The more I think about it, the more I doubt that it would really be possible to write the prequels with chrono order in mind in a way that works well. I think I might just embrace release order and lean into that rather than trying to preserve the OT’s twists.
ANH does a perfectly fine job of getting a first-time viewer to understand what’s going on. It was designed that way, and it never needed any preceding films. Ultimately, the prequels were designed to be prequels. Their whole existence is relative to the OT, while the OT stood on its own before the prequels came out. Basically, the prequels need the OT far more than vice versa. In that sense, despite being chronologically earlier than the OT, the prequels are a franchise “continuation” and should be treated as such.