I, too, am afraid of it becoming a bit of a joke if it's set using references to characters we already know and love, be they OT or PT. To hear reference to characters we know and never see them on screen would be too big a disappointment (that would be the only way to use them and not have to worry about the perfect casting). I really think a series about the initial rise and fall of the Sith (pre PT) is about the only thing that could work.