I think our policy of the EU is to draw from it as you will. Borrow events, characters, worlds, etc. and use them as necessary in the films. I mean, why not? The actual sequel trilogy coming up after 2015 is voiding expanded universe continuity! JJ Abrams even did that once before with Star Trek!

My point is is that we should not allow the EU to pollute our minds with constraints relating to when or where this story can take place. These prequels need to springboard off of the OT. The ORIGINAL TRILOGY. That's what this site is named after, is it not?

So by all means, if you want your story to be about how Palpatine was trained by the evil Sith Admiral Darth Exar Bane in the year 60 BBY, then by all means go right ahead. As long as the trilogy ends in some way shape or form setting the stage for the events of the OT. And I think that the level of tangential relationship between the events of any revised PT and the OT will depend on whether the OT is meant to be seen after the revised PT or before it.

A long time ago.