Well, then you get into the whole territory of "new stuff sucks, only the old stuff is good." Now that the Prequels are twenty years old, they can be looked back upon fondly despite being bashed back when they were new. Star Trek follows a similar pattern with Voyager and Enterprise being hated by fans back when they were airing, but nowadays, they beloved classics. Doctor Who fandom actually incorporates this as part of the process, with it being stated when a new episode airs it will be judged to be crap. Then, five years later the episode is to be rewatched and reassessed as a misunderstood gem and much better than the crap which is currently airing.