>>149724661Exactly, it's just "the movie that it is" due to that. It being bad is a separate issue. If Lucas wouldn't be trying to make a kid movie and failing, he would be making a movie and failing. At least with how it is, little children actually like it despite it being a bad children's movie. Adults wouldn't be as forgiving and then it would truly be for no one.
You're forgetting that only Episode I was full-on kiddie friendly. Episodes II and III sucked regardless, Padme midriff and a few cool saber fights aside.
So in a non-kid-movie Episode I, instead of Jar-Jar, we would get some too cool for school Han-like rogue sidekick who would be made of pure cringe because he wouldn't be played by someone with balls and experience to challenge Lucas. And instead of annoying kid Anakin, we would have wooden alien Anakin we had in Episodes II and III. And the time saved by cutting out kiddy fanservice like the pod race would be spent on more mind-meltingly boring trade negotiations and senate intrigue, or irrelevant-ass nonsense like aliens with 60's Earth diners. Same as in II and III.