The argument you seem to be advancing is "Well, he didn't NEED to be there, so why was he there?" Which is... odd. He wasn't distracting. They just had a swell of music for two seconds during his first appearance.

I think he was at worst, an innocuous inclusion, and at best, a useful character to have in the film. Again, his presence would've have work the exactly the same if the prequels had never existed.