I don't agree that Luke and Leia's birth's needed to be shown, or how they got to their new homes, or the building of the Death Star, and the three seconds of Tarkin which most people don't even pick up on). It was too much like a Star Wars theme ride crammed into two minutes on-screen...a waste. All that stuff doesn't really matter in the scheme of the story and could have been dealt with much less clumsily and much more craftily had some care been taken.

Most of the crap in the PT was pointless and need not be seen. And until the day I die, I stand by my belief that three cardinal sins were committed by Lucas in the OT:

1. Showing Vader, even mentioning his name, and linking him so concretely with Anakin. In a I thru VI mentality, terrible way to write the story and rob the ensuing chapters of ALL drama.

2. Yoda...another gimmick that NEVER should have been shown. He should have referred to only in name and left the surprise that he should genuinely be in ESB.

3. The Emperor, again a horribly executed gimmick. Never should have been shown fighting. Again, robs ROTJ of the shock value (no pun intended) of seeing the Emperor do his thing with Luke. Much as should have been done with Vader, his true indentity as the Sith Master should have been dealt with much more delicately, and I say left for full revelation in the OT.