Well Lucas said for decades that Luke and Leia were always meant to be twins and Vader was always intended to be Luke Skywalker’s father. Is that lying or mythologizing, it’s hard to say. He might have said it so often and so many times since Return of the Jedi wrapped production that he actually believes it.
Its a big turn from not caring about Vader in the Splinter of the Mind’s Eye story conference, to after The Empire Strikes Back rejiggering the entire Saga to be about his downfall and redemption, instead of Star Wars from the Adventures of Luke Skywalker.
I do know Lucas originally thought of Leia ending up with Luke, Luke is more devoted to her he said in the making of Star Wars, and he also said let her run off with the Wookiee at one point. In the Splinter conference. Does that sound like he thought Leia was of cosmic importance or Anakin’s daughter. Or how about wanting to kill Vader off.
The idea that he had all 6 episodes planned out from one big script is laughable.
Even the prequels as we have them have many discontinuities and retcons form the original films. and plot holes. And are not at all the prequels he was going to make or envisioned in the 1980s.
Reading that he saw Yoda as spiritual guru and Yoga master does not scream Lucas wanted a cartoon Yoda jumping around with a lightsaber. I do accept the view now Of his being ashamed of having been in and leading the Clone Wars. And why he thinks wars not make one great. Its the only way I can forgive those awful scenes in the prequels, if I make up a headcanon. Like I like the idea of Palpatine using a lightsaber as mockery of the Jedi religion and their traditions, but I also doubt Lucas ever intended him to have one at all.
Leia remembering her mom and her dying right after Leia was born makes no sense. Her mom should have survived into her early childhood on Alderaan. And where was the great starpilot or good friend, Anakin was none of those things in the prequel. He wasn’t a cunning warrior. The dude lost every lightsaber fight he ever was in, except the one where he murdered Dooku. Oh, I get people will say the Clone Wars cartoon the Filoni one, filled in some of these things. But you shouldn’t need outside media.
The Padme dying of a broken heart giving birth to the twins, as suited Vader is born on an operating table is powerful, but it broke the OT canon of Leia remembering her mom as a child. I only sort of can forgive it because it creates a poetic scene and has visual symmetry, but Lucas should have adhered to the OT. Like Vader creating Threepio may be interesting because he becomes more machine than man, but that was not originally Threepio’s backstory.
I do like the idea of Anakin being the author of his own pain and the iron mask of Vader being his prison or punishment, because he had a vision of the future and by trying to change Padme’s fate he ensured it. I like the idea of Palpatine being this very evil character, Anakin makes a devil’s bargain. I think the scene in the Opera house is fantastic. It might be the only mention of Midichlorians I don’t really mind, since Sidious could have been lying.
I do wonder if George’s sequels would have been better simply for acknowledging the prequels exist, and therefore a coherent work if you will. A prequel 2.0. Since he had no desire to redo the original trilogy. And Disney’s trilogy was rebels VS empire again. I’m not sure if I wanted to see Hayden as Anakin’s ghost, If that concept was a part of Lucas sequel. On one hand I think Hayden and Mark having a scene together would be cool. On the other hand Luke only knows Sebastian Shaw Anakin. So, I can see why Rian chose to use Yoda.