Actually, you do get a good sense that something is brewing at the end of Episode III. I mean, look at how it shifts. It shifts to Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail. Visually, Lucas using the Blockade Runner set as another clue. The twins are emphasized as a symbol of "hope" at the end, hence all the planning revolving around them. Plus, Padme's assessment of the Republic to Anakin on the verandah is a pretty clear indication that something isn't right. And the reason why I think it works is because it's coming from Padme, the headstrong defender of the Republic for two films prior. On top of all that, the Episode IV crawl essentially explains the Rebellion scenes. That's why I wasn't sad that they were gone...eventhough it cut out one my reasons for watching the Prequel...Miss Portman.
"I am saying one prequel would have not built up this angst against Lucas and I feel he lost so many fans when ROTS finally hit the theater. By having one prequel in the year 2000 lets say, the anticipation for 3 years about this 3 1/2 hour prologue that will answer every burning question we all had since 1983, many fans wouldn' t have had time to get burned again and again.
Many fans got burned by TPM, and feel it is a piece of shit, and I know many who never went back. Then AOTC, they couldn't take the romance, and that is when they checked out. By ROTS, you had the diehards who loved the PT by then, and then the fans who were sticking it out, but were suspect.
With one Prequel Prologue movie, the expectations would have been enormous, many would have loved it, and many would have been let down, but it would have been one movie, and fans would have moved on. The PT spanned 7 years of what ifs? Will AOTC be the movie we were expecting with TPM? Will ROTS be as great as ESB? Will ROTS be the one we waited for?
That stuff would have been gone, it would have been one movie, not a character arc, not really a story per say, but just a huge prologue that spans the events that lead up to the empire taking power, and whatever you want to say, that is one f-ing interesting story. For whatever I have my problems with ROTS, that is the story I waited for, for 7 years, and it will always be one of the most interesting SW movies, even if I have major problems with the movie.
I understand Lucas wanting to tell a different story with the PT, and having different tonality, different look, etc. But when you tie a saga 1-6 as a one story about Anakin, it just comes off as too much. If Lucas did a seperate trilogy of prequel events that tied in with the OT, but not as one story, but two seperate stories of the SW universe, that could have worked. Lucas tried to make two different stories, with different looks, tonality, and feel into one story of Anakin Skywalker, and that is where it will never connect for me."
I totally understand what you're saying. In the past (on other forums), I've even stated that there is an "alternate Prequel Trilogy" if you really look at it. And many come to the same conclusion. The Clone Wars would be the entire background of the three films and on the way, we meet Padme and we'd get all the political stuff and Anakin falling for Padme. But, the Clone Wars would be the driving force behind it all. And that does have merit.
As an aside, I love the love story between Anakin and Padme a bit more than Han and Leia. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart and from a stylistic standpoint, I totally get what Lucas was going for. My old high school friend, who's into Literature like I am, loved the love story because it reminded her of the old stories. Now, Lucas took a big chance on doing that type of love story in the environment of Star Wars. I'd say 90% felt he didn't make it work at all. I say he made it work pretty good but if he'd go back and do one more re-edit of Episode II, he'd nail it because in the script, it's golden.
But again, I'm a romantic. What can I say?