CO said:

Like this guy on the panel named Hodges who says that the Prequels were all laid out in 1976, so that should debunk all the PT haters that Lucas made this up as he went along.

This guy's example of "having the Prequels laid out in 1976" - i.e. the prologue to SW novel explaining the political situation from the fall of the Republic to the beginnings of the Rebellion - does not constitute TPM and AOTC* as having been 'mapped out since 1976'. Hodges et al are blowing smoke...

*two movies which even Lucas lately admitted consisted of a lot of 'filler'