That single scene can tell anyone just what is wrong with the Prequels. Old lore, longing for times long gone, deep pain of events from the past, gently nudging a youth towards a more righteous life, hearing a desperate plea, a connection to a lost father, a youth yearning for something more in his life, introduction of the Force, thoughtful stroking of the beard. I think that's more plot and emotive elements than I-III combined.

Lucas must make everything explicitly clear for anyone new to the films. This is something your arguments have made clearer to me. Beginning with ESB the whole universe of the story began to constrict on itself. There were less places to go and less things to do in order to escape the possibility of being repetitive. While ESB still turned out extremely well, by the time of ROTJ it seemed like even George couldn't think of what else to do. The length of the Jabba's Palace sequence could almost be construed as an attempt to take up screentime.