wwdarth wrote: My biggest problem with TPM (besides the obvious objections mentioned above), is that the characters were impossible to relate to.

I always thought this was on purpose. To show how the Republic got corrupt by having those in charge being relatively stoic and unable to relate to the problems right in front of them. Much like how people react to real world politicians. They are often seen as saying one thing to get in power then doing another. Where I think the PT lacked is there's no sense of the 'General Public'. Everything is warrior/army/police types up against politicos. There's no common man represented. But having this dynamic between the PT and OT builds the story. Until the reveal in ESB... Then it's mythic family strife and looses me somewhat.

Jar Jar. My hatred for him is still as alive as it was ten plus years ago.

My take on Jar-Jar is George gave up on him. Maybe the backlash hit so hard/irrelevant and kids did like him that GL couldn't make the sacrifice, he felt some need to either keep Ahmed Best periodically employed or he saw the characters as the connective piece into other mediums. But swap the Youngling killings and Jar-Jar, toss in Jar-Jar having spent so much time in the senate around Palpatine that he figures out the Sith connection, and you've got a Jar-Jar story arc.