If you step back and look at character development, doesn't it make sense that the ultimate villain would be a whiny little bitch? Evil is often the greatest form of selfishness. Don't you have to be a bumbling young fool before you can become a wise old man? I'm sure if Lucas would have fleshed out 2 more series to show the development of Vader and the other characters people might praise his genius.
Utly, you sound like all the transformer fan boys that had Michael Bay ruin their childhood as well. We 20 somethings grew up with Star Wars just the same as the 30 and up crowd. We had the action figures, the light sabers, the giant X-wings and Millennium Falcons, and the bed sheets and underwear. Don't forget that the movies were also re-released in the late 90's. We just have the added advantage of not being an adult when the prequels were release so we were still able to experience the child like wonder and not the have the burden of being an adult and over analyzing everything.