I’ll chuck some feedback.

So regarding Anakin being a great pilot and your issue with it. Well, consider how, I bet there’s some really great soldiers in past wars on Earth, but do we really know them? Not really, no. Only those that fought alongside those ‘war heroes’ do. Even distinguished soldiers that get honored by the president on national TV aren’t suddenly movie stars but instead, forgettable among the public. Most average people can only remember generals, at best, but rarely. Some ace pilot isn’t something that the general public really cares about. All their eyes are focused on the politics/government. In my eyes, there’s no issue of making Anakin an ace pilot. If you wanted to, you could say Obi Wan was just exaggerating when he said the best in the “galaxy.” Doesn’t mean there weren’t other great pilots, it’s just the only good pilot Obi Wan recognized and was friends with.

For blasters, I would say, keep them. Guns in general see little evolution. They have an efficient design that’s ‘easy’ to mass produce for generations. That’s what makes blasters “uncivilized” because it means anyone can pick it up and use it that any “uncivilized” person can fire it and cause chaos. A saber is rarer, indeed elegant, and requires professional knowledge to wield in combat. Sure, you can turn it on like Han Solo did, but the difference is that anyone can pick up a saber and ignite it, but doesn’t mean you’d fair well in combat without proper training or risk cutting yourself. Clones are disposable just as their blasters are.

Also, if that many people before OT are skilled melee wise, then damn, it wouldn’t be hard for them to consider becoming a Jedi or finding that, “Hey, if I can swing this staff around similar to how Jedi wield a lightsaber, Imma get one myself!” In other words, lightsabers need to really stand out, and its contrast with blasters does just that.