If this horrid love story had been included in the original trilogy, it might not be as beloved as it is today. The romance between Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Padmé (the usually solid Natlie Portman) was stiff as a board, lacked any real spark, and was about as interesting as watching paint dry. The fact that this was sold to audiences as the origins of Luke and Leia was downright dumb, and how George Lucas managed to elicit such a terrible performance from an actress like Portman may forever remain a mystery. You can take this entire segment of the prequels and show it as a "what not to do" montage for classes on either directing or constructing a love story.