I experimented with removing Sidious from Episode I but reverted back from making that change for V1 of ‘Cloak of Deception’.
For one thing, it cuts a considerable amount of runtime and, like Seciors’ edit, makes the resultant film rather short. It does, however, work well when viewing the saga chronologically, allowing for the viewer to potentially be in a position to look back and recognize what has been going on in secret all along. Within the world of just this movie, before progressing on, Palpatine reads as an opportunistic politician, with no ‘evil lizard man’ aspect apparent.