I've said it before the PT should have kept Anakin, Obi-Wan and Darth Vader as secondary characters had no Yoda and focused on other people who might still be alive in ANH.

That way you can tell the story of the fall of the Jedi and the Republic but care about the characters under the spotlight.

We probably would have to meet Luke and Leia's mother but it could be vague (until Leia says she died when she was old enough to remember her) which female character she is (Anakin/Vader could have had more than one romantic interlude).

It would also have kept ESB's reveals secret.

I know that's not important to some people but the PT weren't actually sold as 'prequels' but earlier episodes.

So in my book if Episode 1 spoils Episode 4 it fails.

Other Episodes should add to the existing episodes, not take away from them.

Anakin making a droid I can cope with (he doesn't really make one but constructs one using parts from other droids).

If he was a pod racing gladiator slave child he may be allowed certain perks that the other slave kids don't have and his owner might see it as good practice for repairing the pod or working in the shop.

I could almost buy him making one of THE droids to some extent but why Threepio?

Artoo has demonstrated difference, thinking out of the box that sort of thing.

He is more of a brother to Luke than Threepio.

You can even explain his fanatical devotion to Leia's mission as some sort of modchip glitch.

An astrodroid would be more useful for his mum and could help him maintain the pod.

Unless Shmoo has some binary load lifters that need a lesson in which fork to eat Spoo with, Threepio is just going to be a waste of energy.

He has to practically con Owen Lars into buying him in ANH.

Indeed Owen's reluctance to buy the 'blue one' could be some vague subconscious recollection of that Anakin kid with his weird robot pal.

Threepio makes more sense being a royal possession.

Queens need butlers not scrap dealer's slaves.