Vaderisnothayden said:
Putting Tarkin in ROTS was dumb.
I never viewed it as dumb nor smart. It's more along the lines of an Easter egg, like the ETs in TPM or the X-Wing and TIEs in AotC. Sure, it doesn't really add anything to the overall quality of the film, but it doesn't detract either. It's just an appreciative nod to what's come before.