Vaguest of ideas -

I saw the films BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET recently, and was wondering about how the romance between Anakin and Padme might be a touch more convincing.

I think this would work in a PT that doesn’t contain TPM, so we start with an overhauled AOTC, and Episode III will likely be filled by a future anthology film.

So the basic premise is - we have Anakin and Padme MEET in AOTC. They have a short romance, but mutually decide, or realise it is impossible - and separate as the Clone Wars open.

The events of ROTS, which force Anakin to stay grounded on Coruscant, bringing the two together again after many years apart. The initially platonic relationship shifts as they can’t resist the revisiting the romance more completely, finally consummating their relationship - however Anakin’s slip to the Darkside ultimately stops it going any further.

She could be engaged to Bail Organa in some sort of classic aristocratic marriage. Anakin perhaps only finds out about the pregnancy being his as he chokes Padme, or it’s revealed at the very end of the film as he burns on the shores of Mustafar.

It would radically change their relationship - turning it from a marriage into more of a WHAT IF - the tragedy is possibly drawn now from Anakin not realising what good things he has until he’s crushed it.