Palpatine the Action Hero (or: "Does anyone here speak Basic? Or even Old Huttese?")

I think TPM should’ve had Palpatine accompany the heroes back to Naboo, so he could get captured by the Trade Federation and rescued by Anakin somehow.

That would’ve explained why Palpatine had an excuse for doting on/grooming Anakin in the later prequels - and maybe given a reason for the Jedi Council’s sudden change of heart about training him, since he just saved the Supreme Chancellor-elect.

It also would’ve been interesting perhaps to see Palpatine in TPM like Marcus Brody in Last Crusade, bumbling around and getting captured. Then in the second prequel you could have him show an unexpected strength of character in responding forcefully to Separatist provocations - and then turn around in the third film and reveal that Evil Marcus Brody was the big bad all along.

All that’s designed to appeal to new viewers, mind you, not people who’d seen the OT (who might very well take umbrage at Comic Relief Obfuscating Palpatine in TPM).