Because after the SE Lucas realised directing just got easier. SW was a pain in the ass, now with technology he could sit in a chair behind plasma screens with an AD yelling "Action" and "Cut" himself occasionally adding "Faster" and "More Intense". The rest he could do with computers.
In '95 he didn't know what he was talking about. Hell, in '00 he didn't know what he was talking about. He said Episode 2 was going to be a radical departure from SW, a love story, very personal and for lack of a better word "slow". One of his visual effects guys, not Coleman, his name escapes me right now even brought it up with Lucas saying *paraphrasing* I thought you said this movie was going to be a love story and you've got us doing all these CG battles on a scope never been done before, we're really going to have our work cut out for us now, thanks.
I know a little bit about writing and plotting and such, so I know when something works and when it doesn't. Lucas deliberately tried to play to his audience. He's done that to the detriment of his story. That's really disappointing. It's also phony as hell. He says he's an artist and he's all for the artist to do things the way they want to do, but he if really was an artist, he wouldn't have tried to appease anyone. He would have done what was best for his art. He even fucking says so in the commentary that he knew people wanted that stuff in. Fuck that.....you do what's best for the story. If you have to leave something out, then you do it. Roger fucking Waters knew to do that with Dark Side Of The Moon and look how that turned out...fucking masterpiece album. Lucas is a two faced phony who's bowing to one thing only...the almighty dollar.
Off Topic
Roger Waters = Bad Ass