I think Lucas did lose his touch between the OT and the PT. He had spent 1983-1994 doing more business side of things and working in the producer/idea role. He didn’t ask for the help he should have and any criticism was brushed off, like he was told Jar Jar wasn’t going to work.

I know Lucas helped out with some of Jurassic Park, and his ideas for the most part have something you can work with. If you look at the rough draft of what became The Phantom Menace- you can see that he could have made something good out of it. Instead he decided to appeal to kids, not everyone.