It would have made sense if there were no lightsaber fights or Jedi onscreen in Episodes 1-3. After all, Luke doesn't seem to know what a lightsaber is, or what the Jedi do exactly. We get to learn with Luke in the OT.

I expect that the audience knows what Jedi are by the sequels, and fully expects them to be there, lightsabers flashing. However, I think it would be a mistake to focus on the lightsaber battles as big events like they were in the OT. By this point, wielding a lightsaber would be like flying a spaceship; lots of people can do it, so we need to raise the stakes.

Have the new Jedi be united in a quest for something, something worthwhile at that. At the same time, have the story grow beyond the Jedi, so that the hero must undergo a paradigm shift to understand how to save the day.