Bingowings said:

So it helps make Anakin more sympathetic...

...If we are to forgive Vader we have to have a degree of empathy with Anakin before he goes off the rails...

...I would like to see the three prequels sort of do what they are meant to be doing only succeed.

My problem with this is that I don't think we SHOULD have been meant to like him or feel sympathy for him. This IS what the PT attempts to do, and it DOES fail...but I think it was a misguided effort to begin with.

Personally I think it makes more sense for us to loathe him.....maybe not right from the start....but we're supposed to grow to hate him. THEN when we get to ESB and ROTJ.....THEN the sympathy comes in....with lines like "It's too late for me, son."

Making the audience sympathetic to Vader/Anakin is something that was already done (and very well) in the OT when we start to see some fraying at the edge of Vader's "bad guy" persona....a desire peeking through, a desire to do good, and save his family.....the PT should have been more about us realizing he's a bad guy, and that he WANTS to be a bad guy. Our sympathy and empathy should be directed more towards Obi or Padme, or anyone else who gets hurt when Anakin abandons them all in favour of greater power.