The past few comments do present a strong case for the older fans to simply let go - or at least accept that the prequels have their fanbase and are referenced in modern films as much as the original trilogy was in its day. Ergo, when my kids were on half term recently, two of the films they watched were Hop and Marmaduke, both of which had prominent references to the prequels in them.

Now, you can lament that and typically say "Well, that just show how standards are slipping....films aren't as good as they used to be...etc" - I'd expect nothing less on this forum - but you can't deny the success of the prequels and that these "awful" films exist, will continue to exist, and are the reason Star Wars remains so prominent today.