Dethryl, I really like your ideas to the plot changes of episode 1 and 2. I'm going to think about your Episode 2 thoughts some more since a lot of those ideas would work with what I've been brainstorming.
I've also been following some of the other Episode 3 edits over the past few months (Aalenfae, BobGarcia, theCutter) with great interest as again, a lot of the same thoughts have been going through my head in the past decade... (I just don't have the skill to pull off what they're doing, ha)
Here is a very, very brief summary of my ideas for the sequels mixed with some other thoughts I've seen around:
(All of these ideas were made with the assumption I could not re-cast Anakin and Padme and re-shoot entire scenes... so to work with what we have currently available - otherwise I have some different ideas...)
Episode 1:
George Lucas' episode 2. (Radical enough? ;P) (GL's Episode 1 is so bad I don't see a point in saving it as a narrative. What really happens we would need to keep? It then can be used cut up for other sequence fillers for the rest of the trilogy)
Anakin is just a young Jedi in training; however, he and Padme have been having a secret "friendship" since a chance meeting earlier in both of their lives. (Still a need for a chosen one prophecy at all?) There is a Separatist faction growing amongst the Republic and the Republic feels the strain of a possibility of war. (All semi-explained in the title crawl)
I feel the story starting this way semi-mimics Luke in A New Hope. Both Luke and Anakin are not fully happy with where they are in life, there is backstory to their character that we don't have all the details, they're both a little whiny, it just fits.
The main plot line would be how Anakin and Padme's relationship develops, followed by the Separatist subplot/creation of Clone army. This ends with Anakin and Padme's secret marriage on Naboo.
Episode 2:
First half of GL's Episode 3. The main plot would be Anakin's relationship with Palpatine and his subsequent fall to the dark side. Slow and deliberate manipulation by Palaptine. (add in a some of the deleted scenes) My initial thought was to keep his fall over trying to save Padme from death - the dream Anakin had was planted by Palpatine to force Anakin to seek out more power.
This ends with Mace's death and Anakin's "birth" as Darth Vader. The subplot would be Obi-wan hunting down Grievous.
Episode 3:
Second half of GL's Episode 3. The main plot would be Darth Vader's hunting down of the Jedi and the end of the clone wars. (Separatists killed or just a mention of loss - similar to how the Senate is dissolved in Episode 4) The subplot would be the creation of the Empire and the creation of the Rebellion mirroring each other. (again, add in deleted scenes)
This would end with the Mustafar battle and Padme being taken to Alderaan to give birth. The kids are split up to prevent Vader from sensing their presence too easily, Obi takes Luke to Tatooine.
In a very small nutshell, that's been my idea ever since I saw Episode 3 on opening day. GL's Episode 3 should have been Episodes 2-3...
Some details here and there:
-The Anakin and Padme relationship develops "behind the scenes" even though it's the main plot of my Episode 1. What I mean is that it wouldn't seem so forced and in the audience's face. Some of their Naboo scenes would be dubbed over with Obi-wan, Mace, and Yoda's worries about Anakin. That way a lot of the horrible dialogue and delivery can be swept away but you still see Anakin and Padme's love blossoming through their interactions.
-The fall of Anakin in my Episode 1-2 would be very painful for him and the audience needs to connect with and feel his mental debate and confusion. He is very much a tragic character that is being slowly influenced and twisted by Palpatine. Do away with as much whiny Anakin as possible. Anakin's fall needs to be about persuasion and a choice he doesn't want to make.
-Yoda never even having a lightsaber in the prequels is a good thing. After all, his ally is the force, and a powerful ally it is... I'm not opposed to Yoda fighting, but he needs to emanate power and confidence when he does so, using the force. ie: Clone troopers force pushed dozens of yards back with a simple move of his hand.
-Obi-wan and Anakin duel trimmed to not be ridiculous or overdone (theatrical state - it's both) - but still needs to be emotionally charged.
-Something I would love to see, is the return of the Yoda and Palpatine confrontation. But not in it's current form... I was told that in the books, the Emperor was tossing buildings and ships at Yoda filled with innocent people. Yoda doesn't lose the fight so much as he retreats in order to save innocent life. Whether or not this happens in the books is irrelevant to me as it would fit with the main understanding that the Dark side is NOT stronger, but instead is 'less' power unrestrained. The fact that Yoda loses in the theatrical Episode 3 shows that even after 900 years of training, a Light side user isn't as powerful as a few decade old (assuming) Dark side user... I want to see that Yoda could have easily taken Palpatine if he was willing to sacrifice innocent lives but instead makes a conscience decision to back off. (Han Solo and Leia being tortured in ESB is not the same as they weren't necessarily "innocent" - or maybe Yoda learns from his fight with the Emperor that you sometimes need to sacrifice?) Yoda not even trying to fight Palpatine or LOSING to him completely negates any power Yoda is supposed to project to the audience.
Anyway, those are a few of my ideas (there are more, but this is long enough). If anyone would like to collaborate on a project like this, I'm willing! I can edit if a CG artist out there is bored ;) Just know I have 3 kids under 2.5 so anything I work on will take time - if any editor wants to give these ideas a shot on their own, go for it! I'm still in the brainstorming stage of my edits anyway, getting all the loopholes sorted out...