I'd also like to see this set 30 years later, with Luke in the Obi-Wan mentor role. Maybe Leia & Han's offspring seeks out their long lost uncle Luke to train in the Jedi arts.
The Empire should still be around, just with a reduced territory. Coruscant, for example, could still be held by them. (Just say that the uprising shown in ROTJ-SE was quelled.) The New Republic idea could still be used, but they should be a small government only consisting of a few dozen systems. This way you could basically still have the same conflicts as the OT-- the Republic trying to win back systems from the Empire. Have some Sith still pulling the strings with the Empire and explore what exactly the Sith are.