The prequels sucked, yes. But not because they ruined ESB’s reveal.
I think we can all agree on that.
Raises hand
Um, I disagree on that. The fact that some are even saying that an alternate prequel trilogy should keep that reveal is proof of its power. The worst thing about the prequels as they stand now is that they actively undermine the OT, for a myriad of reasons, one of which is the ruining of the reveal. However, the biggest fault in them is Anakin himself.
“There is still good in him” is the fact on which Luke’s spiritual quest ultimately hangs, and it is the proof of this goodness which vindicates Luke’s entire journey through the trilogy. To reveal in the prequels that Anakin was apparently never a good and noble Jedi Knight stabs the OT in the heart.
Getting back to the ESB reveal, what makes it so traumatizing to Luke (and, by extension, to the audience) is the impossible idea that the great Anakin Skywalker could fall to the Dark Side. The current prequels dispel this impossible notion, saying in the strongest possible terms that Anakin was a bad apple from even before he became a Jedi, totally different in character than Luke. This is emotional death for Luke’s character arc, since ESB takes pains to explain that Luke is similar to Anakin at this stage of his training, eg, a good intentioned, yet impatient and reckless young man. However, in AOTC, Anakin is the galaxy’s biggest creep, not only impatient and reckless but downright ungrateful and even hateful. After he murders a tribe of Sand People, there is no mystery about who Anakin will become. Luke, on the other hand, is driven by the bonds of friendship and compassion above all else.
Going into the final confrontation with the Emperor, many people on these forums have stated that there was no doubt in their minds that Luke would not turn to the dark side because of his inherent goodness. However, this could be seen as a weakness of ROTJ because the stakes then don’t include a Dark Side Luke. He will either turn his father to the good side or die trying. So what change to the prequels could have made the stakes as high as this? What change could not only retain the ESB reveal, but make it more powerful?
Anakin.
Change the story so that we see his character make the same decisions as Luke. Make him motivated by friendship and compassion, as Luke is, not the lust for power. Make him a good person, and then DON’T show his fall to the Dark Side. As I have written elsewhere, simply show him fighting a final battle with a hooded figure whom he is told is Obi-wan’s other apprentice, a battle that for once, Anakin cannot win. The final scene set some time later reveals a hooded figure, implying that Anakin lost his life in a noble battle against a real flesh and blood adversary and secret student of Obi-wan, when really he lost to an apparition of his own fears, like Luke did in the cave. The inescapable conclusion is that ANYONE could become twisted and evil, since everyone has that darkness within themselves. Then the prequels would add to the mythology of the OT, rather than detract from it.