Or we could just accept that fundamental continuity and character differences exist between each trilogy. That is why the easiest solution is to treat each trilogy as its own entity, existing in a separate continuity from the others. I cannot imagine the universe of the Prequel Trilogy naturally giving rise to the universe of the Original Trilogy, nor of the Original Trilogy giving rise to the Sequel Trilogy.
This is basically how I see it. I think the prequels don’t really work as buildup to the OT, but I still like them when I watch them as their own thing.
Of course, that doesn’t align with what George says he wants, since he wants people to watch I-VI like it’s “one long movie.” But with the prequels we have, that just doesn’t click for me.