I always wondered if Lucas substituted the Ewoks as a more marketable, commercially salable version of the Wookies (also turning their species name inside out). It always felt to me that those scenes should have been on the planet of the Wookies, the big, tough teddy bears.
Wookies would have been much better than Ewoks, but then we would have missed out on something that everyone so far has completely overlooked (pointedly ignored?)- there were "sequels", at least other movies set in the Star Wars universe, those that embodied almost everything that the haters hold most dear, excepting Jar Jar. Doesn't any one remember the most awesome piece of cinematography that was
Caravan of Courage? Ewoks, kids, a narrator. Quality. It had its own sequel,
The Battle for Endor. Though wikipedia tells me that they were set between
Empire and
Jedi
Yoda the green pinball? The same yoda that could barely walk on Degobah? Pfft. Although 3 is dark. Almost too much so. Like they tried to compensate for Episode 1 by force choking kids.
This is the same IP that told us that a massive slimy piece of worm-ridden filth could increase his mass approximately three times over in less than ten years, but still only be the same level of feared criminal overlord.
The only plot hole that really bothered me : Amidala dies giving birth, but Leia says that her mother died when she (leia) was very young. It was just such an obvious, glaring mistake, that was integral to the whole relationship between luke and leia.
I love Star Wars, grew up watching them, but IMO there is only one way to watch: take seat, disengage brain, enjoy

The best thing about the star wars series is what came after, my favourite star wars memories are playing as a Tie-fighter pilot on my old pc. Disney could do some really interesting stuff with this.