That is true, but you're wrong in saying that the original trilogy didn't place these jedi "front and center". In fact, if anything, the "new ones" walked the walk, and the originals only talked the talk. Benkept saying that without Luke, everything would be lost, the empire would win, etc., etc., (while Yoda pointed out there was another) as if this one jedi was the difference between victory and defeat of the whole war between the empire and the rebels. Of course, if you actually watch RotJ, this notion is preposterous. Yes, he convinced Vader to kill Palpatine, but I'm pretty sure the blastwave from the core reactor explosion ignited by the Falcon would also do the trick.
The reason why this matters very little in the originals is that we're human and we like these stories where massive galactic events are actually about family matters and it's all about you and your father and sister and whomever you want to make amends with. And at the end, you end up in a place of love with your family, friends and bonus, you've saved the galaxy. We kinda see the working machinery if we're enough cynical about it, but we still love it.