In the 80s, (and now pretty much), people love a revenge story. It's the laziest, easiest motivation to write but we still like it and I was always impressed that JEDI didn't go that route. Even so, Star Wars 2 and 3 would have needed a real subtle hand for us to be invested in Luke forgiving a guy who was not his father but just a killer. They sort of attempted that in the last Spider-Man, but it just felt like a gyp to me.

But it probably could have been cool if handled well (and Han Solo kicked enough ass to balance it out.)