Un-Downgrading Backgrounds

So, of course, Backgrounds were completely garbaged in the change to 5.5e. In terms of interestingness, in terms of roleplaying hooks, in terms of everything good that matters: 2024 (5.5e) Backgrounds are strictly a bad and terrible downgrade from 2014 (5.0e) Backgrounds. Part of the downgrade is part and parcel of 5.5e having disposed of the Trait/Ideal/Bond/Flaw system entirely; part of it is that each Background came with a roleplay-based ability, not just More Numbers -- example, the Noble background's Position of Privilege feature:

[...P]eople are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to.

That's way cooler than 5.5e's Noble background, which gives you the Skilled feat. (Woo. Three skill or tool proficiencies. I cannot restrain my exuberance.)

How do we fix it?

First instinct is to throw away the 5.5e Background system almost entirely, just say use 5.0e Backgrounds instead (maybe mix in the ability-scores-from-Background from 5.5e). But Origin feats are actually an okay thing to have from a homebrewing perspective (most -- all? -- of the feats I've homebrewed are Origin feats).

My second instinct, which I would and will probably go with, is to make the special feature of each 5.0e Background available as an Origin Feat, which may be taken as the Origin Feat associated with that Background in place of the listed feat.

In fact, more precisely: The Feature of any 5.0e Background is now an Origin Feat of the same name as the Feature; you may choose that Origin Feat in lieu of the feat listed for the 5.5e version of that Background, or for any other Background that it makes sense with.

Something like:

Acolyte: Shelter of the Faithful (Acolyte) or Magic Initiate (cleric)
Artisan: Guild Membership (Guild Artisan) or Crafter
Charlatan: False Identity (Charlatan) or Skilled
Criminal: Criminal Contact (Criminal) or Bad Reputation (Sailor) or Alert
Entertainer: By Popular Demand (Entertainer) or Musician
Farmer: Tough
Guard: Watcher's Eye (Guard) or Alert
Guide: Wanderer (Outlander) or Rustic Hospitality (Folk Hero) or Magic Initiate (druid)
Hermit: Discovery (Hermit, PHB) or Wanderer (Outlander, PHB) or Healer
Merchant: Guild Membership (Guild Artisan) or Lucky
Noble: Position of Privilege (Noble) or Retainers (Noble) or Skilled
Sage: Researcher (Sage) or Discovery (Hermit) or Magic Initiate (wizard)
Sailor: Ship's Passage (Sailor) or Bad Reputation (Sailor) or Tavern Brawler
Scribe: Skilled
Soldier: Military Rank (Soldier) or Savage Attacker
Wayfarer: City Secrets (Urchin) or Lucky

The 5.5e Origin Feats are of course somewhat more powerful, on the whole, than the 5.0 Background Features, which may present a bit of a hurdle in terms of anybody actually making this decision. Maybe count two upgraded-Background-Features as one regular Origin Feat (which are in turn maybe about half the strength of a General Feat)? Or maybe give upgraded-Background-Features a +1 to an Ability Score like a General Feat has? Neither of these possibilities is without flaw.

(And also we'll gently suggest that players pick up Traits/Ideals/Bonds/Flaws from 5.0e, as a matter of put it somewhere near your written background, though that's more training wheels for roleplaying than anything experienced players desperately need.)