this easy route out. In my mind, I prefer to think that 3PO and R2 weren't even involved with the prequel story in any way, but that's simply the way it is.
EDIT: And, Scruffy, you know I don't generally trust George Lucas, but I still take what he says about his universe over the opinions of other writers. And if George says that it's the Death Star, then, as implausible and annoying as it may be, it is, simply, the Death Star. I can choose not to accept it as part of my own canon, but that's the way it is. Same with 3PO's mind wipe. George was trying to reduce his continuity errors, so he took this easy route out. In my mind, I prefer to think that 3PO and R2 weren't even involved with the prequel story in any way, but that's simply the way it is.