Lucas trying to parallel Anakin and Luke’s arcs does nothing but detriment the story.

Luke’s arc in the OT is going from a farm boy to a Jedi Knight. Each movie is a different trial in his path to become one, and he’s not fully a Jedi until ROTJ. Anakin, as established in the OT, was a Jedi who became a Sith. Becoming Darth Vader should’ve been what the whole trilogy was about.

But Lucas clearly wanted to parallel Luke, where the first movie is basically just his recruitment, the second is being a padawan learner, and then in the third one, he’s a Knight. And that just fundamentally doesn’t work. By trying to parallel Luke’s arc but also build up to him becoming Vader, Lucas just makes Anakin look like a bad egg. He’s slaughtering Tusken kids at 19. They had him peak when he was 9. Nine. And it’s what leads to ROTS being rushed, even if I still enjoy it. He had to develop Anakin as a Jedi Knight and his turn in like, an hour. That’s insane.

It should’ve just started with Anakin as a Jedi. There’s nothing we learn about him in episodes 1 and 2 that couldn’t be exposition.