Great points and I think that also explains why I really disliked the heavy roles given to R2-D2 and Chewie in the prequels and despise the concept that they were spies for the likes of the Republic for 20 years. It shrinks the universe far, far, too much and dilutes the point of ANH, ESB, and ROTJ.
The inherent adventurous attraction the original films had was that ordinary individuals like R2, 3P0, Han, Chewie, and Lando caught got up in conflict much larger than themselves. and that prior to that they were in many ways individuals like us. Even Luke and Leia, set up from the beginning as continuing the work of their fathers, were still people who by certain whims of fate could have ended up far different.
Heck that the entire series essentially owes to the fact that an imperial officer didn't fire on an escape pod and an R4 unit broke down was such a great touch because it shows the arbitrary nature of everyday life even in a galaxy far far away. It could have gone so many ways, but it went the way it did, and the heroes took advantage of the opportunities given to make a difference.
The prequels rely far too much on the nature of fate, prophecy, contrivance to the point where so much of it isn't relatable. Luke Skywalker for whatever talents he had wasn't really that special at the end of the day, which made us empathize with him so deeply. Anakin by contrast more or less has neon signs saying "Great hero of destiny" pointing at him from the moment we see him. What an intelligent, ultra kind person he is who also has extraordinary talents. Of course he's going to be a big deal, which just created further distance between him and the audience.
The same problem also hurts Palpatine, rendering what could have been a cunning and subtle opportunist into an over the top cartoon character; who's schemes make him seem less like a magnificent planner and more like the only man with common sense in a galaxy full of idiots. It couldn't be that he took advantage of pre-existing problems and came out on top, it had to be a complex scheme where he was manipulating those on both sides to bring back the long gone Sith. The terrifying undercurrent of his character prior to 1999 was that he embodied a continuing threat in real life; of certain people just needing one chance in the midst of chaos and conflict to do real damage.
The ironic thing about the prequel films is that George set out to make things more shades of gray but succeeded in creating a series of movies far less realistic and interesting precisely because the capricious nature of events was lost.