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Post #1103943

Author
.Mac.
Parent topic
Mac's Wishlist Of Ideas/Suggestions For Improving RETURN OF THE JEDI
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1103943/action/topic#1103943
Date created
2-Sep-2017, 4:45 PM

These are exciting times! After the highly-anticipated and amazing ESB:R was completed and released to the public, we are now finally at the next stage of having an official thread for Adywan’s ROTJ:R 😃

In preparation for this moment, here is a detailed wishlist of ideas and suggestions I’ve worked on consolidating over the past handful of years, things I personally would love to see for fixing/improving ROTJ in Revisited (or any edit). There certainly will be ideas here that Ady will be unwilling/unable to go along with, and that’s absolutely okay and expected, but at the very least, I truly hope this list will be inspirational and a helpful launchpad in his (or anybody else’s) endeavor for editing ROTJ.

As you will see, this outline did get to be extremely long and extensive, so this is the reason why I figured it’d be best to create a thread of its own… and it’s probably more proper this way, too, instead of bombarding the official suggestion thread with this behemoth, haha. Let me tell you guys, by the way, this certainly did help pass the time during that wait for ESB:R 😉

The source for this list is primarily from my own extensive knowledge of the film, but also from other people posting great finds/ideas as well (from this site and anywhere). I’m sorry I didn’t keep track of which and whose ideas I’ve borrowed from, and so if there are any of you who have made a similar suggestion of something in the past, it’s great we agree! 😄

Alright then, here we go!..

Overall:

Note: There may be a handful of fixes mentioned that can go without saying, but they were put in anyway to help with thinking - so hang in there.

  • A complete color correction. For example: the Emperor’s throne room was too blue. Also, the film is overly dark in practically all scenes, so brightening them will help boost colors.
  • Rebuilt much of the sound mix with new sound FX. Many sounds either sound dated and/or are cartoony.
  • Re-rotoscoped the lightsabers and laser blasts for consistency and other errors. For example: the cores for lightsabers were often times too thick.
  • Enhanced the sounds of the lightsabers to be like ESB:R, keeping many of the original ROTJ sounds but replaced some of the ‘less good’ sounds.
  • Added subtle facial expressions (‘cantina-izing’) wherever appropriate on costumes/puppets to give aliens more life. More on some than others, especially: Jabba, the Gamorrean Guards, Salacious Crumb, Nien Nunb, Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Ewoks, and any other creature/puppet that gets enough screen time.
  • Enhanced/replaced the FX of most explosions all throughout.
  • Enhanced/replaced starships/crafts/vehicles wherever needed. For example: many background ships are static or look two-dimensional.
  • Enhanced/replaced starfields all throughout wherever needed.
  • Fixed/replaced many garbage/uninteresting mattes where needed.
  • Improved/replaced many composite shots and removed black lines all throughout.
  • Improved the overall cinematography and pacing of the existing film where needed and/or beneficial. Also, added some brand new shots (sparingly and where applicable) for helping with the visual enhancement/reconstruction, and eliminated some original shots that are not good or no longer work. There are still a handful of splendid original shots, but ROTJ relied too much on basic filming techniques (for budgets reasons, mostly), which was the cause for several missed opportunities of awe-inspiring shots and vistas; when compared to the previous two films, ESB especially, ROTJ is noticeably lackluster.
  • Added/fixed the rank insignias for any of the Imperial officers that needed it.
  • Added red rear engines to all Ties where missing, like in ESB:R.
  • Edited the Death Star II to have more varying perspectives where possible, instead of the exact same side every time.
  • Edited/trimmed/added/reorganized many shots to help the plot and dialogue issues anywhere necessary. Overall, making ROTJ better and less childish, so that, tonally, it fits more in line with the two films before it. This edit should be more extensive than ANH:R and ESB:R, though not too much where it may contradict the other OT films and sequels.
  • Edited/trimmed/added/reorganized the soundtrack wherever necessary to accommodate the various edits in the film.
  • Edited/removed scenes involving the rescue plan at Jabba’s palace so it makes better sense (still not perfect, but as good as it can be with what footage is available).
  • Fixed R2’s light to be flashing a consistent red/blue color in all shots, as in ESB:R.
  • Edited R2 to use more of his ANH/ESB beeps and chirps in place of a couple of the newer ROTJ sounds. Comparing him to his ANH self, he is noticeably different. Then as a way to ‘even out’ his sound bank in the trilogy, a ROTJ sound or two could be inserted in ANH:R HD.
  • Improved Han’s character where possible so he is not overly goofy in many scenes, not as sarcastic in the acting, and not unnecessarily jealous towards Luke.
  • Improved Boba Fett’s character and gave him a more dignified ‘death’ at the Sarlacc Pit.
  • Added brand new characters throughout the film, mainly for the 2nd and 3rd acts. The characters with names will be notable side characters (just like Wedge, Biggs, General Veers, etc); they are added so it doesn’t feel as one-sided with the main characters running the show and to provide some extra characterization/diversity to their respective groups. In ANH and ESB, there were all kinds of secondary characters, but it felt like there were fewer in ROTJ. It really doesn’t matter who they are exactly, however, since new characters are needed and as a potential way to pay homage to the EU (‘New Canon’ or ‘Legends’), why not cherry-pick some worthwhile and fitting characters from there?
    – Characters include:
    – Col Serra - Human Male, late 30s to early 40s, Strike Team Lieutenant, Features: Gruff looking, dark wavy hair, and a cybernetic patch over left eye. His demeanor can be fun at times. ‘Legends’. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon.
    – Lieutenant Shara Bey ‘Shay’ - Human Female, late 20s, A-Wing Pilot, Green Four, Features: Light skin and dark curly hair. In relationship with Kes and mother of Poe Dameron. ‘New Canon’. For the expanded Rebel briefing and space battle.
    – Sergeant Kes Dameron - Human Male, early 30s, Pathfinder Ops, Features: Hispanic with dark hair and goatee. In relationship with Shay and father of Poe Dameron. ‘New Canon’. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon.
    – Nik Sant ‘Gramps’ - Human Male, late 50s to mid 60s, Pathfinder Ops, Features: Old but sturdy, and has a big white beard. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon. The original guy was interesting and has a fan base of his own so we need to see more of this character. And no, he shouldn’t be Rex from the Clone Wars - retconning can work in certain instances, but in this case it is forced only because they both have a white beard. ‘Legends’. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon.
    – Zahk’u (Zah-koo) - Alien male humanoid, Pathfinder Ops, Features: Bluish-gray scaly skin, biggish eyes, and excellent sniper. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon. This is a made-up side character, as a way to add an alien to the commandos and a very handy sharpshooter (to diversify the weaponry).
    – Captain Sarkli - Human Male, late 30s, Imperial officer on the moon of Endor. ‘Legends’. For certain shots during the battle on the moon. It would make the attack more interesting to have a notable Imperial, just like General Veers was in ESB, who would be as a ‘gatekeeper’ of the shield generator for the heroes to get past.
    – Lieutenant L’ulo - Male Duros, A-Wing Pilot, Green Two, Features: strong facial features. ‘New Canon’. For the expanded Rebel briefing and the space battle.
    – Various other human/alien male Rebel commandos - For the expanded Rebel briefing and the battle on the moon.
    – Various other minor human/alien, male/female pilots - For the expanded Rebel briefing and space battle.
    – Various 30-60yo male/female Rebel officers - For the expanded Rebel briefing.
    – Various Imperial troopers and officers - For fixing some continuity issues, for the Battle of Endor, and for a new Coruscant sequence.
    – Various Ewoks - For scenes during the battle on the moon, if possible.
    – Various Coruscant human/alien male/female civilians (at least 30 individuals) - For a new ‘liberation of Coruscant’ sequence.
  • Added original character look-alikes for fixing and/or shooting new shots/scenes. Because they have distinguishable faces and don’t wear masks, the stand-ins for Luke, Han, and Mon Mothma will have to either be shot from behind or at a distance, but never a front close-up on their face. Or, with recent technology such as the ‘Deepfake’, character faces can be convincingly inserted over an actor’s.
    – Han Solo - For a couple shots during the Sarlacc and for some shots on the moon of Endor (some shots he needs the camo). Will also need a couple new lines of dialogue for his character, so will either need a good voice actor who sounds like him or fit together bits of dialogue from Harrison himself from other movies.
    – Luke Skywalker - For new shots during the Sarlacc and for some on the moon of Endor (in his camo).
    – Chewie - For important parts during the Sarlacc fight and for some on the moon of Endor.
    – Boba Fett - For the Sarlacc fight.
    – Darth Vader - For some new shots and small fixes elsewhere.
    – Leia (in disguise as Boushh) - For possibly a couple new shots and small fixes in Jabba’s palace. Also, a good voice actor who sounds like her for one new line of dialogue.
    – Lando (in his disguise) - For a couple shots in Jabba’s palace. Could also edit certain ROTJ footage to accomplish this.
    – R2 - For some new shots and fixes on Tatooine and the moon of Endor.
    – 3PO - For some new shots on Tatooine and the moon of Endor. Will also need a good voice actor who sounds like 3PO for some new dialogue.
    – Palpatine - For fixes when he is thrown into the chasm and possibly for one or two new shots.
    – Mon Mothma - For one shot during the new Coruscant sequence.
    – General Dodonna - For a small cameo during the Coruscant sequence. Could also manipulate certain ANH footage of him to accomplish this.
    – General Crix Madine - Replaced the original actor entirely for a new actor in mid 40s who shares very similar physical characteristics as the original. I’m sure this will be widely unpopular, but hear me out: The goal here is to have this character give a better closure to the briefing and, more importantly, expand his character by having him as another leader figure during the climatic battle (therefore adding more weight to the space battle). And, with no disrespect to the original actor, he was kinda goofy looking with that hair and paste-on beard too.
    – Wicket - For some new shots during the battle on the moon.
    – Ackbar - Just a good voice actor who sounds like him for new bits of dialogue.
    – Jerjerrod - Just a good voice actor who sounds like him for new bits of dialogue in one short scene (this is only if a certain deleted scene can be restored).
    – The Emperor’s Royal Guards - Just two of them for possibly a brief new sequence that ties into an existing one.
  • Edited multiple scenes/shots so the OT characters appear to actually interact with newly inserted characters, where possible and beneficial. This will greatly help make the addition of new characters feel seamless.
  • Edited it so there are clearly more individuals involved in the Strike Team. Most times originally it felt like there were only 7, but there should be 20 at the very least.
  • Edited the Imperials, by removal of and addition of shots, so they appear to be a greater threat on Endor’s moon and in space. This includes making it clear that their aim is a bit more ‘precise’ (as Obi-Wan states) and isn’t as poor as people like to poke fun at all the time. They must be taken more seriously.
  • Added shadow troopers (not to be confused with death troopers) to the Battle of Endor as the Emperor’s ‘best troops’ and to add an extra element of badass. They look very similar to stormtroopers, but have black (or very dark gray) armor. Several of the original white stormtroopers can have the hue adjusted in an editor to be black, if possible, and/or new shots can include actors already in the proper color shadow armor.
  • Inserted additional starships and background action in certain shots during the final space battle.
  • Added/edited shots to make the climatic battle more epic and chaotic, including more action and more losses on both sides.
  • Added additional types of ships to the Rebels during the space battle, including: the Assault Frigate Mk II, others introduced during the Rebels animated show, and possibly made-up ships (as long as they feel ‘Star Warsy’). Various star systems should be rallied together for this critical event, so it makes sense to see more unique Rebel ships.
  • Inserted a couple new Star Destroyer classes during the space battle, such as the Interdictor-class (which would keep the Rebels from escaping through lightspeed if they tried, though it would have to first be destroyed before Ackbar can state that all craft prepare to retreat, because he should know about the capabilities of such a ship).
  • Added more screentime with the ships that didn’t get enough action originally, including: A-Wings, B-Wings, Y-Wings, Home One, Executor, Tie Bombers, etc.
  • Added new cockpit views inside Rebel and Imperial starfighters (with the camera facing outside the cockpit and towards the pilots). This way it makes the fights more energetic and personal as it was in ANH.
  • Removed many of the ridiculous antics from the Ewoks and edited it so they can actually be perceived as fearsome little warriors. They utilize their small size and knowledge of the lands to their advantage. Still kept some ‘fun/cute’ moments throughout, but just the ones that work.
  • Edited it so it’s more believable that the Ewoks and Rebels could have held up against the Imperials on the moon. This includes more teamwork and more plausible traps to replace the silly ones.
  • Edited it so the first main reveal of the Emperor’s throne room is when Luke sees it; from a narrative standpoint, this would be great. This way also, the audience can enjoy seeing more interesting areas of the station like in ANH.
  • Edited it so Vader is, overall, a stronger character and will seemingly have more to do in ROTJ.
  • Edited certain shots with Vader so he doesn’t appear as weak during the duel. It was intended that the audience will have pitty for him, therefore making his turn to the lightside more okay, but not at the expense of making him pathetic (especially how badass he was in ESB). He should lose only because Luke gets the upper hand (pun) while going on a raging whirlwind.
  • Inserted exotic-looking flora in some shots at the forest moon, opening it up to appear more ‘alien’ in nature (similar to the forest scenes in Star Trek Beyond, but much more subtle).
  • Added Endor Prime, the moon of Endor, and/or a nearby star in the background to any space shot where either might be seen.
  • Edited/rearranged/added/removed a lot of scenes for the ending so that the vibe is more bittersweet. There was just a massive battle and, though the Rebels were victorious, there were so many losses.
  • Edited it so there is a more meaningful sequence towards the end that involves the removal of the Galactic Empire and the beginning of a New Republic at Coruscant.
  • Edited all sequences that originally took place on Tatooine to instead be Nal Hutta. Hear me out: It’s an opportunity for world-building instead of coming back to Tatooine/a desert planet yet again (if the PT and ST is considered). It makes sense that Jabba would reside on a marshy, humid planet instead of a dry planet. It also makes more sense, in hindsight, that Solo would have no worries about being on Tatooine if it actually weren’t the same planet Jabba were on. This planet always has yellowish, overcast skies, brownish soil/rocky terrain, minimal trees littering the plains, and swampy marshes scattered all over (it is Dagobah and Tatooine rolled into one). Viewing it from space, rings encircle the bog planet.

MAIN THINGS BEING DONE:

Note: Ordered chronologically as best as possible.

Opening Logos/Crawl

  • New 20th Century Fox opening, just like in ESB:R
  • New ‘black’ Lucasfilm logo, just like in ESB:R.
  • Recreated the opening crawl to match speed and font as ESB:R.
  • Reworded the crawl so it’s similar but has more substance than the original. The original has two paragraphs that can easily be condensed into one, that way something else important can be stated. Mentioning more about the current state of the Rebels and their end goal would be ideal; as time goes on, it makes sense that more systems would join together to destroy the oppressive Empire. And, since the Emperor has a significant role in all of this, it would be great if he were mentioned too.

The original crawl (for comparison to the revised):

Luke Skywalker has returned to
his home planet of Tatooine
in an attempt to rescue his
friend Han Solo from the
clutches of the vile gangster
Jabba the Hutt.

Little does Luke know that the
GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly
begun construction on a new
armored space station even
more powerful than the first
dreaded Death Star.

When completed, this ultimate
weapon will spell certain doom
for the small band of rebels
struggling to restore freedom
to the galaxy. . .

The revised crawl:

Luke Skywalker has returned to
his home planet of Tatooine
in an attempt to rescue his
friend, Han Solo, from the
vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt.

Meanwhile, star systems are
rallying to the REBEL ALLIANCE.
Desperate to liberate the
capital planet of Coruscant,
they prepare for a critical
strike against the dreaded
GALACTIC EMPIRE.

Little does the Rebellion know
that the Empire had secretly
begun construction of a new and
more powerful Death Star to
secure the Emperor’s tyrannical
rule of the galaxy. . . .

  • Added an extra period in the ellipsis to match the rest of the crawls that have 4.
  • Alternate-alternate second paragraph: Another option for the second paragraph can be:

Meanwhile, the REBEL ALLIANCE is
doomed. Hunted by the Imperial
Starfleet, they have retreated to
the outer rim to mount a final
strike against the dreaded
GALACTIC EMPIRE.

  • Alternate idea: If Tatooine is to be swapped for Nal Hutta, then edited the first paragraph to state that. “Luke Skywalker has traveled to the planet of Nal Hutta in an attempt…”
  • Alternate-alternate first paragraph:

Luke Skywalker has located the
whereabouts of the vile gangster,
Jabba the Hutt, on the planet
of Nal Hutta in an attempt to
rescue his friend Han Solo.

Vader’s Unexpected Visit

  • Edited the entire beginning sequence. Firstly, the original first shot (with the Death Star already in the background and a Star Destroyer flying overhead) should be replaced because: it makes more sense that Vader’s shuttle would come from his personal ship, the Executor; the intro should feel less similar to the beginning of ANH; and the second Death Star should have a better reveal. Secondly, the whole original sequence moved at a rather slow pace (especially when compared to the previous two films) and there wasn’t nearly enough going on visually to make up for that, so any of the unnecessary shots need to be removed and the remaining shots can have interesting elements inserted in (elements that concern the construction of this new Death Star).
    – The scene is as follows:
    – The camera pans down from the crawl to show a beautiful view of a segment of the forest moon of Endor. Endor Prime (a cyan gas giant planet) can be seen nearby in the backround.
    – Then, in that same shot, a pair of Star Destroyers jump out from lightspeed; followed closely behind, the massive Executor also shows up with them. Having these large ships appear out from lightspeed will help this opening shot start differently from all others.
    – Then a shot looking up to the Executor’s underside hanger as an Imperial shuttle and a pair of Ties disembark and fly off camera. Edited this shot in a way so it doesn’t feel too similar to the beginning of ESB (with the probes leaving the Star Destroyer).
    – Then a new long-view shot from another perspective of the Executor, two Star Destroyers, and Endor Prime in the background as the shuttle & Ties approach the camera. As they do so, the camera pans with the shuttle to reveal an awesome look of the new Death Star looming above the moon of Endor.
    – Then the interior shot inside the shuttle, “Command station, this is ST3:21. Code clearance Blue.”
    – Edited it so these two pilots are wearing proper and unique headgear/helmets that pilots of any shuttle (especially Vader’s) should have, instead of just caps of ordinary officers; it’d just help them feel less like ‘cheap’ stand-ins (as if the budgets were low during filming) and more like actual pilots that belong.
    – In that same shot, a string of thousands of cargo ships are now somewhat noticeable outside, busily moving both ways between the moon and Death Star as they help construct this new ultimate weapon.
    – Removed the next original interior shot facing toward the pilots during, “We’re starting our approach, deactivate the security shield.” This isn’t needed and both pilots look bored here anyway, especially the one talking.
    – Then the shot of the Imperial technician inside the Death Star, “The security deflector shield will be deactivated when we have confirmation of your code transmission. Stand by.”
    – Then the close-up view of the screen. Edited the hand so it has a glove, for continuity. We hear the technician say, “You are clear…”
    – Then the other interior shot inside the shuttle where the tech finishes his sentence, “…to proceed.” Trimmed the shot just before the pilot says the last, “We’re starting our approach.” Or, don’t trim the shot but just removed his dialogue. This isn’t needed since they obviously already have started their approach. Making these kinds of trims will tighten the sequence and improve the pacing.
    – Then the original shot with the shuttle and Ties as they fly past the camera. Edited the background so the Executor may also be seen far back with two Star Destroyers.
    – Then the original shot behind the shuttle as it’s wings fold up while it’s nearing the constellation of hangers of the Death Star ahead, and the Ties leave formation.
    – In that same shot, all kinds of shuttles are now more easily seen working around the Death Star; the Zeta-Class from Rogue One would have great purpose being here (and as a “oh I remember those from RO”).
    – Then the original side-view shot of the shuttle approaching the hanger. Added a missing hanger here to the far right to match the previous shot. Again, inserted some additional construction going on here.
    – Then the original shot of the shuttle landing inside the Death Star.
    – In that shot, inserted stormtroopers/officers seen already lining up before the craft.
    – Removed the shots with, “Inform the commander that Lord Vader’s shuttle has arrived,” and the reply from the technician. It would be better to just keep it a mystery, for anyone who didn’t already know or guess. Plus, that line comes off as a bit unnecessary, considering that the ramp will soon be lowered for the awesome reveal anyway. Furthermore, it again quickens the pacing of this whole scene that much more.
    – Removed the other original shot just showing the Imperials lining up at the shuttle. This is no longer needed now that they should already be seen lining up in the shot with the shuttle landing. Plus, this removal will reduce the number of times the “Imperial March Theme” is heard during this sequence, which is a good thing, otherwise it’s too much.
    – Then the original close-up shot of Jerjerrod as he nervously makes his way to the shuttle, and it continues as normal from there.
  • Enhanced all viewing screens to have a subtle ‘modernized’ FX, like in ESB:R. Some need it more than others.
  • Added transparent ice-blue colored shields dividing the hangers from space throughout the film, as seen in Rogue One.
  • Removed the sirens while Vader’s shuttle is approaching and landing in the Death Star. Though Vader is a big deal, it feels unnecessary to have these blaring now. They make more sense when there is an actual emergency such as later when the DS is under attack.
  • Removed the cylinder-shaped thermal detonator from the stormtrooper’s belt at the first view of Jerjerrod. The only issue here is it looks out of place, otherwise it’s no problem.
  • Fixed it so the officers/stormtroopers standing in the first establishing shot and the other shots of them standing in the background are consistent with each other, if possible.

Jabba’s Palace

  • Added subtle enhancements to the background landscape/mountains to appear more exotic, like in ANH:R.
  • Inserted a parked landspeeder near the droids on the side of the path. This might initially sound silly and unnecessary, but hear me out: It can serve as a visual hint to the audience that they just used this to travel, instead of potentially wasting a whole lot of time walking (very slowly) the entire distance from wherever Luke might have sent them from (which, for this edit, could be from Obi-Wan’s hut - and it’s doubtful these two locations would be remotely close to each other). As established in ANH, 3PO is capable of driving, so it works.
  • Removed 3PO saying, “Lando Calrissian and poor Chewbacca never returned from this awful place,” in favor of new/expanded dialogue. The idea is to have some helpful/much-needed exposition to the current (edited) situation which couldn’t be stated elsewhere - just enough so the audience can put the pieces together and make better sense of certain things. It can be said/hinted that: Chewie has been captured (which is better than being handed over by his friends); there isn’t communication between Lando/Leia and Luke (which is why the droids were sent at all and why Leia seemed impatient when she tried rescuing Han herself); and there is a logical reason why Luke wasn’t along with everyone from the beginning until later.
    – The conversation is as follows:
    – After R2 makes his first “beeps”, 3PO replies, “Of course I’m worried, and you should be too. Lando Calrissian and Princess Leia never returned from this awful place. And what’s more, there’s been no signal from Chewbacca.”
    – Then a new shot on just 3PO as he continues, “I’m telling you, Artoo, this rescue for Captain Solo has not been going as planned.” It’d be good to mention ‘signal’ with Chewie so this feels more connected to what Luke says at the end of ESB (“Chewie, I’ll be waiting for your signal”). Also, it may be a good idea to already hint to the audience that the rescue isn’t going as planned, so that way anything going forward that doesn’t make exact sense is now somewhat ‘justified’ - things already went wrong with the original ‘better’ plan (whatever that was) and now we are seeing the improvisations.
    – Then a new shot on just R2 who makes some more “beeps”
    – Then another new shot facing the front of both droids together while 3PO answers, “That may be, but remember, Master Luke did say he must first complete reading those journals from Obi-Wan Kenobi. But by then I fear we will be disintegrated, or worse.” This information is crucial as it patches up a slight plot hole: Now, the audience knows that Luke has returned to old Ben’s hut and discovered journals, which is the only logical way Luke could have obtained as much wisdom as he does without speaking directly to either Yoda or Obi-Wan since ESB. He learns to create a new lightsaber (which he did and already put in R2) and learns more about the Force (which he is currently reading more about). Since Luke had to return to his home planet and meet at the rendezvous point with Lando anyway (as stated in ESB), it makes sense he’d stop by Ben’s for anything that may prove useful for this predicament and his own future (and for any clues confirming his real father, though none were found). Ben likely wanted Luke to someday read these journals, too.
    – Then it continues as normal with the original view behind the droids, where R2 makes more “beeps” and 3PO replies, “Don’t be so sure. If I told you half the things I’ve heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you’d probably short-circuit.” Then R2 makes his worried “beeps”.
  • Improved the matte of Jabba’s palace in the distance.
  • Removed the blu-ray zoom-in on the door with the droids approaching it (by 5 secs, just before R2 makes his “beeps”).
  • Added a new (5sec) long-view shot facing the front facade of the palace with a land bridge leading up to the huge main gate (the two droids are small but can be noticed moving along). Inspired by one of McQuarrie’s paintings, this is so this new and impressive palace can be seen more gradually and to show off the size of its main gate (better than what the blu-ray attempted).
  • Added some motion blur to the door droid exiting and re-entering its hole.
  • Edited it so the door droid’s brackets that startled R2 are seen going back up to its neck when it says, “Matby cosa,” before going back inside the door, for continuity.
  • Edited it so a landscape can be somewhat noticeable outside past the large gate when R2 and 3PO are inside. It will still be very bright, though.
  • Fixed the main gate from closing too soon in the background so it’s consistent with the close-up shot of it closing.
  • Added subtitles for Bib Fortuna’s dialogue to give intelligible meaning to his otherwise gibberish. Hear me out: It’s an opportunity for adding complexity about his character and making him more interesting if the audience understands what he says, just like Greedo and Jabba. Casual viewers, especially, will greatly benefit from this. Otherwise, the scenes with Bib do tend to drag on.
  • Edited and condensed the scene between the droids and Bib so the pacing is slightly faster by removing some bits of dialogue and unnecessary shots.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – “Tae doela!” <subtitled> “You there!”
    – View of Bib, “Day wonna wonga?” <subtitled> “What brings you to our domain?”
    – View on 3PO, “Oh my… Dee wonna wygo” <subtitled> “We come respectfully.”
    – Then the quick close-up on R2 as he “beeps” something too.
    – View on 3PO when Bib says, “Botto!” <subtitled> “Speak up!”
    – 3PO, “We bring a message to your master, Jabba the Hutt.”
    – Then a brief shot of R2 as he quickly “beeps” something at 3PO.
    – Then the med-view shot on both droids as 3PO adds (as if just reminded by R2), “…and a gift.” It can be assumed that Luke told the droids to remember to say ‘gift’ so that the vile and greedy gangster would be more apt to welcome them; without a gift, he likely would not.
    – Then view on Bib, whose interest is now piqued, “Day Jabba wonga?” <subtitled> “A gift for Jabba?”
    – Then view on R2 making some other short “chirps”.
    – Then view on Bib again, “Ne Jabba no barta” <subtitled> “Jabba cannot be disturbed.”
    – “Eezai ohkto” <subtitled> “But I will take it to him.”
    – “Izzi kata o mohkti” <subtitled> “Come on, show it to me.” One could think he’s either wanting the gift for himself or he’s desperate to please Jabba.
    – “Ne charda so dehdi” <subtitled> “He will be very pleased.”
    – 3PO, “He says that our instructions are to give it only to Jabba himself.”
    – Then the original (but trimmed) shot of Bib looking very disappointed about what he just heard.
    – Then view on 3PO again, “I’m terribly sorry. I’m afraid he’s ever so stubborn about these sort of things.”
    – Then view on Bib as he angrily says, “Noht cha!” <subtitled> “Follow me!”
  • Removed 3PO saying, “Gift? What gift?” and also removed the shot of R2’s subsequent response afterward. 3PO doesn’t need to know the whole plan, but he shouldn’t be completely clueless either. He should at least be aware of ‘the gift’, but it will be funny later when he realizes they are actually it.
  • Removed the Gamorrean guard growling and Bib’s reaction to that. It doesn’t add anything of importance here; it only bogs down the scene.
  • Fixed Bib Fortuna’s right hand gesture to be consistent between shots while he is persuading R2.

Jabba The Hutt

  • Moved the dance/music sequence to here. Hear me out: Whether it is the original or SE version, both versions of the music/dance routine, as is, stand out like sore thumbs and are waste of time. So, either A) it should be removed entirely, or B) as a way to conserve some of the good parts, which I’m sure most would prefer (including myself), this sequence will have to be highly edited and even moved to go with our first look of Jabba and his lair. The dance segment should definitely be removed from where it originally was anyhow (I’ll explain why later on).
  • Removed the “Lapti-Nek” and “Jedi Rocks” songs. The latter gets the most flack, but neither one is good.
  • Inserted a new and more fitting style of music inspired by tribal drums (such as African drums or Japanese Taiko). There are no lyrics, so Sy Snootles is no longer needed - I’m sure many would miss her, especially the big fans, but, honestly, in one version she is an underwhelming puppet and in the other she is plastic CGI.
  • Removed the Max Rebo band itself. They are not needed, especially the worst of the bunch, Joh Yowza (the silly big-mouth bug added in the SE). The two dancers are all that should be featured in this routine.
  • Edited/arranged certain GOUT and SE footage to create a hybrid of the dance routine. The music is close to finishing from when we first begin watching it.
    – The new sequence can go as follows:
    – The music starts to fade in a second before the previous scene ends (with the droids being led away by Bib Fortuna).
    – Then the GOUT wide-angle shot inside Jabba’s lair within an arch, lined with audience members and the two dancers in the center.
    – In that shot, removed Boba since he should now be elsewhere in the room and edited Jabba for continuity with the next shot.
    – Then a close-up shot of Jabba sitting there relaxed and smoking a bong. The perfect first reveal of him. Edited it so he doesn’t look off to the side at the entry (not yet).
    – Then the GOUT close-up shot of Oola, the Twi-Lek, dancing while clearly held by a chain.
    – Then an edited quick shot of Leia (in disguise as Boushh), standing somewhere with other audience members who are moving to the rhythm. For those watching the movie (who don’t know already) might think this is a random guard of Jabba’s, and that’s perfectly fine.
    – Then an edited quick shot of Lando in his disguise also. Borrowed an GOUT shot with him (where he is in the background and Sy Snootles is singing) and inserted him in a new area with other members. These consecutive shots establish that those two heroes are presently in this room; whether a first-time watcher will know who they are or not is fine either way.
    – Then the SE shot of Oola elegantly twirling around.
    – Then the SE shot of Boba Fett somewhere in the back flirting with the redhead, putting his hand to her chin and walks off. Not only does this establish that Fett is here in the palace also (even the best bounty hunters can’t always be working), but it leaves in some extra background characters who are not puppets - the backup vocalists are arguably the only good thing to come from “Jedi Rocks”, especially since they are easy on the eyes, so this nugget is good to keep even if there is no longer singing.
    – Then the quick GOUT shot of Oola kicking her left foot up.
    – Then the GOUT close-up view of the ‘fat dancer’ as she jiggles by.
    – Then the SE view from above and behind Jabba, with Boba walking past and the dancers seen below.
    – Then the SE shot of Oola winding down to the floor. By this time the music is already coming close to ending.
    – Then a close-up shot on Jabba looking pleased. We now hear the audience beginning to clap and the music ends.
    – Then the last SE shot with Oola (starting to head off the floor) and the ‘fat dancer’ (acknowledging the audience’s continued clapping).
    – Then another shot of Jabba when a deep audible ‘gong’ sound is heard, and he looks over to the entry way.
    – Then the scene continues as normal with Bib and both droids now entering Jabba’s lair.
  • Edited it so, in certain shots during the dance routine, Jabba is still seen holding the chain with right hand and a bong in the left.
  • Edited out any Max Rebo Band member from other potential shots being used for the new music.
  • Removed the toad from the main floor for all shots it’s in, then inserted him up by the entryway where he is seen there later.
  • Edited it so Jabba is not seen dancing/wiggling to this new music. His tail can move like a relaxed cat’s, but that’s all; this crime lord enjoys the entertainment but is chill.
  • Removed all shots of Oola trying to escape, falling down into the Rancor pit, and getting eaten. Hear me out: While it is a classic moment, it works better for the narrative if the audience is surprised with Luke as he is dropped into the Rancor pit. Plus, with the movement of this dance sequence, it would no longer work to see her get eaten since she will be seated next to Jabba during Luke’s message. It should be assumed later on that Oola’s slave duties were simply taken over by Leia.
  • Edited it so the Han in carbonite isn’t seen in the background of any shot during the new dance/music sequence. This reveal should be left until Jabba shows it to the droids.
  • Alternate Idea: If not the idea of having an edited dance/music sequence moved to there, then removed it altogether.
  • Added some smoke from Jabba’s mouth/nostrils/pipe while he is smoking from the bong.
  • Inserted R2 to be alongside C3PO coming down the stairs, for continuity, since he is seen moments later just behind 3PO before they both stop in front of Jabba.
  • Replaced Greedo’s dialogue from ANH that’s heard in the background for some other subtle ‘alien’ sounds.
  • Edited it so Bib Fortuna is seen walking to Jabba’s side only once. He did it in the long-shot and again in the close-up.
  • Edited the direction R2 is facing when he stops moving so it matches the next shot, as well as Oola’s hunched position.
  • Inserted R2’s 3rd leg being shown retracting where it was suddenly missing in the next shot.
  • Added subtitles to Jabba’s “Ooh Shooda” so it will mean: “It better be worth it.” This would be a perfect and very fitting first line for his character. With this, right off the bat we know he is impatient and if he isn’t pleased, bad things will happen.
  • Enhanced Luke’s recorded hologram to match the quality of ESB:R holograms.
  • Fixed the flipped hologram of Luke between shots, as evidenced by his lightsaber and part in the hair on the wrong sides.
  • Fixed the reversed footage during, “I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba,” by making the smoke behind Jabba go up instead of down, as well as the steam and bubbles from the bong.
  • Inserted a quick shot of Boba also standing there listening to the hologram.
  • Removed the needless close-up view on Salacious Crumb right after Jabba is laughing.
  • Added a close-up view on Leia’s face/mask, in place of the removed shot of Crumb, who was watching Jabba’s (laughing) reaction and then looks back to the rest of Luke’s message.
  • Removed the needless laughter from Salacious Crumb, including the close-up on him just after, “R2, you’re playing the wrong message!”
  • Added subtitles to Bib again as he speaks something in Jabba’s ear, “Master, bargonay tua knight? He’s no Jedi.” <subtitled> “Master, he’ll bargain but not fight? He’s no Jedi.”
  • Replaced the original Han in carbonite to the correct ESB:R version in all shots.
  • Edited the conclusion of this scene by removing one of the shots where the audience is laughing and an unnecessary bit of dialogue from 3PO.
    – The scene ends as follows:
    – Jabba tells the droids, “There will be no bargain.”
    – 3PO to R2, “We’re doomed.”
    – Jabba continues, “I will not give up my favorite decoration. I like Captain Solo where he is,” Then the camera pans to reveal Solo is still in carbonite.
    – Then, after it is revealed that Solo is still in carbonite, the original close-up on R2 as he turns his dome to look.
    – Then a trimmed and edited shot on 3PO who is now already looking in that direction. He no longer points nor turns to R2 either. This shot is now after the one of R2 for it to work.
    – Then an added close-up shot of Jabba as he says a new line in closure, “But I will take the droids with pleasure.” He then starts to laugh. This will add that much more of a greedy and menacing personality about Jabba.
    – For that shot, used an original shot during the negotiations for Chewie (which should no longer be kept) where Jabba was laughing and originally said, “This kind of bounty hunter is my kind of scum.” Reversed this shot so Jabba can now speak the new line first and laugh after, then trimmed the shot so the close-up on him laughing is shortened from what it was originally.
    – Then a quick (1 sec), close-up view of Salacious Crumb as he starts to laugh with Jabba. Crumb can still be annoying but just not as much as he was originally, so his laughing should be reduced overall for this edit.
    – Then the original long-view shot of the room with 3PO and R2 standing there as the crowd is laughing now also.
    – Then the closer-up view on Han Solo with some laughter continuing in the background. Shortened this shot just a tiny bit.
    – Then wipe to next scene as normal.
  • Removed 3PO’s, “Artoo, look. Captain Solo, and he’s still frozen in carbonite.” It interrupts the flow of what Jabba should say next in this edit; 3PO’s line wasn’t needed anyway since it was already obvious.

The Torcher Chamber

  • ‘Alienized’ the rats in the dungeon, like with the lizard on Dagobah in ESB:R.
  • Fixed R2 in the background of the hallway to be moving in a logical manner and to be consistent with the next shot.
  • Enhanced the tentacle with CGI so it’s slightly more animated and actually wraps around 3PO.
  • Edited it so the guard makes contact with the tentacle when he hits it away from 3PO.
  • Replaced the ‘cartoony’ screams to instead sound more ‘robotic’ while the droid’s feet are being burnt.
  • Fixed the burner to actually touch the droid’s feet and edited the steam so it isn’t coming from inside said feet.
  • Added subtle sparks at the joints to the other background droid each time it is stretched at the limbs. This will make it look like the machine is actually trying to split him apart as it’s supposed to.
  • Edited the movement of EV-9D9’s jaw so in certain parts it’s better-synced with the words she speaks.
  • Enhanced a few of EV-9D9’s movements, like with the probe droid in ESB:R, so she feels less ‘puppet-like’ in some shots. Her hand can have more articulation, too.
  • Edited EV-9D9’s arm so it doesn’t unnecessarily point when she says, “and disintegrated him,” since she’s not pointing at anyone in particular, not even to the droid being pulled apart to the left side of her.
  • Edited it so the droid’s feet are still being tortured and even melting in the background, but it’s subtle and any background noise of this is not distracting.
  • Restructured the final shots of this scene so it flows more nicely in order to have a better closure, which will be on R2, instead of on a pair of tortured feet.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – View on EV-9D9 as she’s standing upright while saying, “You’re a feisty little one…”
    – Then medium-shot view on R2 and part of EV-9D9 as she continues, “…but you’ll soon learn some respect. I have need for you on the master’s sail barge…”
    – Then close-up view of EV-9D9, “…and I think you’ll fill in nicely.”
    – Then close-up view on just R2 who whistles a ‘worried sound’. Wipe to next scene.
  • Removed that last unnecessary close-up shot of the droid’s tortured feet again.

The Max Rebo Band And The Bounty On Chewbacca

  • As previously mentioned, the musical routine should now either be moved to when we are introduced to Jabba, or removed entirely.
  • Completely removed Leia turning over Chewie to Jabba. Here me out: For improving the original nonsensical rescue plan, Leia should not be surrendering Chewie, a friend, with hopes of rescuing their other friend Han (otherwise they are back at square one, or as it turns out, in a worse scenario). A few good memorable moments cut out, but with nostalgia aside, it is for the better this way. It works perfectly well to have Chewie already captured (by some other undisclosed way) and to see him for the first time in the prison cell with Han.

Freeing Han From Carbonite

  • Edited it so there is an establishing shot showing significant time has passed and when Leia (in disguise) is sneaking around. It will be late at night, when people are supposedly asleep.
    – The establishing shot is as follows:
    – Inserted the original outside shot of Jabba’s Palace to here and edited it to be an impressive night time with at least one of Tatooine’s moons up close (in a way so it doesn’t look like Earth’s moon).
    – Trimmed this shot to be 4-5sec and removed the music that was heard playing from the palace originally.
    – Removed the toad and the little critter it slurps up - too distracting and childish, on par with Jawas falling off of Rontos. The audience should just enjoy the beauty of this shot.
    – Some cricket-like and/or other subtle nightlife sounds can be heard.
    – Removed the wipe that was originally after since this now leads to the next scene.
    – Then the interior shots with Leia sneaking around.
  • Included a few new interesting shots with Leia sneaking around and even knocking out a guard. It’ll add some intrigue to this unknown character (for new viewers), slightly opens up the palace, and adds a small bit of action.
    – The new shots can be as follows:
    – After the exterior night shot, then a new interior shot in a darkly-lit room focusing on one of Jabba’s goons standing guard by an entryway (he could be exactly like the guy who was knocked against the wall by Chewie in the original). He’s leaning against a wall and dozing off, but suddenly he notices something and, before he can fully react, gets knocked by a rod or something against the wall and is unconscious (in homage to the original when Chewie knocks that goon against the wall). The camera follows him to the floor.
    – Then we see the boots of the perpetrator walking by the slumped body. The camera moves up to reveal this mysterious character in disguise.
    – Then a quick new shot of her quietly and swiftly running down a dark circular stairwell.
    – Then the original shot inside Jabba’s lair which pans and shows Leia out in the hallway.
  • Alternate Idea: If not adding this new segment with Leia, then have the original shot of her in the hallway lead after the exterior shot.
  • Edited it so Leia no longer carelessly bumps into the wind chime, if possible. One would suspect it was actually Jar Jar in disguise.
  • Toned down the volumes of the sound FX (slightly) of her footsteps, the ‘thump’ from the block being lowered, the de-freezing process, and the exchanged dialogues. Since there are people seen in the same room sleeping, it should feel plausible to the audience that Leia can rescue Han without waking anybody up (if it weren’t already a trap).
  • Trimmed off the last 5 seconds in the shot that excessively focuses on Leia’s masked face as she is backing up and just standing there watching.
  • Added those trimmed 5 seconds to instead focus on the more interesting de-freezing process.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the melting in some areas to appear more natural/realistic looking.
  • Inserted the arm restraints around Han’s biceps from ESB that were missing.
  • Edited it so the added arm restraints noticeably melt with the carbonite, to help with continuity later.
  • Removed the dirt smudges on the front of Han’s shirt (or made it less severe) right after he falls to the floor, for continuity, since later in this scene it appears practically clean again.
  • Edited what looked like a smug expression on Leia during, “You may have been a good smuggler…” She needs to still appear worried about the situation in that shot, so edited her mouth to be slightly open.
  • Removed the unnecessary close-up shots showing Salacious Crumb and others laughing after Jabba says, “But now you’re Bantha fodder.”
  • Edited Jabba’s subtitled response to Leia after she says, “We have powerful friends. You’re going to regret this.” Originally, his subtitles just read, “I’m sure,” but his spoken dialogue goes longer and so there’s potential to expand on the sarcasm. The dialogue could go as, “Rota ouh. Uh ohma dota.” <subtitled> “I’m sure. You have good taste in friends.” This is perfect because next he is literally going to lick her; this sadistic sense of humor is completely in line with his character.
  • Edited Jabba’s tongue so it gets closer to Leia’s face.
  • Edited Salacious Crumb’s laugh here to sound more sinister and less annoying.

Two Pals Reunited

  • Removed dialogue from here that may contradict what Chewie should know for this edit. Also removed Han’s whole “Luke’s crazy” dialogue, which added nothing except made him sound like an ungrateful idiot.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – It all goes on as normal until Han asks, “What’s going on?”
    – Chewie ‘responds’ for a short while.
    – Then Han replies (edited out seeing/hearing him scoff just beforehand), “I’m out of it for a little while, everyone gets delusions of grandeur.” This is a fun quote to keep and we don’t have to know what all Chewie just told Han, though it’s likely about how they’re trying to rescue him.
    – Continues as normal from there.

Luke Arrives

  • Added the same new background to the outside beyond the main door as when 3PO and R2 entered, though this time it wouldn’t be as bright outside since it’s only early morning (which is why Jabba and others are still snoozing).
  • Edited the door so it opens and closes at consistent rates as established before.
  • Added a subtle ‘thump’ sound FX when the large door shuts in the background.
  • Edited it so, instead of Force choking, Luke causes the two guards to hunker down and fall asleep (and they begin to snore). Luke shouldn’t resort to killing/harming anyone yet; it’d be very foolish to do so before any negotiations, even if he might think Jabba won’t agree.
  • Added subtle ‘Force bass’ when Luke uses the Force on the two guards.
  • Edited it so (in addition to or instead of the snoring) Luke whispers “Sleep” as he’s putting the first guard to sleep. Just so it is clear for the audience what’s going on.
  • Removed the Dug walking down the stairs. If the CGI didn’t look so poor, it could’ve been acceptable.
  • Added subtitles for Bib Fortuna again for here. One can infer what is being said, but it still adds an extra layer of complexity about Bib to actually understand what he is saying, and of course it’s easier for casual viewers.
    – The dialogue is as follows:
    – Bib, “Yo macka chipowan Skywalker, Jabba mo botowa tu.” <subtitled> “You’ve come this far, Skywalker, but Jabba will not see you.”
    – Luke, “I must speak with Jabba.”
    – Bib, “Shhh. Es tosit.” <subtitled> “He’s asleep.”
    – Bib, “Jabba no tusen di hunka bi. No bargain.” <subtitled> “Jabba will not be releasing your agents. No bargain.”
    – Luke, “You will take me to Jabba now.”
    – Bib, “Ataka bu Jabba now.” <subtitled> “I will take you to Jabba now.”
    – Luke, “You serve your master well.”
    – Bib, “Ay sota vanlocha.” <subtitled> “I serve my master well.”
    – Luke, “And you will be rewarded.”
    – Bib, “A chunoh ayo ahtot.” <subtitled> “I will be rewarded.”
    – Continues as normal from there for a bit.
  • Added subtitles for Bib again as he speaks to Jabba, “Gabba nopez Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight.” <subtitled> “Presenting Luke Skywalker, the noble Jedi Knight.” Coming from Bib, this would be humorous to the audience.
  • Removed Boba from the shot where he’s suddenly standing beside the laughing Jabba, for continuity, but kept him there in future shots since he is seen moving to that spot later.

The Rancor

  • Fixed the laser blast to go straight up to where the sparks are later falling down from.
  • Edited the trap door to be slightly larger and kept this consistent in all shots where its outline is noticed, if possible. Makes more sense this way so it isn’t by dumb luck that someone steps on such a small area.
  • Edited Lando, just when the trap door has opened, so he doesn’t move towards Leia. This fixes the continuity issue when he does this again in a close-up shot.
  • Added a quick (3-4sec) shot as we’re tumbling/sliding down a dark, murky tunnel (either as or with Luke). If done right, this wouldn’t be nauseating and can be effective at adding more to this unknown horror Luke is heading down, similarly in the movie ‘The Running Man’. This shot is just prior to Luke falling into the pit. With the layout of the trap in mind, he must have tumbled down a curved, slide-like tunnel.
  • Edited the floor with the small decorative holes (while Jabba’s being pushed towards it) to slide away and reveal the flooring with larger gaps, for continuity.
  • Edited Jabba’s eyes so it actually looks like he’s looking down to the pit during this sequence.
  • Edited the lighting/colors slightly inside the Rancor’s den so this sequence might look more freightening.
  • Edited (sped up) the Rancor’s animation accordingly in just a few areas where it felt too slow, helping the creature appear ‘less animated’ and more threatening.
  • Added motion blurs to the Rancor’s movements where necessary.
  • Fixed the Rodian’s fingers seen in the crowd so they don’t appear to be barely hanging from the actor’s hands, just before the Gamorrean guard gets picked up.
  • Fixed it so the Rancor is seen reaching for the Gamorrean guard with its right hand, instead of the left, so it’s consistent with the next shot.
  • Edited/enhanced the VFX of the Rancor’s hand swiping away the Gamorrean.
  • Removed the lame segment when the Rancor reaches for Luke a second time, Luke hits it with a rock, and the Rancor cries in pain.
  • Inserted new shots (to replace those previously removed shots) which shows the Rancor trying something new to get Luke. It will also show Luke having quick reflexes.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – View from behind Luke (someone who looks like Luke) backing up against against the rock wall with the Rancor coming towards. The audience and Luke will notice the exit behind the Rancor here.
    – Then the Rancor’s head gets down to Luke’s level, growling and getting ready to strike.
    – Then in that same shot, the Rancor quickly lunges at Luke with mouth open. We hear a loud ‘chomp’, but it gets nothing but wall as Luke quickly dives out of the way.
    – Then the scene continues on as normal with Luke running past the Rancor to the rear exit.
  • Alternate idea: If not that idea of a new segment, then edited it so Luke runs for the rear exit as soon as the Rancor drops him. After Luke comes to the rear door and realizes it is barred and locked, that’s when the Rancor crushes the bone in its mouth and turns around to pursue (with remnants of that bone dropping from its mouth edited in).
  • Edited it so Luke doesn’t make multiple attempts to shake open the barred exit. It’s silly that he keeps trying, rather than immediately thinking of something else to do.
  • Edited the pacing so that the Rancor comes after Luke a bit more quickly, forcing Luke to react sooner.
  • Edited it so the skull hits the button more directly. As it was originally, it looked a tad too low for pressing the button.
  • Edited it so there aren’t so many sparks when the skull hits the button. There can still be some small sparks, just not a firework show.
  • Edited the last shots involving the dead Rancor to remove a continuity issue and reduce (only reduce) some of the cheesiness.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – The original shot of Jabba when he says, “Bring me Solo and the Wookiee.”
    – Then, removed that shot of Lando moving through the crowd, since he wasn’t there in the previous shot when Jabba made the order. He rushes to the wrong side of the room anyway.
    – Then the original shot of the sobbing keeper being lead away. Trimmed this shot so it doesn’t go on too long. It’s very silly, but there’s still something charming about it, so part of it should stay. It could be possible to also hear Jabba from above saying, “They will all suffer for this outrage,” as long as it isn’t misunderstood to be the unhappy goons saying it, or, edited it so the one who is comforting the keeper is who says that line now.
    – Then it continues as normal with Luke being led up the stairs by Lando.
  • Edited out the Wol Cabasshite (the worm-with-tongue thing) that’s randomly hanging from the ceiling near 3PO in a couple shots. It wasn’t there before, looks dumb, and is distracting.
  • Removed Han saying, “Good. I hate long waits.” It was intended to be funny because he was waiting a long time in carbonite, but instead (given the current context) this makes him sound like he’s given up on life and in a hurry to end it; he’s expressing a complete lack of appreciation for his friends, which is not how Han should come across as. Sometimes, in this case, saying less is better.
  • Removed the close-up shot with Salacious Crumb laughing right after Han had used to say, “Good. I hate long waits.”
  • Added subtitles for Jabba’s response to Luke at the end of this sequence. This is an opportunity for this to have meaning and something in character of Jabba.
    – The dialogue is as follows:
    – Luke says, “You should have bargained, Jabba.”
    – Jabba responds, “Yah cha nah choo” <subtitled> “I prefer your death,” or, “I’ll profit more with your death.”
    – To which Luke replies, “That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make.”

On The Sail Barge

  • Removed the SE establishing shot with the Banthas in the dune.
  • Removed the other SE long-view shot of the Sail Barge coming towards the camera. Looks nice but it’s not different enough from the original that’s already being kept.
  • Added a brand new establishing shot of the dune sea to replace both of those SE shots.
    – The shot is as follows:
    – Birds-eye extreme-long view of an impressive and vast desert. Nothing but wisps of wind can be heard.
    – Then 3 seconds in, from off-centered below, three crafts (one larger than the other two) can be noticed as they hover into frame and move towards the horizon ahead (6-7sec total).
    – Then the original close-up front view of these crafts. Kept the already-fixed animation of the goon walking across the Sail Barge.
  • Enhanced/replaced some of the dune background shots to be more impressive and vast where it could look better.
  • Alternate idea: If this is to be Nal Hutta, edited the original yellow desert to be brown in color, added in swamp pools and some vegetation all throughout, and edited the skies to always be a yellowish overcast.
  • Fixed Chewie’s bandolier from being flipped in certain shots while riding on the skiff.
  • Enhanced some of the FX and movements of both skiffs in all shots where needed.
  • Removed R2 from sitting beside Jabba in two shots, for continuity, since he was already seen moving around the barge serving drinks and later bumps into 3PO.
  • Cropped the scene between Han and Luke so it ends immediately after Luke says, “There’s nothing to see. I used to live here, you know.” The part that was removed reveals Han’s apparent jealousy to Luke again, which is not wanted.
  • Alternate idea: Removed the entire chat between Luke and Han on the skiff. Hear me out: The only thing relevant here was finding out Han’s eye sight is slowly returning, but that’s already established earlier when Leia says, “Your eye sight will return in time,” and then again later while he saves Lando from a Sarlacc tentacle. Otherwise, it would have been good to have kept some dialogue between the two here had it been better dialogue originally. Furthermore, if this planet is now to be Nal Hutta, Luke saying he used to live here has to be removed anyhow.
  • Fixed the reversed footage of Jabba when he says, “Soon you will learn to appreciate me,” by putting the goblet and chain in the correct hands, correcting his nostrils, and Leia’s birthmark.

The Sarlacc

  • Removed the SE beak. However, later there will be a beak, but it is different and better looking than the SE version. So initially, it’s just an empty hole like how it was in the GOUT. At times we will notice the new beak, other times we will not - it’ll be the best of both worlds.
  • Removed all of the SE ‘squeals’ from the Sarlacc and replaced some of the other sounds to be hissing and other more threatening sounds fitting for this kind of creature.
  • Removed any sign of tentacles and spikes when the camera sees the pit the very first time in the long-angle shot (while the crafts are slowing to a halt), until later.
  • Edited the Sarlacc during its establishing shots, if possible, so the creature has interesting characterisitcs about it and appears more ‘alive’.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – First the original shot of Luke as he’s nudged to the plank and looks below.
    – Then the first SE shot of the pit where tentacles are edited to just now emerge from the sides; spikes are also edited to be seen slowly protruding from the inner-wall lining, like claws of a cat. It’s as if the organism keeps these hidden from desert exposure except when it senses a meal nearby.
    – Then another original shot of Luke still looking it over.
    – Then, for the second SE view inside the Sarlacc’s inner wall, a fat and short beak now starts to poke through the fleshy innard below (like how a squid’s beak can hide/appear) while the spikes continue to protrude and even pulsate.
  • Edited it so the new beak makes more natural sense with its surroundings, unlike the SE banana beak. The new beak doesn’t have a tongue since it has tongue-like tentacles already, and its beak cannot extend to where the rows of spikes are (whereas the SE beak looked like it could severely spike itself).
  • Improved the FX of any of the dated SE CGI tentacles where needed.
  • Fixed any shots where the Sail Barge and skiffs appear to be resting on the sand so that they’re actually in the air as should be.
  • Fixed the wobbly skiff that Luke and co. are on, in the wide shot just after, “His Excellency hopes that you will die honorably.”
  • In that same shot of, “His excellency hopes…,” edited this entire shot so the framing of the window and what should be seen outside (including the siding of the barge) are accurate.
  • Removed the strange white object out in the sand on the far left while R2 is just getting to the top of barge.
  • Fixed Luke’s feet in the long shot from taking another step (when the 2nd skiff flies by), since in the previous shot he already made his last step.
  • Added the missing top of the emitter to Luke’s saber when R2 reveals it.
  • Fixed the more notable objects in the flipped shot when the goon lunges the pike at Luke to jump in.
  • Fixed Luke’s left hand so it appears he’s going to grab the plank with both hands, to be consistent with the next shot.
  • Removed the quick shot showing Luke’s saber falling in the air (just before the next quick shot as it drops into his hand). It isn’t necessary and, more importantly, it’ll make his stunt appear that much quicker.
  • Added obvious slash marks and some severed body parts anywhere necessary. Of course nothing gory.
  • Removed the gloves on Lando’s hands while he’s falling off the skiff and hanging on to the rope. He was never wearing gloves before.

Fett Is In Over His Head

  • Enhanced the FX of Boba’s take-off from the barge and trimmed the last few frames of this. The last few frames show an awkward movement as he’s in the air.
  • Removed the unnecessary quick over-head shot of Lando’s first call for “Help!”, since it isn’t needed and he can be seen hanging there again soon anyway.
  • Edited/added/removed/reorganized shots to show a far better confrontation with Boba Fett.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – First, Boba is seen taking off from the Barge.
    – Then the original close-up view on Luke looking up to the sky (edited his lightsaber blade here to be brought up for defense). We hear the sound of Boba’s jetpack in the background.
    – Then a new close-up shot of Boba looking badass as he’s flying towards the camera while hailing shots from his blaster towards Luke (2seconds).
    – Then switch to another new shot from behind Boba as he is now strafing in the air but getting nearer to the skiff below. He continues shooting and all the while Luke is deflecting most of his shots (3secs). Some deflected shots even come close to hitting Boba. It’s impressive because this also contrasts Luke’s skill level in ANH on the Falcon.
    – Then a new quick close-up shot showing a deflected bolt actually hitting and destroying Boba’s gun barrel.
    – Then the original quick shot of the skiff as it gets blasted by the goon from the barge. Edited it so it shakes a bit at the impact.
    – In that shot, removed Boba standing on the skiff as it’s shaking (since he hasn’t yet landed on it).
    – Then the shots with Han and Chewie as they both collapse to the floor and Luke getting distracted by them for a moment.
    – Then added a brand new shot of Boba, seeing an opportunity, shooting his grappling hook from his already-outstretched hand to ensnare Luke. At the same time, he is now touching down on the skiff.
    – Then the original shot of the snare encircling Luke.
    – Then the shot while Luke is struggling in the snare. Fixed the snare so it’s consistent between shots, if possible.
    – Then the original quick shot of the goon up on the barge as he fires again.
    – Then the shot where Luke deflects this blast.
    – Inserted a new Boba getting hit on the shoulder/chest from that deflected blast.
    – Then another new shot of just Boba where he’s knocked backwards to the floor with the evident blast mark on his armor. He’s presumed dead.
    – Removed the original shot of him unconvincingly dropping forward.
    – Then it continues as normal, for a short while, with the shot of Lando calling, “Han! Chewie!”
  • Edited the background of the incoming 2nd skiff to be further away from the main action, so the sail barge is just seen coming into view beside it. This shows that they are firing at Luke much earlier, which is smarter of them and allows forgiveness for why they were missing.
  • Fixed the location of Luke’s feet/body to be consistent between shots while he’s making the big jump over to the next skiff.
  • Edited it so Luke’s saber never turns off while he makes the jump to the other skiff. While in midair, his blade is edited deflect a bolt or two.
  • Edited the second skiff, in the shot while Luke makes the jump, so it’s just a little further away from the first skiff and also just coming to a stop. This will make Luke’s jump more impressive (being a Force jump) and an attempt to make the goons smarter if they parked further out of reach. Kept the distance consistent for future shots as much as possible.
  • Edited the shadows cast by the sail barge and skiffs so that they’re consistent between shots.
  • Fixed the location of where Lando is hanging in that same long shot (when Luke does the jump), so it’s consistent with what was seen previously.
  • Edited/added/removed/reorganized shots again to continue making Boba a worthy adversary.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – Right after Luke lands from his long jump, added a new quick shot of Boba moving slowly and starting to get up off his back.
    – Then the shot of Han saying, “Boba Fett?” He only says it this one time to Chewie.
    – Then the original quick shot from behind Boba as he gets to his feet and Luke is in the background at work on the other skiff.
    – Then the original front view of Boba starting to raise his arm to take aim. He’s had enough. Edited his cool targeting antenna to also lower to his visor for the money shot. Added in the new blast mark on his chest/shoulder.
    – Then, in the shot while Luke is in the background still on the other skiff, edited it so Boba is suddenly tackled by Chewie in the foreground and they both fall to the deck. Boba gets a shot off, but, because it was right when he was tackled, he misses Luke. In the original, it’s embarassing that he gets multiple shots off and misses Luke each time just because of bad aim, and that’s not how it should be.
    – Removed the shot with Luke unconvincingly kicking a goon and Boba sailing in the background. It no longer works for this edit and it looked all kinds of bad anyway.
    – Then a new quick shot of Chewie wrestling with Boba on the skiff’s floor (the camera is facing down on them).
    – Then a close-up view on Boba’s right shoulder as Chewie clearly pulls it out of socket (but doesn’t pull it completely off) followed by a pained grunt from Boba. This is a little bit of ‘fan-service’ in reference to ANH, but it’s fitting and Chewie is getting his moment to shine here!
    – Then a new shot of Chewie picking up and over-the-head tossing Boba toward the pit. With Chewie taking him on, this actually gives the Wookie something of significance during this entire sequence. Plus, Boba did take his best pal away from him, so this is vengeance for all of that grief!
    – Then the shot with Boba tumbling down the side to the pit’s edge (edited it a bit so it appears he was tossed from the skiff). Tentacles grab him and pull him the rest of the way in.
    – Removed Boba’s scream as he goes in. He’s too good to scream.
    – Then the close-up shot of the maw of the pit and replaced the belch for an explosion that’s heard from inside (added some sparks and smoke). This explosion is what should cause the rippling of the inner-side wall, not a burp.
    – It can be assumed that Boba, realizing his fate, would rather suicide himself with a grenade than being slowly digested for over a thousand years. On the other hand, there could be a small chance he survived and the explosion was intended to kill (but it only wounds) the creature so he can escape more easily later. For those who say he definitely died can claim that, and for those who hope he’s alive still can believe that too if they want - according to their ‘point of view’, and everyone is happy.
    – Alternate idea: If it is too unbelievable for the Sarlacc to still be alive after an internal explosion, then leave that out.

The Demise Of A Vile Gangster

  • Edited it so Jabba’s pupils are seeing dialating as he’s being strangled.
  • Edited Jabba’s eyes, in his final moments of being strangled, to appear bloodshot from all the strain (if it can be noticed in such dark lighting).
  • Added the plank on the skiff in all shots where it was missing, except up until this point where it’s edited to retract (just when the skiff gets badly shot at the controls and Han falls overboard).
  • Edited it so Han falls over the railing with his feet up, so it’s consistent with the next shot.
  • Edited it so it appears Chewie catches Han’s feet sooner as he’s toppling over so that he isn’t seen miraculously hanging over the ledge by his toes (and removed the added rope from the SE).
  • Fixed the differing positions between shots where Lando is dangling at the rope over the pit.
  • Fixed the wobbly railing when Luke leaps from it to the Sail Barge.
  • Edited it so Luke appears to be moving upward in his leap (instead of downward) so it looks more believable that he actually lept from the skiff to the barge.
  • Edited Luke’s landing on the barge so it looks like he’s coming downward from his long leap (instead of looking like he was just beside the barge off-camera and grabbed on to it).
  • Trimmed the shot after Luke pulls the guy out of the window and begins to climb the side. The last few frames looked like he got to a point where he wasn’t going anywhere and only moved his legs around. Or, instead of trimming the shot, edited Luke so he is clearly still moving up it all the way.
  • Restored Han’s original line, “It’s okay. Trust me.”
  • Alternate idea: If the dialogue between Han and Luke from earlier is removed, edited his line to include both the original and the SE line. He could say, “It’s okay. I can see a lot better now. Trust me.” This establishes that Han is starting to see again as predicted by Leia.
  • Edited it so R2 uses something more believable than a mere zap to cut through Leia’s chain, such as something entirely new like a torch (not too dissimilar to what BB-8 has).
  • Enhanced the VFX of all of R2’s electrical zaps.
  • Edited the shock to actually strike Salicious Crumb square on the head, removed the detonation on the pillow behind, and enhanced the FX of him leaping away.
  • Edited the appearance of the skiff, while Lando is being pulled onboard, so it’s tilt is more like how it was in previous shots. Eventually, it could slowly be recovering stability.
  • Edited it so Luke’s hand is in a more natural position when it’s shot, to replace the original that was straight up in the air for no logical reason.
  • Fixed it so the droids fall over the correct side of the barge (starboard side). Otherwise, they’d be falling into the pit, as evidenced by the sails and railing.
  • Removed the second shot with the second explosion after Luke kicks the trigger, to show them swinging off sooner.
  • Fixed Leia’s right hand where it’s holding Luke prior to swinging, but then is suddenly holding the rope in the next shot as they are swinging.
  • Added the burn mark to Luke’s right hand when they swing by the rope.
  • Replaced the stunt double’s head for Lando’s real head as Luke and Leia are swinging to the skiff.
  • Removed the sticks attached to the fins that are suspending the stationary skiff in the wide shot.
  • Edited the barge in that same wide shot to look less like a model, by retexturing and detailing it (including slots in the window covers).
  • Enhanced the FX of the skiff with the heroes as it circles around to get the droids.
  • Enhanced the explosions to look more realistic and to more accurately depict the large size of the sail barge. The original flames were too large for this size of a craft which made it look more like a model.
  • Removed the shot of R2 periscoping out of the sand.
  • Removed the fake and ridiculous side-view shot of the droids being picked out of the sand by magnetics. Both 3PO and R2 couldn’t have believably been dunked into the sand like that from that fall. Even if so, what then after they were picked up by magnets? How do they even get onboard, and quickly?
  • Added new shots to depict how the droids could have more believably boarded the skiff.
    – The new shots are as follows:
    – A quick shot looking down at the sand with 3PO finishing helping R2 upright. Then the shadow of the skiff immediately comes into frame near them.
    – Then in that same shot, a ramp from the skiff drops next to the droids there.
    – Then a side-view shot of just 3PO (still with his dangly eye piece) and R2 hurridly moving up that ramp.
    – In that same shot, added new dialogue from 3PO for some levity, “My gears are moving as fast as they can, Artoo!” R2 is right at his heels freaking out and trying to go faster. Explosions are still heard in the background.
  • Edited the final explosion of the sail barge to be less substantial. It’s still a huge explosion, but the entire barge doesn’t need to blow up because of one cannon blast in the aft (even if it was on some ammunitions). Plus, if everything in the movie blows up entirely (the sail barge, shield generator, Executor, Death Star…), it becomes visually uninteresting extremely quick as they will all dilute each other.
    – The shot is as follows:
    – In the final shot of the barge, it is seen internally on fire until finally the back half violently explodes wide open just as the fleeing skiff rounds past it.
    – In the same shot, that rear explosion splits the barge in half where the front half is running into the sand below.
  • Enhanced the FX of the fleeing skiff in the final shots.
  • Added slight camera movement in the last shot following the skiff as it veers to the left (before the wipe to next scene).

The Heroes Leave Tatooine

  • Edited the initial flight paths of the ships to be more direct/straight as they leave the planet, before parting ways.
  • Edited the planet and added in its rings in that shot, if this is Nal Hutta instead of Tatooine.
  • Edited it so all X-Wings have their rear engines glow a pinkish color, as in ESB:R.
  • Fixed R2’s wobbly text in the cockpit screen.

The Emperor Arrives

  • Enhanced the VFX of the Ties flying by the camera and the Ties seen from outside the hanger.
  • Edited it so the Emperor’s personal shuttle is different from the Lambda-class shuttle. It could be his Theta-class shuttle from ROTS (with updates) or something brand new altogether; whatever it be, it could have some royal red markings/trim (which would go nicely with his guards). He’s the Emperor, after all, so why wouldn’t he have something that’s lavish and his own?
  • Alternate idea: If not that idea, then added some royal markings and/or other characteristics that makes the original Lambda shuttle more visually unique and distinguishable, instead of looking exactly like what Vader and all other Imperial Officers have.
  • Fixed the feet/stance of Imperial troops in background, for uniformity and consistency, as well as when the certain groups of Imperials would be seen during the Emperor/Vader conversation.
  • Edited the Emperor’s head movement at the beginning of the extreme long-view shot so it matches the previous shot where he was just starting to laugh and face forward.

Twilight Is Upon Yoda

  • Removed the original rear-view establishing shot of Luke’s X-Wing on Dagobah. It’s visually uninteresting since, just afterward, we see the X-Wing again with R2 anyway.
  • Added a new and interesting establishing shot for Dagobah in place of that original. It could have some unseen-before alien wildlife, such as a pikobi (a two-legged land dweller), and/or the already-familiar Knobby Spider and Bogwings; something that shows off ‘massive life-form readings’. Then on to the next original shot with R2 at the X-Wing.
  • Replaced any bad matte of the Dagobah forest with model Dagobah trees, like in ESB:R.
  • Enhanced the FX of any of the Bogwings flying, like in ESB:R.
  • Added a very subtle camera zoom-in on the exterior of Yoda’s hut.
  • Fixed the continuity of the cauldron hanging over the flames, if possible, where it’s seen too far in the flames of the first shots but looks somewhat normal during, “Yes I do. Sick have I become…”
  • Fixed Yoda’s eyes from looking cross-eyed in many shots. Some might say it’s because of his current condition, but it also mostly makes him look like a faulty puppet.
  • Edited it so, while he is on the verge of dying, Yoda says “Luke” one or two times less than originally.
  • Tightened up Yoda’s final dying words, subtly:
    – Instead of as “Luke… m… there is… another… Sk… Sky… Walker”, it is “Luke… m… there is. another… Sk. Sky… walker”.
  • Fixed the creases on Yoda’s blanket to match between shots better, if possible.
  • Enhanced Yoda’s ‘ghosting’ effect.

Luke’s Conversation With Obi-Wan

  • Enhanced Obi-Wan’s ghost FX to match ESB:R.

The Rebel Briefing

  • Inserted more ships (and new/different kinds) in the background of the establishing shot of the fleet, and possibly lengthened this shot to accomodate those extra ships. The audience should have a better first glimpse of this fleet for a better impression of how massive it is; many worlds will have come together for this crucial campaign.
  • Fixed/replaced the VFX of many of the ‘static’ starships in the far background of this shot.
  • Inserted interior lighting that was missing in the main hanger bay of Home One.
  • Added a planet (Sullust) that’s very noticeably in the background of the establishing shot.
  • Inserted a brand new shot inside the Mon Calamari cruiser in attempt to open up the huge ship and to also make the Rebel personnel appear greater in numbers.
    – The shot is as follows:
    – A new (4-5sec) shot of an interesting, huge, white hall where several individual Rebels are seen walking to their separate destinations. There are humans, Mon Calamari, a Bothan, and all kinds of other species (familiar and new). After all, this is the Rebel Alliance, an alliance of many worlds.
    – In the same shot, a voice is heard echoing from the PA announcing to everyone, “All officers, report to Briefing Room 1-A.” Intercoms also inadvertently heighten the scale of how many people are around, which is a very good thing here.
    – Then on to the original shot of the two officers walking through a narrow hallway. Edited it so the camera movement is more smooth and less shaky here.
    – In that same hallway shot, inserted a second and final, “All officers, report to Briefing Room 1-A.” This time edited the sound so it’s fitting for this narrow area.
  • Removed the original shot of Ackbar at the cockpit leaning over the railing. The plan is to have the briefing room upscaled and elsewhere further in the ship, instead of right next to the cockpit. Having the briefing room so close to the cockpit, as in the original, made Home One feel small when in actuality it is massive. Edited it be this way in all future shots.
  • Inserted a new shot, in place of that removed shot with Ackbar, of some other new characters (human and alien) at an upper level of the briefing room talking indistinctly amongst each other and taking their seats.
  • Edited the scene between Lando and Han here so it somehow comes off as less cheesy. Otherwise, it’ll just have to do since there’s no way of shooting a new scene with them. It’s really unfortunate that this here is all we got as the first ‘talk’ between these two after coming off of ESB; the audience desperately needed some dialogue as a resolution to that prior betrayal where, in the end, Han forgives Lando - this would have been excellent drama and character-building, instead of the awful Han-jealous-of-Luke drama.
  • Edited and expanded the briefing room so it’s larger with an upper level for accommodating additional rows of seating.
  • Inserted the new characters throughout the briefing room (in both the original and some new shots), including: Shay, Kes Dameron, Col Serra, Nik ‘Gramps’ Sant, and L’ulo. Shay and Kes are a couple so, by telling the audience this, it would be nice to see them seated/standing next to each other with his arm over her shoulder like a gentleman would.
  • Inserted, in any one of the shots with the crowd, a small cameo from a certain character of the ‘Rebels’ TV show - Hera Syndulla. It’d be fun (after all, it’s now canon that she was involved at the Battle of Endor), and that’s all we’ll ever need to see of her. It shouldn’t be ‘in-your-face’, so casual viewers may just view her as anybody else, which is fine, but huge fans will have fun pointing her out.
  • Added varied hair styles from different time periods ('70s to modern) to any of the newly inserted human characters. This always helps to minimize ‘dating’ a film.
  • Fixed the timing of Mothma’s left hand to be seen pushing a control button just as the hologram itself turns on.
  • Fixed the initial direction of the hologram to move clockwise, instead of counter-clockwise, so it’s consistent with future shots.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the hologram displays. Since this is a Mon Cala ship and Mon Calamaris are aquatic, the hologram can be interestingly ‘fluid’ in how it operates, just to add variation to holograms.
  • Edited it so Mon Mothma saying, “Many Bothans died to bring us this information,” is less awkward. Inserted shots to minimize the focus on her laughable expressions while she says it and possibly removed the pause in her line.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – A new shot viewing a group of soldiers (one of them could even be a Bothan) while she says, “Many Bothans died to bring us…”
    – Then it continues as normal with a trimmed view on Mothma who finishes her sentence, “…this information.”
  • Edited the framing during multiple shots (where possible) so that, while Ackbar is speaking, Mothma isn’t always seen. In every shot, she was just staring at Ackbar nonstop as if she were frozen stiff.
  • Edited it so Han no longer interupts the scene with an uncalled for “Good luck!” etc. to Lando. It’s just dumb. They’re going to be exchanging their “good luck” and “you too” later on anyway, which works far better than this. Instead, used this opportunity to show more pilots.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – After the shot of Lando (trimmed it by a few frames, just before his eyes move, and so Ackbar’s dialogue finishes into the next shot), added a new shot (1-2sec) of a group of pilots, including L’ulo, looking toward their newly appointed leader. This also adds some needed buffer before Ackbar can say his next line.
    – After that brief shot of some fighter pilots, then it continues as normal with the view on Ackbar who addresses, “General Madine.”
  • Inserted a new actor playing as Madine into the original shots, as previously mentioned. He will speak and move as closely as possible to the original.
  • Edited it so Madine now says “…an Imperial shuttle” instead of “…a small Imperial shuttle”. This is to account for the change of shuttle Tydyrium, which is now to be a different and larger transport that can realistically hold many troops. Or, since size is all relative, it works either way.
  • Extended Madine’s line just slightly to be, “A strike team will land on the moon and deactivate the shield generator in time for our starfleet.” This extra bit right away puts emphasis on there being limited time for Han and company to get the shield down.
  • Edited it so Madine adds more meat to this briefing by also saying a formal closure. There will no longer be the interruption from Luke too.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – Right after Han starts to look back up towards the front and smiling (after Leia had volunteered herself), added a new shot on Madine.
    – In that new shot, Madine replies with a warm smile, “Good. You debark in one hour.” Then his smile dissolves as he now looks to the rest of the audience, pauses briefly, then speaks again, “This is our time and only chance. With the Emperor…”
    – Then view of Lando listening, as Madine continues, “…and his Death Star vanquished, we…”
    – Then view on random personnel listening,"…will rid Coruscant of the Empire’s control. Then…"
    – Then view of Mon Mothma (if possible) listening, “…in an era of a brand new Republic…”
    – Then view on Madine again as he closes his speech, “…freedom and order shall once again triumph in the galaxy.” He pauses briefly before finally saying, “May the Force be with us all.” Having Madine say this new dialogue, not only adds a more formal closure to this briefing, but the audience will understand what the stakes are for this mission. It will also clarify what will be happening at the end of this edit (brand new sequence) when Mothma is at Coruscant.
    – Then a quick new shot of a group of members starting to stand up.
    – Then a (3-4sec) shot of Shay and Dameron, looking at each other, knowing they must now part ways. A buffer shot like this is a necessary before the next shot of Leia.
    – Then the split-second shot of Leia turning to where Luke is coming from (originally when Luke started saying, “I’m with you too!”).
    – Then, inserted the view of Luke walking down the stairs (removed “I’m with you too!”).
    – Then continue the rest of the scene as normal.

The Hanger

  • Edited the outermost portion of the bay by removing the outside flooring that juts out, so it matches with the exterior shots later. Or, edited all exterior shots to match the bay here.
  • Edited the shuttle class for Tydirium in all shots so it’s a Sentinel-class landing craft (the kind seen taking off on Tatooine in the SE ANH). This looks more practical for transporting parts around or, in this case, many troops (moreso than the original Lambda-class shuttle can).
    Alternate idea: If not the Sentinal-class, edited the shuttle Tydirium to be a brand new cargo shuttle. Just so long as it isn’t the Zeta-class again, which already had its run in RO.
  • Fixed the bad matte and the many people that are behind Han and Lando.
  • Inserted some of the new Rebel commandos (Dameron, etc.) in the background boarding the shuttle, while Han and Lando are talking.
  • Fixed Lando’s outfit and insignia from switching sides while he says, “Would you get going, you pirate?”
  • Edited it so, the Rebel commando who was originally seen wearing a cloak (just behind Han as they’re going up the ramp), could now be the brand new alien sniper, Zahk’u.
  • Fixed the composited shot of Lando walking towards the Falcon and pilots walking by.
  • Trimmed the shot with Lando walking towards the Falcon so it’s just a little shorter.
  • Edited the extra long fingernail on Leia’s index finger when she puts her hand on Han’s shoulder so it is the same length as the rest, if possible. A strange observation, but it’s noticeable.
  • Edited it so Han’s line, “Ready everybody?” is intended for all the soldiers in the back of the shuttle. This insert is a nice reminder that this shuttle is actually full of soldiers, and it gives the first seamless interaction between an original and new character too.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – First the original close-up shot of Chewie with Han finishing saying, “…Let’s see what this piece of junk can do”.
    – Then a new medium shot depicting the back section of the shuttle where the camera moves through an aisle with many Rebel troopers sitting on either side (Col Serra, Dameron, and ‘Gramps’ included) and Han’s “Ready everybody?” is heard over the PA right here.
    – In that same shot, Col Serra then replies into a com, “We’re all set and ready…”, or, for a slight sense of humor, “We’re all snug and ready…”
    – Then view the front again with Han as Serra’s sentence continues over the intercom, “…to go back here.” Trimmed all the frames with Han looking back so that now he is just facing forward as he’s listening.
    – In that shot, removed Luke’s original reply, “All set.” His lips hardly move, but edited them shut anyway.
    – Continues as normal from there, with the shot on R2 as he makes some beeps and the shot of 3PO saying, “Here we go again.”
  • Edited it so the cockpit door is seen/heard shutting after Han first enters. Then edited the background in all shots after so the door is still closed. This way, the new shot showing the back of the (now larger) craft with many soldiers and the use of intercoms to communicate back-and-forth is still suitable.
  • Fixed the interior of the hanger for the exterior shot so it matches what was just seen inside.
  • Enhanced many of the original background Rebel ships while also inserting more.
  • Enhanced the VFX of everything seen outside the shuttle’s cockpit before its jump to lightspeed.
  • Edited the jump to lightspeed FX to happen more precisely when Han moves the lever.

The Emperor’s Instructions

  • Edited the original sequence so it does not take place in the Emperor’s throne room. Hear me out: This way we will see another area inside the Death Star, thus expanding it, and, narratively, it would make it more interesting to see the throne for the first time with Luke. Also, removed unnecessary dialogue so it does not become somewhat repetitive; the audience already knows it’s the Emperor’s desire to have Skywalker at his side.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – A new medium-view shot on just the Death Star. This shot is focusing primarily on the construction zones, but part of the dish may be seen (just so it’s obvious what we’re looking at). The reason for not showing the entire Death Star (like it was originally) is just for varying perspectives.
    – Then a new close-up shot as the camera moves over a construction zone of the Death Star. Several cargo/construction ships are busily flying around past the camera; cranes are seen taking large metal plates from cargo ships to be installed on the DS.
    – Removed the medium-shot of the Throne Tower with Ties flying by (this will be saved until another time).
    – Then a new, interior long-view shot from behind the Emperor as he’s looking out windows ahead of him. Construction activity can be seen outside.
    – Then, in that same shot, Vader walks into frame from behind the camera, stops, and asks as normal, “What is thy bidding, my master?” Having him walk into frame gives the impression that he wasnt always there, thus giving another impression that Vader is a busy guy and doesn’t necessarily stand around wherever the Emperor is.
    – Then the original long-view shot of the Emperor, Vader behind him, and the advisors, but completely changed the room and backgrounds. The Emperor is still looking ahead through a section of windows to a large construction area outside. There are some large displays of schematics around (same as what were seen in his throne room originally on a screen).
    – Then, the Emperor, sensing it is now time to put the pieces in motion, tells him (as normal), “Send the fleet to the far side of Endor…”
    – The dialogue continues for a bit, but then removed the Emperor saying, “Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us.” This part really isn’t necessary; plus, it’s the kind of thing that a mustache-twirling villain would say, which isn’t what he should sound like.
    – Then the scene concludes with the Emperor telling Vader, “Your work here is finished, my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my order.” The new backgrounds are still all around them.
    – Removed Vader’s, “Yes, my master,” as he is bowing, just so it doesn’t begin to sound too repetitive on his part. Now it is just a silent bow that works just as well and, at the same time, actually strengthens Vader’s character, which is always a plus.
  • Added a new but somewhat brief scene that’ll take place immediately after the exterior establishing shots of this sequence, but just before Vader and the Emperor talking. Hear me out: The idea is to make Vader stronger as a character, as he was in ESB, which was sorely missing in ROTJ; as a bonus, this will give the Royal Guards a little more screen time, let alone giving them some extra depth, and some action, too. This was of course inspired by the deleted scene with Vader, Jerjerrod, and two Royal Guards, so it would be excellent to have a similar version that can work for the final film.
    – The new sequence goes:
    – First a quick (2-3sec) shot of Vader doing his usual stride through a hallway towards the camera.
    – Then a reverse shot revealing a largish blast door that’s flanked by two Royal guards, one on either side of it. The guards cross their staves in an attempt to stop him from passing. Vader comes into frame and stops, momentarily.
    – In that same shot, one of the guards actually speaks and tells Vader, “You may not enter.” (just as Jerjerrod says it in the deleted scene). The one guard has a stern and commanding voice.
    – Then, also in that same shot (facing the guards and with part of Vader’s backside in frame), the audience will see that Vader is proceeding to do what he does best - he is Force choking, not just one, but both of the guards at once! Oh, how this version of Vader was missed. They both drop their staves and plummet to the floor choking and clutching at their throats. It’ll be unclear if he kills them or not.
    – Then, still in that same shot, Vader proceeds to casually walk past them, and while he does, it’s a great chance for some of his wisecrack and dark humor he has. He tells them, “I will see myself in. Your approval is not needed.” Used dialogue from elsewhere to achieve this. Clearly the Emperor doesn’t often bother telling his guards information that can later avoid a simple misunderstanding.
    – Then the sequence continues on as normal from there, as previously mentioned.

Getting Past The Shield

  • Kept the original establishing shot of shuttle Tydirium flying over the camera, but with the new appearance.
  • Edited the background planet in the establishing shot to be the planet of Endor, as established at the beginning of the film.
  • Fixed the atmosphere to blanket over the moon consistently in all shots. Originally, part of the atmosphere was missing in some shots.
  • Swapped around two shots so that one shot can still be utilized (otherwise it will be unused) and so the other shot being replaced can be useful for later when they’re flying on the moon of Endor.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – The establishing shot of the shuttle.
    – Removed the original first shot inside the shuttle of Han and Chewie looking out the window.
    – Replaced that removed shot with the, “They’re not going for it, Chewie,” shot. Removed that dialogue, though, and edited the outside view to match what should be happening at this time. This shot even works better here by the way Han is glancing over to Chewie, as if he is suddenly having doubts about the situation, which goes along nicely with his upcoming dialogue, “If they don’t go for this, we’re gonna have to get out of here pretty quick, Chewie.”
  • Removed the weird blue haze seen in the space above the moon of Endor.
  • Edited it so the Executor and the accompanying Star Destroyers are more off to the side and not moving. They have no reason to be moving anywhere.
  • Edited it so, instead of the Executor, it is a Death Star technician who’ll grant access through the shield, just like how it was established during Vader’s arrival before. This will also save the headache of even attempting to fix the many continuity issues with the Executor’s bridge (as it’s much different compared to it in ESB, including the computer terminal that ought not be where it is).
  • Added a few Imperial fighters patrolling the area in some shots (just as they liked to do in ESB, but fewer of them) to add extra suspense; these could be a potential threat for the heroes if they are made or make a single false move.
  • Added some lights/displays to enhance the dash inside Tydirium, like with the snowspeeders in ESB:R.
  • Edited the views outside so it’s clear that the shuttle is making a direct path towards the moon (keeping its distance and still flying casually), so it no longer gets so close to the Executor and then back towards the moon. They are anticipating getting through, so there’s no reason to deviate the course at any time.
  • Removed several shots and edited the scene so that Vader does not inquire about the suspicious shuttle. First, it should be as though it’s normal for Imperial cargo shuttles to be granted access in or out of the shield, so nobody should think this as suspicious activity - otherwise this was not a good plan. Second, it makes sense that Vader would be aware of the Emperor’s plan (at least this much of it) so he wouldn’t accidently do anything that’d prohibit the Emperor’s scheme from happening.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – After Han’s, “Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield,” and also after the original exterior shot of the shuttle flying after that, removed the original shots inside the Executor bridge (all of them).
    – Added a new shot of a Death Star tech at a computer (using the same setting established in the beginning) who says, “Shuttle Tydirium, transmit the clearance code for shield passage.” Dubbed the new actor with the original voice saying this dialogue.
    – Then the scene continues as normal up to when Han says, “I don’t know, fly casual.” Fixed his mouth when he speaks it too.
    – After the shot with, “I don’t know, fly casual,” added a new long-view shot following behind Vader as he’s walking in a hallway of the Executor until he eventually starts slowing to a stand-still. He turns to his right and moves over to the side windows there and looks outside. He’s sensing Luke. In a way, this shot would mirror ANH when Vader was walking the halls on the Death Star and sensed Obi-Wan was getting nearer to him. Having Vader on the move also gives the appearance that he is a busy guy, rather than standing around so often.
    – Then a close-up low angle shot of the front of Vader’s mask as he murmurs, “Luke.” Or, he also could stand there quietly; the audience will get either way what’s going on.
    – Then the shot on Luke when he says, “I’m endangering the mission. I shouldn’t have come.”
    – Then of Han saying, “It’s your imagination, kid. Come on, let’s keep a little optimism here”.
    – Then a quick new shot in the back with the soldiers (2-3sec). Some clutching their weapons and have concerned but hopeful looks about possibly making it through this.
    – Then the view on both Chewie and Leia who the latter is also looking concerned until the com eventually livens again, “Shuttle Tydirium, deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course.”
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • For flow with the reordered shots, removed the shot with Han saying, “They’re not going for it, Chewie.” It was a good line, but it no longer works.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the new shuttle Tydirium making its descent towards the moon and edited it so it’s flying over to join the other many crafts heading towards the moon. This is so it won’t look suspicious to Imperial scanners on the moon if they are too far off course.
  • Replaced the original shot of Vader looking out the bridge window since he is now still in the hallway. It was a bad matte of the Death Star anyway.
    – The ending shots are as follows:
    – A quick close-up low angle shot of Vader’s face again, still sensing Luke for a moment longer. He exhales and now begins to turn away from the window.
    – Then a quick low-angle medium-shot from behind Vader who is turning away from the windows to walk towards the camera (in the opposite direction from before); his flowing cape past the camera assists with the cut (no wipe) to the next scene. He is now about to report to the Emperor that the trap is beginning to unfold.
    – In these med-view shots of Vader in the hallway, there may be an occasional officer/droid also in the hallway heading to their individual destinations; some might glance back at Vader after they pass.
    – Alternate Idea: Used the original shot behind Vader as he’s looking out the window (with the DS in the background), but edited out the DS (since he’s not facing that direction) and put in the moon of Endor instead, and inserted the new type of windows that’d be there in this hallway. Maybe inserted the rear engine lights of the hero’s craft, which would be barely noticeable in the distance, as it’s making its way to the moon.

Landing On Endor

  • Edited and expanded the original establishing shots of Endor (like how the intro to Cloud City was expanded for the SE) so we visually learn more about this new ‘pretty’ planet. Also added a cockpit view with the goal of helping make these additions seamless.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – A new long-view shot of shuttle Tydirium coming towards and under the camera as it’s still flying in line with other kinds of cargo ships (Zeta-Class shuttles, etc). It’s in atmosphere and below we can see a green and heavily forested landscape with some seas and lakes (5-6sec).
    – Then a quick shot from inside the cockpit where we see Han and Chewie looking ahead (This 3.5sec shot was originally in the previous scene when they were first approaching the Imperial fleet, but it’s moved to be used here).
    – In that shot, the audience can see this rich forest suddenly turning into a clearing - there is a massive mining site ahead. The shield generator can be noticed as well, settled inside the trees just outside of the deforested area.
    – Also in that shot, Han announces (something quick to fit the shot) to those in the cockpit, “There it is,” or, “That’s it.” The line is dubbed and, because Han is facing ahead, his mouth won’t need editing. Or, he doesn’t have to say a word. Either way works.
    – Then a new exterior shot focusing on their objective, the shield generator. It is impressively large.
    – In that shot, Tydirium finally comes into view and the camera follows it. As the camera is following the shuttle, we are seeing more of the mining area below in the background. It is a massive hole that’s been excavated for obtaining the metals/minerals necessary for constructing the Death Star. There are many cranes and industrial facilities scattered all around inside the mine; shuttles of all kinds too. All of this unearthing and deforestation that we see is further motivation for the local Ewoks wanting to hate and kill off the Imperials and side with the Rebels.
    – Then, also in that shot, the shuttle carefully veers away from the mining site toward a forested area. There, it slows and starts to drop in the trees. It is landed far enough away to keep a comfortable distance, but close enough so their deviation wouldn’t pick up on Imperial scanners and to stay within walking distance.
    – Then wipe to next scene.
  • Inserted a few more Rebel soldiers to the shot as they’re leaving the landed shuttle (namely the new secondary characters).
  • Inserted an indistinct sound approaching that cuases Han to signal everyone to get down. Otherwise, what else could he have possibly heard that the audience couldn’t?
    – The scene is as follows:
    – The inital shot of the group of Rebels, lead by Han, moving away from the transport.
    – Then a new long view shot showing Rebel Commandos towards the back of the line, including Serra, Dameron, ‘Gramps’ and Zahk’u.
    – In that same shot, they then all react to a faint motorized sound approaching (a speeder bike, but we don’t know that’s what it is yet).
    – Then the original close-up shot of Han signaling everyone to stop just after the sound ceases.
    – Then a quick new shot with Col Serra toward the rear, following Solo’s command, getting low while gesturing others near him to also.
    – Then it continues as normal with the main heroes leaving the strike team behind.
  • Fixed Han’s lips so he seems to actually say, “This whole party will be for nothing if they see us.”
  • Removed the sound Chewie makes when he peers around the tree and edited his mouth closed. He should be perfectly quiet.
  • Edited the timing for when Han should actually fall back once the scout trooper smacks him square on the face.
  • Inserted Han’s correct blaster fire sound when he is hit to the ground.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the scout trooper taking off on speeder.
  • Edited Chewie’s bowcaster to sound and shoot like how it does in TFA.
  • Alternate idea: Because one of the niggles about TFA is when Han appears to be trying out Chewie’s bowcaster for the first time, edited it to be noticeably different to TFA. It’d be as if Chewie made a recent upgrade that Han just didn’t try yet in TFA. So for here in ROTJ, the laser blasts of his bowcaster could be green, like how the weapons of the Wookiees were in ROTS.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the other two Imperial scouts taking off.
  • Fixed the timing of the bike turning on and starting to move before Leia actually switches it on.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the bike leaving as Han yells, “Hey, wait!”
  • Edited the scout trooper waiting for his cue to attack Han so that he’s off-screen before the, “Hey, wait!”

Speeder Bike Chase

  • Condensed the overall chase by trimming some frames and omitting multiple shots, starting with many of the bad looking ones. While this is a fun sequence, the chase goes on longer than it should, is monotonous, and detracts from the main story for too long.
  • Improved VFX and drastically smoothed out all composited backgrounds to move more naturally with the actors on bikes.
  • Fixed it so the speeder bikes no longer ‘cut’ through trees in some shots.
  • Removed the noticable sticks holding the model bikes up in some shots.
  • Edited it so, at some point, the chase can go over a lake or it follows a river/stream for a short while. Not only would it look cool briefly seeing bikes ‘wooshing’ over and disturbing the waters, but it would break up the monotonous background that’s always just been a green forest; it’ll open up the planet that much more, which is a good thing. There are many bodies of water on this planet, after all.
  • Removed the shot with, “Quick, jam their comlink, center switch!” It’s a stupid concept to have on these bikes, so it’s best not to bring it up at all.
  • Fixed the glove on Luke’s hand so it doesn’t switch hands between shots.
  • Inserted swooshing vegetation from the speeder bikes in the long shots and added bike shadows to the environment where needed, if possible.
  • Edited it so the bikes do not always fly in exact sync to each other in certain shots.
  • Removed Luke saying, “Move closer!” It isn’t necessary as it’s implied already when he later says, “Get along side that one!”
  • Edited it so Luke says “Quick, get along side that one!” using “quick” from the other removed line of dialogue. When he says, “Quick,” the camera will at this time be facing forward to the Imperial biker ahead of them, so Luke’s lips won’t have to be adjusted.
  • Removed the initial colliding of bikes to quicken the pacing of the scene; this kind of action will be seen later anyway. Now, Luke will immediately leap over once the bikes are side-by-side.
  • Fixed it so the Imperial that gets pushed off hits the tree with his frontside instead of his backside, for continuity. Also, edited this new fixed impact so it can actually be ‘funnier’ than originally (as funny as it was already) by just the sudden and much harder hit against the tree.
  • Edited it so Luke and Leia occasionally try to shoot down the Imperials throughout the chase (but miss and hit some trees). They’re trying to stop him and they do have the guns, so it makes sense they’d use them more. Then added laser blast impacts to some trees whenever Luke or Leia fires the gun from their speeders.
    Alternate idea: It also makes sense that they wouldn’t fire their guns in case other Imperals are nearby where they would hear something is wrong, and things could really escalate. So, removed Leia originally firing her speeder’s gun that time later on.
  • Fixed Luke’s bike so it doesn’t have its nose wobble when he pulls up.
  • Removed the entire part when the scout trooper goes ‘super fast’. While it is kinda fun, we have to eventually continue with the plot, so it’s better to just cut this unnecessary bit.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – View from behind the scout trooper when he looks back to see if Leia is still following.
    – Then the original long-view shot from above the trooper where we see laser blasts and then Leia’s bike (enhanced the VFX) zooming across nearly hitting him. If the laser blasts are to stay, edited Leia’s ‘wide’ orange bolts to better-match the others.
    – Then it continues as normal from there.
  • Edited it so Leia’s bike more clearly tilts her off after the scout shoots the rear, instead of through acting and lunging herself off.
  • Edited it so Leia’s speeder bike doesn’t explode against a tree (since there has to be some remains for Han to be looking over later) and the scout trooper crashing is now caused by a mysterious attack (instead of a stupid mistake).
    – The scene is as follows:
    – When the trooper looks back, edited it so Leia’s speeder now does a cool skim off a tree and dives to the ground tumbling (think of Sebulba’s podracer crashing).
    – Then a shot of the trooper facing forward again for a split second.
    – Then a new long-view shot of him, where suddenly one and another arrow pierce through his armor at critical areas. He lets out a short pained yell, hunches forward on the speeder’s bars, then both he and the bike lower out of frame.
    – Then the original side-view shot with the fallen tree as the speeder and biker crash into it.
    – In that shot, inserted a more evident body being tossed from the crash and removed his original scream.
  • Removed the shot of Leia dropping her head to the ground from exhaustion. It’s not needed, especially now with the next shots that will be moved to immediately after here. It’s okay to assume that she is unconscious from the fall off the bike anyway.

Creature Of The Forest

  • Moved this scene to right after the Imperial biker crashes into the fallen tree. Since this sequence with the Ewok will be significantly shortened to only a few seconds, it’s better for flow when placed here. And this serves as a momentary breather from the chase sequence so far.
  • Edited it so it’s now more of a mystery what creature approaches Leia and also up to the imagination what happens to her afterward, similar to how Luke was taken by the Wampa in ESB. This will also allow for a better reveal later once Luke, Han and co. get trapped by Ewoks. This is a difficult segment to lose with some enjoyable moments between Leia and Wicket, but it actually would improve the plotline without it.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – After the shot of the Imperial biker crashing, then cut (no wipe) to the shot focusing on furry legs (Wicket the Ewok) cautiously stepping through the forest. Flipped this shot because, visually, you have the biker flying left to right on screen, so it makes sense to have the Ewok walking from right back to left where Leia is.
    – Then the shot where the furry legs approach Leia (who is still laying unconsciously on the ground) and gently pokes her with its spear. Flipped this shot also to coincide with that previous flipped shot. Since there were more than one arrows shot, we figure this is just one of those things out there.
    – Trimmed this sequence right after Wicket pokes her the first time, so the mystery is kept when we do not see the Ewok in full.
    – Ominous music can be playing during these shots of the mysterious creature.
    – Then cut (no wipe) back to the continued chase between Luke and the remaining scout trooper.
  • Edited any of the footage that was omitted from this sequence (mostly of Leia firing her blaster) to be used during the battle later, if possible.

Luke vs Scout Trooper

  • Added one quick laser blast being shot from the Imperial bike (in the shot when the scout trooper zooms past the camera).
  • Smoothed the VFX of the Imperial and his bike.
  • Inserted some missing deflected laser bolts from Luke’s saber.
  • Added heat marks to the cuts from the saber on the bike’s fallen nose.
  • Edited it so the Imperial biker doesn’t spin cartoonishly out of control after Luke slices the front off. Instead, he will do a single spiral, gets flung off the bike and crashes in a cool way.

Vader’s Report

  • Moved this scene forward to here so it improves the flow and pacing. Plus, sooner rather than later, it feels right that we see Vader tell the Emperor about the Rebels and Luke arriving on the moon.
  • Edited it so Vader will still be on the Executor and speaks with the Emperor via hologram. This way, for the sake of the narrative, we still aren’t seeing the throne room (although his nice chair will be teased). Plus, with important information like this, it makes sense Vader would more urgently communicate via video transmision instead of spending precious time traveling between distant locations.
  • Added new shots of Vader in his personal chamber on the Executor as he communicates with the Emperor during this restructured scene and borrowed backgrounds from ESB where necessary. Also, removed much of the unnecessary lines from both of them to get to the point sooner.
    – Reorganized and edited the scene to be as follows:
    – Wipe from the previous scene to a new close-up establishing shot of the Executor with the Death Star in the background.
    – Then a new, long-view shot inside Vader’s chamber with the camera above moving towards him. He is in front of his meditation pod facing a hologram that’s before him (which we don’t yet see).
    – In that shot, Vader says, “A small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor.” We hear the Emperor’s loud voice respond, “Yes I know.”
    – Then a close-up view on Vader, “My son is with them.”
    – Then view over Vader’s shoulder at a large hologram of the Emperor, where we see he is sitting in his throne chair (but we don’t see anything else beyond it). The Emperor replies, “Then you must go to the sanctuary moon and wait for him.”
    – Then another close-up view on Vader as he asks, “He will come to me?”
    – Then view on just the Emperor’s hologram who leans back in his throne chair and says, “I have foreseen it. His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and then you will bring him before me.”
    – Then front view of Vader bowing while saying, “As you wish.”
    – Then cut (no wipe) to the next scene.
  • Removed the Emperor’s, “I told you to remain on the command ship,” since Vader still is for this edit.
  • Removed all the other lines pertaining to: “Are you sure?” and, “Strange that I have not. I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader,” because it is even more strange he can foresee Luke coming to Vader and yet has a hard time believing Luke could be closeby. Removing all of this dialogue helps speed up the scene and, actually, improves/strengthens the Emperor’s character.

Han Waits For Luke And Leia

  • Added new shots at the beginning of this sequence: One as an establishing shot and another for assuring the audience that the strike team was actually doing something proactive during their long wait (must’ve been at least an hr or 2).
    – The shots are as follows:
    – First, a new, pretty establishing shot from the moon of Endor looking through the trees and to the sky where we see the Death Star and a barely noticeable Executor. This will be a great segue for the viewers since the previous sequence just took place up above.
    – In that shot the camera then pans down to ground level and we notice the Rebel Strike Team, hiding and waiting.
    – Then a close-up shot on a group of soldiers, including Col Serra and Dameron, standing together quietly discussing and pointing at a bulky, tablet-like device (likely about their mission). Somebody is eating a snack bar of sorts (seeing food in Star Wars is a good thing - it’s world-building). 6-7 seconds total for these shots.
    – Then the original shot of Han sitting at the tree.
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • Trimmed off the last few frames in the shot with Han sitting against a tree, so he doesn’t appear bored when he hunches forward with elbow on knee. Even if it is a natural thing for any person to do after waiting so long, it does help his character who, overall, wasn’t taking much seriously in this film in the first place.
  • Inserted the sensor antenna at the top of R2’s dome that he used in ESB. It makes sense he’d have this out again for sensing anyone coming.
  • Tightened up the shot between R2 making sounds and 3PO announcing what R2’s saying. R2 is beeping for 1 second too long.
  • Removed the slight breathing noticed on Anthony Daniels’ stomach while R2 is whistling, just before, “Oh, General Solo, somebody’s coming.”
  • Added in two brand new quick shots, each of a different random soldier behind a tree taking aim for what’s coming. One could be Dameron and the other the alien sniper. This actually makes it funnier when we first see serious soldiers peering around a tree and next we see the harmless 3PO do the same.
  • Edited it so Han is actually giving an order to Col Serra before the heroes depart. This will establish that certain members do have comlinks, which will help get the team back together again. They must have comlinks, after all, since Leia is seen using one later to contact R2 to come to the bunker (which she must’ve borrowed from Han because she obviously didn’t use it before).
    – The scene is as follows:
    – Trimmed the shot right after Han gives the order, “Take the squad ahead. We’ll meet at…” Inserted Serra into the shot to replace the original soldier approaching Han.
    – Then a new close-up of Serra, cybernetic eye patch and all, moving towards the camera (and consistent with the previous shot) as Han finishes, “…the shield generator.” Removed Han’s “at 0300” because instead of predicting a time, it makes more sense that he would just radio and get back asap. The time “0300” will be referenced later in another way, though.
    – In that same shot, just when Han finishes his sentence, Serra nods and replies, “All right. Keep your comlink handy.”
    – Then the view on R2, with the shot slightly lengthened by a few frames so it can comfortably fit all of Luke’s, “Come on, R2, we’ll need your scanners,” here. Edited his sensor to still be out.
    – Then the final original shot where the heroes are taking off. Inserted Serra in the background motioning hand signals to the rest of the squad (again, replacing the original soldier).
    – Removed the original wipe after so this can lead to the next related scene.

Captured By Ewoks

  • Added a couple new establishing and scenic shots, as a buffer between these two sequences, to show that our heroes have traversed through the forest and time has gone by. This will then provide another way to open up the planet and see more interesting things about it.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – First, a new shot that is looking at a mossy, fallen log in the foreground where a small, harmless-looking creature is seen moving over it. 5-6sec.
    – In that shot, the camera is slowly panning to the left with the alien creature, until it crawls off the log and out of frame.
    – Then, in that shot, the camera stops panning when we see our heroes in the distance moving through the forest. They’re just far enough away that we don’t see the stand-in actors’ faces clearly.
    – Then another interesting shot showing more of the forest (5-6sec). The characters can be seen much more closely, but this time viewed from above and/or behind them (again just so the faces of the look-alikes don’t stand out). We might see something interesting here, which could be something either natural or Ewok-made (such as a totem, but we wouldn’t know that yet and neither would the heroes).
    – Added in a shot of them walking past a lake or along a river/stream, if it’s edited earlier that they go over/along one during the chase. Or, they could walk by a body of water regardless, just as long as they are still in the trees and not in the open.
    – These new shots should play out similarly to the set of shots in TFA while Finn is out in the Jakku desert trying to find settlement; this shows the passage of time while showing off the planet.
    – Then, removing the wipe beforehand, it continues as normal with the close-up view on the ground when Luke walks by Leia’s helmet.
  • Added more destruction with some smoke and occassional sparks to the wrecked speeder that Han is looking over.
  • Edited it so R2’s ESB scanner is seen out during these shots, up until the shot when Han asks, “What Chewie?” a second time. Then it is seen being put away.
  • Fixed the odd ‘glowing’ around 3PO on the blu-ray as they’re approaching the food trap.
  • Fixed it so the carcass doesn’t swing around in the initial close-up view on it, so it appears more consistent between shots.
  • Inserted 3PO and R2 falling from the net with everyone else.
  • Edited it so the Ewoks who were initially in plain view (before all of the rest of the Ewoks come out) are hidden better, making the movement in the brush more mysterious at first.
  • Added occasional blinking to Ewoks in some shots to give them more ‘life’, like Yoda in ESB:R. The blu-ray attempted this, however it was mainly only done with Wicket and it looked too CGI and creepy.
  • Removed/replaced some of the ‘cute’ Ewok sounds all throughout the rest of the film so that they, overall, sound a little less cute and a little more like ‘tough warriors’.
  • Inserted one eye to the Ewok who clearly has cut-outs for both the actor’s eyes, but the other eye should be missing from a previous injury (so we are seeing inside of an eye socket where the missing eye is).
  • Removed a certain shot of Luke and Han where they’re smiling goofily as 3PO is being worshipped, as well as a couple other shots focused on Ewoks worshipping. It trims this sequence down a bit so the story can that much sooner proceed.

The Strike Team Avoids Imperial Patrols (brand new sequence)

  • Added a brand new sequence that establishes: the Rebel commandos are at and spying on the Imperial base; Vader is on the moon (he has to be here by now so Luke can feel his presence from the Ewok village); they are unable to reach Solo (because he’s captured); time is running short; and they are increasingly in danger of being found as they are waiting.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – A new POV shot looking through electrobinoculars. The user is first looking at their primary target - the shield generator (2 sec). Kept the original wipe from the previous scene to transition to this.
    – Then the POV pans down to a guard tower with a couple stormtroopers standing in it (1 sec),
    – Then the POV pans over to a couple parked AT-ST walkers. There could also be parked cargo shuttles (1 sec).
    – Then for last, the view focuses on a large landing pad (2 sec). An Imperial shuttle is landed on it and we assume it is Vader’s since there is a Tie Fighter landed on either side of it (the 2 Ties are here out of formality, just like in the beginning). While viewing the base, we are essentially seeing the threats in order from bad to worse; the base should appear more ‘heavily-guarded’.
    – In that view (and for all shots), edited it so the landing pad and shield generator are now nearly adjacent to each other. Not absolutely necessary, but somehow it makes sense they’d be constructed closer together than originally depicted.
    – Then a side-view shot with a group of commandos behind cover with Col Serra pulling the electrobinoculars away from his eyes.
    – While still looking ahead, he says to Dameron who’s right next to him, “No word from Solo yet and we still have that ahead of us.” He pauses for a second with a disturbed sigh, then continues, “It’s all beginning to get me a little anxious.” This is intended to be mildly humorous by his delivery of that last sentence.
    – In that same side-view shot, Dameron replies, “Yeah, and we’re running short on time, too.”
    – Then a close-up shot of ‘Gramps’, standing low and closeby to them, saying, “With or without the others, we have to get inside there by nightfall. If only…” He is interrupted by faint sounds of mechanized thumping approaching.
    – Then a quick side-view shot of the lineup again as they’re all honing in on the sound. The sound is coming from behind their line-up.
    – Then close-up view on Serra who waves hand signals (1.5sec).
    – Then a moving, close-up shot of the alien sniper and some other commandos rushing to better cover (2.5sec).
    – Then a steady long-view side shot of the last of the commandos to take cover behind trees as the thumping and crunching of wood continues.
    – Then finally, in that same shot, a patrolling AT-ST comes into view beyond the trees they’re hiding behind (8-10sec).
    – Then a low angle medium shot on ‘Gramps’ and some other soldiers behind a tree as the walker continues walking past them (3-5sec).
    – Then, with the walker out of sight, a med-view on Serra and other soldiers still behind a tree. The thumping/crunching is becoming faint.
    – In that same shot, a random soldier says in a low voice, “We’ll be spaced if we’re here much longer.” (“Spaced” is slang for dead or killed in Star Wars).
    – Then, still in that same shot, while tossing a comlink over to Dameron, Serra orders, “Here. You try getting ahold of Solo.”
    – Then a quick shot on Dameron catching and immediately using the comlink, “General Solo, this is Sergeant Dameron of the Pathfinders. Do you read me?..” Silence. Here is the first and only time that his name is said, so here the audience can have fun by connecting the dots and realize who he is in relation to Poe Dameron from TFA (and for that matter, Shay also).
    – Then cut (no wipe) to the next scene with the heroes being carried by Ewoks.
  • Edited these shots so it is later afternoon to early evening time.

The Ewok Village

  • Edited the first shots to be early evening or dusk, so by the time they are up at the tree village, it will be evening time.
  • Edited the establishing shots of the Ewok village so it is more visually interesting.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – First, the original quick shot of 3PO being carried by Ewoks. Removed the wipe afterward so this can now lead into the next new shot.
    – Then added a new wide-view shot of the camera moving forward along a path and then it starts panning from ground-level to way up high in the trees for an impressive first reveal of the Ewok village above (similar to the reveal of the Elve’s sanctuary in LOTR). Colorful, bird-like creatures are flying between the trees. We then begin to hear a horn sounding. No wipe after this shot.
    – Then it continues as normal with the original close-up of an Ewok trumpeting his horn.
  • Removed that original shot of the Ewoks taking 3PO to a dead-end up in the trees and where an Ewok swings to the other side. Doesn’t make sense to take him there and it’s nothing special anyway.
  • Trimmed down the repeated ‘Ewok singing’ in the background while the heroes are about to be cooked.
  • Fixed Chewie’s hands from sliding down on the pole and so his arms are consistent with the next shot of him and Luke.
  • Added a new shot that establishes that Han doesn’t have his comlink on him, so he has no idea that the strike team is trying to reach him (but he likely suspects it). The comlink was taken and put in a basket with other supplies that were stripped from the heroes, but it will be given back as seen later.
    – The shot can be as follows:
    – First, the original shot showing Luke and Chewie side-by-side and tied up.
    – Then a new shot that’s away from the main crowd where the camera is slowly zooming in on a basket. Off to the side there may be some beaten scout/stormtrooper helmets strung together, just to show that the Ewoks are already having their share of entanglements with the Imperials.
    – In that shot, an Ewok immediately walks to the basket, shuffles through it for a second, then takes Luke’s lightsaber (who’ll give it to Logray the Shaman).
    – After the Ewok leaves, the camera still focuses on the basket just long enough until we faintly hear “…This is the Pathfinders… Solo, are you there?..” It’ll feel similar to ANH when Luke was trying to reach 3PO on the comlink.
    – Then the original shot of Logray moving through the crowd of other Ewoks carrying Luke’s lightsaber, and it continues as normal from there.
  • Removed the unnecessary shot of Wicket scratching his head in bewilderment. Unless it can be moved to another section of this sequence, right after 3PO is set back down by Luke - that could be really funny.
  • Removed all shots of Nippet, the ‘kitten’ Wokling. There’s no good reason for this except just to look cute (which can be fine in SW if handled appropriately), but for the sake of helping improve the Ewoks as a whole, it shouldn’t be seen.
  • Alternate idea: If the shots of the Wokling are to stay, edit it to have ‘blinky eyes’ in the first shot (and removed its ‘meowing’) as if it just woke up from a nap and is now confused where it is, which can be kinda funny.
  • Removed the shot of Wicket and the other Ewok beating a drum. It feels childish because it is random, brief, and doesn’t signify anything.
  • Fixed the few shots where R2 can be seen untied and standing upright when he shouldn’t be, starting at the time when 3PO says, “Master Luke, what magic? I couldn’t possibly.”
  • Replaced the silly sound FX when R2’s electrode comes out. Replaced it for a proper sound used other times before.
  • Edited it so R2 only shocks Teebo the Ewok once and stays in place. Once is funny, but twice is too much and too silly. This way, also, R2’s in the same place when Wicket comes to him.
  • Trimmed a few frames of Wicket looking R2 over. It goes on for a bit too long for something that isn’t really important.
  • Fixed the flipped shot of 3PO when he says, “I never knew I had it in me,” as evidenced by Logray (the blonde Ewok) and the other now suddenly on the sides worshiping.

A Plea For Help

  • Edited this scene so 3PO is speaking to the Ewok elders to recruit their help in the fight against the Imperials, instead of it being a campfire bedtime story. This scene will now have relevance to the plot and has a better pay-off for bringing along a protocol droid. 3PO claims in ANH he isn’t good at telling stories anyway.
    – Tightened this segment by reorganizing/trimming several of the shots as follows:
    – First, the original establishing shot showing the Ewok village in the trees.
    – Then the outside view of the hut with Ewoks crowding and listening, but swapped around the Ewokese 3PO speaks so it sounds like he’s in the middle of a speech here.
    – Then a short sequence inside the hut with 3PO finishing speaking to the Ewoks and their leaders, basically telling them why they are there and the events that will soon unfold with the Imperials. This is done by significantly reordering/omitting 3PO’s Ewokese to them, and interlacing together a few shots of the Ewoks and the main heroes listening.
    – After 3PO has finished, then the shots of the Ewok elders discussing what to do next.
    – Then the shot of Han and Leia but edited and removed the “What’s going on?” and “I don’t know.” For the edit, they know what’s going as they would have explained to 3PO what to say.
    – Then a shot of the tribal leader speaking amongst other Ewoks, followed by 3PO saying, “Wonderful. The tribe agrees to help us,” instead of originally, “Wonderful. We are now a part of their tribe.”
    – Then it continues as normal from there, but removed most of the ‘hooting and hollering’ from the Ewoks.
  • Removed all of the original sound FX 3PO creates during what used to be a storytelling.
  • Removed/edited certain shots so that 3PO uses minimal hand gestures. He will not be mimicking a walking AT-AT at all here.
  • Removed all shots of cuddling, of other too cute moments, and the drumming/celebration at the end.
  • Removed the shot with the giggly Ewoks playfully tackling Han.

Brother And Sister

  • Edited the background during some shots here to look like they are actually up in real trees, instead of matte backgrounds.
  • Removed Leia’s line, “I know… somehow, I’ve always known,” if possible. It works better if she is speechless for a moment after what information Luke told her. Besides, if she had always somehow known, wouldn’t she have brought it up any time before?
  • Removed Luke’s pointless line, “You’ve always been strong,” after first saying, “No you don’t,” since that added absolutely nothing to that particular part of the discussion.
  • Removed Han’s jealousy here so it doesn’t feel like an awkward soap opera. Instead, he should be there to comfort her.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – Han comes outside and asks, “Hey… what’s going on?”
    – Then Leia simply looks to him and rushes to his arms saying, “Hold me.”
    – He holds her to comfort her, then wipe to next scene. It can be assumed she tells him part of what happened.

Han Makes Contact with the Strike Team (brand new sequence)

  • Added in another new sequence which establishes that the Strike Team finally made contact with General Solo. This should be a big deal. Since there is no actual footage of Han for this, his voice (by a pro voice impersonator) will have to only be heard over the comlink.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – A new medium view shot on a group of soldiers (including ‘Gramps’, Serra, and Dameron) kneeling behind a log all focusing their attention towards Serra, who has his comlink out. The camera slowly circles around them during this shot, to keep it visually interesting.
    – Serra is speaking in the comlink, “It’s great to hear you guys are okay, Solo. You’re missing out on the fun dodging patrols.”
    – Han responds, “That’s alright, we’ve been having fun of our own.”
    – Cracking a smile, Serra asks, “How far are you?”
    – Solo replies, “We’re on our way now. Should be there by Oh-300.” There’s that “0300” that was removed from Han’s dialogue before.
    – Serra nods and, before he can reply back, Han continues, “And one more thing.” Han pauses for a second and changes tone, “I guess we found small help from the indigenous here. Some will be along with us.” Han should really mention to the soldiers about the help they found, otherwise all of a sudden the Ewoks are there collaborating with the Strike Team and none of them seem to question it, which felt odd.
    – The soldiers kind of glance at each other at this news.
    – Serra then replies, “Roger that. See ya soon.”
    – Then, with the comlink conversation now over, ‘Gramps’, with a bit of sense of humor of his own, chimes in, “Well, I won’t mind the extra help if it don’t slow me down.” It’s funny because he’s the old man of the group. Star Wars is known for its share of witty one-liners and it wouldn’t hurt ROTJ to have more good ones.
    – Then a quick side-view medium shot of Zahk’u, the alien sniper, sitting in a tree as he’s looking through the scope of his rifle at the Imperial base. He’s slowly scanning the base but suddenly repositions his aim, as if something caught his attention.
    – Then a POV shot through the sniper scope as he focuses on an Imperial transport inbound for the landing pad (Vader’s shuttle and pair of Ties are still landed there).
    – Then a lower angle medium shot of the transport slowing to a stop at a bridge of the landing platform. The cockpit window has a red glow from inside for its night vision; the red window glow is in homage to the single AT-AT that had it in ESB.
    – Edited everything in the background of this shot (namely the structures) to match what was previously established.
  • Replaced the cumbersome AT-AT for a hovering Imperial Troop Transport (ITT). The ITT can more logically unload/load personnel out in the field (in this case, Luke) and is a more practical mode of transportation in a dense forest, unlike the hard-to-maneuver AT-AT (which isn’t seen again anyhow). Plus, it fits the Star Wars motto to introduce new Imperial vehicles.
  • Alternate idea: Edited the new transport to be the HAVw A5 Juggernaut, a large, 10-wheeled vehicle that was used in Rogue One to transport Jynn. For the same reasons for having an ITT, this would still be more suitable than having an AT-AT.
  • Added a lower docking bridge for the platform (at about the height of an AT-ST) which may be used by the new transport.
  • Inserted a pair of Imperial speeder bikes riding past the transport. It’s likely these scouts are who discovered Luke first.
  • Removed the original shots of the pan down from the DS in the sky to the platform, where we saw Vader’s shuttle landing like a dainty butterfly, and with him exiting. We don’t want to keep seeing Vader landing and exiting his shuttle; besides, he must already be landed on the moon, and a similar pan down shot (in homage to this one) was already used for earlier anyway.

Luke Surrenders Himself

  • Edited the outside of the corridor to match what has already been seen around the platform earlier.
  • Replaced the AT-AT seen outside the corridor for the new transport. The AT-AT’s head wasn’t in a correct position in relation to its body anyway.
  • Edited it so the door closes to the vehicle and it now moves on in the background just prior to Vader saying, “The Emperor has been expecting you.”
  • Fixed Vader’s flipped belt in the close-up while he’s inspecting Luke’s lightsaber.
  • Edited the pole that should be next to Luke but is suddenly further away when Vader turns off the lightsaber.
  • Edited Vader’s response to Luke from, “Obi-Wan once thought as you do,” to, “Your mother once thought as you do.” Hear me out: This adds a whole new layer to Vader (and the dynamic between the two) if he brings up, for the first time, Luke’s mother, Padme (instead of Obi-Wan this and Obi-Wan that).
  • Moved the sound FX of the door opening so it’s sooner, immediately when Vader motions his hand up to go along with him possibly using the Force to open it; more importantly, this will allow enough time for the stormtroopers to show up behind Luke, since they couldn’t have possibly appeared that quickly after hearing the door open originally.

Regrouped Near The Base

  • Edited this sequence so it’s much darker outside, since it shouldn’t be too much longer from the time of the previous sequence (half hour to hour, tops). This would also imply better strategy on their part if they tried infiltrating at night. Furthermore, it becomes more convincing later that so much can happen in a single day when certain events such as this begin earlier, even if the day lengths aren’t necessarily the same as Earth’s.
  • Replaced the bad matte with the new and expanded view of the base to be the same as what was established before.
  • Enhanced the VFX of Vader’s shuttle taking off. Also inserted the 2 Ties roaring up and flying in formation on either side of the shuttle.
  • Edited it so there are some added shots of the soldiers and also so it is they who say a certain line instead of Leia. The commandos were here for a while doing reconnaissance, after all, so it makes sense either one of them will voice their findings. Also, if possible, it’d be nice to have an extra line of dialogue regarding Luke’s sacrifice (for as long as Vader was there on the moon, there was no way they were making it in… alive) - at least some sort of acknowledgment because his decision and the effect were monumental.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – After the original shot with Han and others looking to the base after the shuttle and Ties take off, inserted a shot with a group of soldiers crouched/taking a knee. Dameron and Serra are closer in the foreground with ‘Gramps’ standing next to them.
    – In that shot, They are all looking to the sky where the shuttle just flew off to. ‘Gramps’ gives a nod of respect, acknowledging what Luke had done for them. Then looking back down, over to Han and Leia, Col Serra asks, “So, what do ya think?” And while pointing toward the base below, he continues, “The main entrance to the control bunker is on the far side of that landing platform.”
    – Dameron chimes in, “It’ll be like breaking into the spice vaults of Gargon.” The line about ‘spice vaults of Gargon’ was mentioned in the novelization, so this is in homage to that.
    – Then the original shot of Leia saying, “This isn’t going to be easy.”
    – Then the shot with Han responding, “Hey, me and Chewie have gotten into more heavily guarded places than this.”
    – Then the shot with Wicket speaking up and 3PO responding.
    – Then inserted a (this time brief) shot with the soldiers again while they’re listening in puzzlement as Wicket continues explaining something.
    – Then the shot of Han, also with a look of puzzlement, when Leia is asking, “What’s he saying?”
    – Continues as normal from there.

The Fleet’s Jump To Lightspeed

  • Fixed the FX so ships are no longer ‘cutting’ through other ships.
  • Added some additional starfighters weaving through the larger cruisers to get to the front.
  • Edited out the briefing room in the background of this shot. Again, to make the ship seem larger.
  • Enhanced the cockpit view in Home One and added a more obvious glass window there, by also adding a glare and realistic reflections for all shots whenever Ackbar’s near it, if possible.
  • Removed the ‘black boxing’ around some fighters outside the window.
  • Enhanced and added digital readouts to Ackbar’s control box that’s over his lap (in this instance, a logical countdown), so the box looks more sophisticated for the admiral to command ships with.
  • Edited the jump to lightspeed sequence so that it’s coordinated better, especially since it’s a massive fleet making the jump all at once. This should feel larger-scale by showing other pilots, too, including Shay and General Madine (this also establishes that he is on his own cruiser, separate from Ackbar, so as to not confuse the audience later).
    – The edited sequence is as follows:
    – Trimmed Lando’s dialogue to say, “We’re in position. All fighters accounted for.” Left out “Admiral” at the beginning so he can be talking to Madine.
    – Then a new shot of Madine at the helm of his cruiser saying, “Acknowledged, Gold Leader. Liberty to Home One, commence the countdown for hyperspace.”
    – Then the shot of Ackbar and edited his dialogue to say, “Proceeding with the countdown. All groups assume attack coordinates on my mark.” Changed “Proceed” to “Proceeding” and moved “On my mark” from a later dialogue to here.
    – Then the shots with Nien Nunb and Lando having their conversation.
    – Then the shot of Ackbar with the shortened dialogue saying, “All craft, make the jump into hyperspace…”
    – Then added a quick shot of Wedge in his X-Wing (reused/edited this shot from elsewhere) while Ackbar is counting the seconds over the comm, “…in 5…”
    – Then a quick shot of another Rebel pilot <Ackbar> “4…”
    – Then another quick shot of another Rebel pilot <Ackbar> “3…”
    – And a quick shot with Shay in her A-Wing looking set and ready <Ackbar> “2…”
    – Then, just when Ackbar says “1” in the countdown, the shot of Lando as he’s pulling the lever for lightspeed. Removed Lando’s original line, “Alright, stand by,” since it isn’t needed now.
    – Just before Ackbar’s cruiser (Home One) jumps to lightspeed, added a new brief shot of Madine in the command seat with his cruiser (Liberty) jumping to lightspeed.
  • Added a greater number of ships making the jump to light speed. It will look and feel epic.
  • Enhanced the FX of all Rebel ships jumping into lightspeed and going towards a single point in space.

The Backdoor And The Decoy

  • Edited this scene to be darker outside since this should still be early morning, but more daylight than when they were looking at the base earlier.
  • Edited it so the shield generator itself and this secret entrance are located closer to each other (though they’re still a good distance apart), so the huge dish may be seen peeking over the trees in the background, for here and other shots. It’s a good thing for the audience to occasionally be visually reminded of the extremely important objective.
  • Inserted a quick shot, after the (trimmed) shot of Paploo the Ewok getting on the bike, of several Rebel soldiers in the brush with a look of horror that their cover is about to be blown; some are even getting their weapons ready for a probable gun fight.
  • Improved the FX of Paploo taking off on the speeder bike.
  • Inserted a couple laser blasts (from the Imperials) in the shot when Paploo takes off.
  • Trimmed the bike chase to remove some of the absurdness.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – Kept Paploo soaring in the air as its trying to hold on to the handles. This part is actually funny, and it’s okay to have light-hearted moments like this now and again when the timing is right.
    – Then after he finally gets settled in the seat, we see him immediately grabbing a vine to safety with the scout troopers zooming by.
    – Removed the segment of Paploo spiraling out of control. This is when the silliness was too much.
  • Replaced the original ‘tag, you’re it!’ sequence for something more strategic. While it was fun on a nastolgic level (almost like Han chasing troopers on the DS in ANH), this scene should be taken more seriously since it is a part of a crucial mission where a whole bunch of lives are at stake. This will provide the new Rebel sniper to do something useful as well. Also, if possible, made it more clear that ‘Gramps’ put on the scout’s armor and it is he who is in the background outside when the heroes get inside the bunker.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – After Paploo gets on the vine, a brand new shot of the remaining scout trooper as he’s standing there waiting near the bunker’s entrance holding his gun out (4sec). Han Solo or anybody isn’t behind him.
    – Then in that same shot, he is suddenly knocked clear off his feet by a stun ray. He can’t be shot dead because, A) they need the code for entering, and B) need his armor so that one of the commandos can be in disguise for when the Imperial scouts come back.
    – Then a new quick side-view of Zahk’u still looking through the scope of his rifle and says, “Clear to move in.” He’s got a cool sounding voice.
    – Then, if possible, new quick shots as ‘Gramps’ is putting some of the scout trooper armor on.
    – Then the original interior shot with Han and co. opening the bunker door.
    – In that shot, edited it so the bunker door doesn’t close shut when they continue forward. This is to enable the whole strike team going in (this fixes the issue of having any Rebels left outside where instead they all should be going in).
    – Also in that shot, inserted the notable characters starting to move in before cutting to the next sequence.

Luke Meets The Emperor

  • Replaced the original long-view establishing shot of the Death Star (even if it was effective) for a better establishing shot with the Emperor’s throne room tower (which was previously removed). Removed the Ties flying around it and adjusted the clip to fit with the musical cue here.
  • Fixed the canisters on the sides of the bridge so it’s consistent between shots.
  • Fixed the stars outside the Emperor’s window, in the first wide-shot inside the throne room, to move at the same speed with the next shots.
  • Added the forest moon of Endor (and also possibly Endor Prime) outside the Emperor’s window(s) in shots where it should be seen.

The Strike Team Gets Captured

  • Moved out the entire sequence with Han and co. taking over the control room from here. Part of this will be used for later.
  • Added new intriguing shots for some extra bulk to the sequence since a lot will be removed. This will introduce Captain Sarkli, the new Imperial character in command of the base, and the ‘best troops’ getting ready to spring the trap. Also reworked some shots so that Wicket doesn’t seemingly run toward the Imperials.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – First (without a wipe beforehand) cut to a couple new exterior shots in the forest where Imperials (the new shadow troopers) are seen hurriedly moving through brush and over natural obstacles. They are on their way to the secret entrance. The audience can notice how more adept they appear than a typical stormtrooper by just their movement and agility through the forest. (8sec total)
    – Then the original shot of R2, Wicket and 3PO where the latter exclaims here, “Oh my!” Trimmed this shot and moved the rest of his dialogue for the next shot.
    – Then he continues in the next shot, “They’ll be captured!” where we see the original exterior view of the bunker entrance with Imperials rushing in (inserted more troops moving in, namely the new shadow troopers). This shot here will then allow Wicket to leave without creating a new continuity error.
    – In that shot of the bunker, also inserted a scout trooper, ‘Gramps’, as he is seen being forced at gunpoint to remove his helmet (the Imperials figured out somehow that he wasn’t one of them).
    – Then a new quick close-up shot of 3PO who is just turning around to look behind as he exclaims, “Uh w-wait…”
    – Then the original shot of Wicket running down the hill with 3PO continuing, “…wait come back!” Having 3PO turn to look back shows that Wicket is now running in that direction (behind them instead of in front, which is key), because now there are Imperials closeby in the direction they were facing.
    – Then the original shot of just R2 and 3PO when he says, “R2! Stay with me!”
    – Then a new interior shot inside the shield generator complex of an Imperial officer hurriedly walking for a second (with the camera following him) until he approaches the new fearless character, Captain Sarkli.
    – In that shot, Sarkli is standing in the hallway looking ahead in anticipation when the lower-ranking officer says to him, “Our reinforcements have entered from the other side, sir.”
    – In that shot, Sarkli replies, “Very good.” He takes two short steps forward and then in a cocky tone continues, “There’s no way of escaping what’s coming to these Rebels.” The camera then moves away from him to reveal several shadow/stormtroopers already lined up at front and at the ready. Between these troops that are lined up and the others now entering the bunker on the other end, the audience will realize that our poor heroes will be ‘bottlenecked’ and forced to surrender.
    – Then on to the next sequence of the Rebel ships in lightspeed.

It’s A Trap!

  • Expanded/enhanced the shots with the Rebel fleet coming out of lightspeed. Removed some shots in favor of a more dynamic set of shots.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – Still without a wipe beforehand, a cool new shot facing the front of the Millennium Falcon in the foreground and other Rebel ships around it as they are still in lightspeed.
    – In that shot, the camera circles the MF until we see it from directly behind as originally.
    – In that same shot still, the MF along with many other ships are coming out of lightspeed with the moon of Endor and Death Star directly in front (Endor Prime may be noticed to the side too).
    – Then a quick new shot looking at the front of the Rebel ships as more of the starships and cruisers continue to come out from lightspeed.
    – Then the original close-up view of Lando as he’s now seeing the Death Star.
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the entire Rebel fleet jumping out from lightspeed.
  • Edited it so the number of ships that come out from lightspeed and their positions to each other appears consistent with before going to light speed.
  • Fixed the moon in the background behind the Death Star to always be in the right location between shots, or else it’d look like the Rebel ships are suddenly approaching it from another direction.
  • Edited it so it is General Madine who says, “All wings report in,” instead of Lando. We get plenty of shots of Lando already, so let’s get some more Madine where/while we can.
    – Edited the scene as follows:
    – Replaced the shot with Lando saying, “All wings report in,” with a new shot of Madine in his swiveling chair on the Liberty saying the same line.
    – Then the shot of Lando (same one that was just replaced) saying, “Gold leader, standing by.” Edited his lips to match the new dialogue.
    – Then it continues as normal from there.
  • Added a new shot of a Mon Calamari B-Wing pilot leader saying, “Blue Leader, standing by,” right before the A-Wing leader shot.
  • Added a new, more dynamic panning shot of many more Rebel ships locking S-Foils to attack position (still in homage to the original shot).
  • Enhanced the Rebel ships pulling up so they take more natural flight paths and added more to look more epic. Trimmed away some of the last frames in this shot so there can be room for adding another quick shot immediately after.
  • Inserted a very brief shot inside the cockpit of a pilot exclaiming, “Pull up, Gray 12!” to a fellow fighter who is about to crash.
  • Inserted a shot of a Y-Wing not quite pulling up in time (since these ships aren’t as easily maneuverable as others), who skims the shield’s surface and begins to explode.
  • Added in a very brief (1sec) view on that same disintegrating Y-Wing from a different angle. This adds extra emphasis on the intended trap, that they all could have collided at the shield.
  • Inserted a subtle rippling FX for the shield after the impact of the starship.
  • Alternate idea: Since Rogue One has a similar scenario, maybe it will be best not to have another case of it happening.
  • Edited it so all interior views of the large Mon Calamari ships turn more red with the flashing ‘hazard lights’.
  • Edited the Star Destroyers in the shots so they vary in position to one another, instead of looking like ‘copy-n-paste’.
  • Fixed it so Imperial fighters aren’t suddenly appearing into frame during the shot looking out the Falcon’s cockpit.
  • Edited it so Rebel ships, including the Millennium Falcon, start firing just after the cockpit view of fighters coming in.
  • Added a quick shot of General Madine, at a control seat of a Mon Calamari, saying, “All cruisers form a defensive screen at 9 point 7-3!” just after the shot, “There’s too many of them!”
  • Added more Rebel ships and Imperial fighters to the side-view shot with them going head-on with each other. Also edited it so that a couple get shot and destroyed; maybe there is even an instance of an accidental head-on collision.
  • Enhanced the shot of the MF being chased by Tie Fighters, with the chase edited to be further and heading away from the Mon Calamari Cruiser (otherwise Lando is doing the opposite of what he just said). Added more action happening around in this shot.

You, Like Your Father, Are Now… Mine.

  • Added a horizon of the Death Star outside the Emperor’s windows in all shots where it may be seen.
  • Enhanced the VFX of the space battle outside the window that Luke looks out of for all shots.

The Battle On The Moon Begins

  • Added motion blurs and improved the motions/animations of the AT-STs in all scenes where necessary.
  • Inserted shadow troopers and recolored several of the ordinary stormtroopers (if possible) to be these new troopers in many shots/scenes. There should still be some ordinary stormtroopers, though.
  • Inserted Col Serra, Dameron, and others of the new, notable commandos in the panning shot revealing them captured. Also inserted a pile of their weapons (which they’ll be able to pick up later, since they have to be able to get their weapons back from somewhere).
  • Edited it so the new Imperial character, Sarkli, approaches Han and makes his presence known; this will be a good set-up between them before Sarkli is killed later. The Ewoks will also be showing up in time for a surprise attack against the Imperials by immediately shooting their arrows.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – After the wide-shot with Han and others stepping out of the entrance with their hands over heads, then a new shot of Captain Sarkli walking towards Han.
    – In that shot, Sarkli has a satisfied smile about him until he says to Han, “I presume you are their leader.” Edited it so Han’s backside is barely in frame and facing this captain.
    – Then a close-up view on just Han who keeps silent, if possible. Edited the framing so it appears he’s facing someone (Sarkli).
    – Then the close-up shot of Sarkli again (or, still, if the previous shot of just Han isn’t possible) as he says, “Well, General, this is the end for you and your Rebel scum.” He then looks to another Imperial off to the side and orders, “Set up to execute them all here and now.”
    – Then in that same shot, a horn is heard in the distance and Sarkli immediately reacts.
    – Then the original quick shot of Han looking toward the forest (used before for when 3PO calls out, but that segment is taken out).
    – Then the quick shot of Leia looking to the forest also (used before for when 3PO calls out, but that segment is taken out).
    – Then the view of the Ewoks jumping up from the brush and immediately firing their arrows. Removed the Ewok with the stick telling them to fire (the horn should be enough to tell them to fire), just so the ambush feels sudden as it should be.
    – Inserted arrows (and even some spears) clearly piercing through stormtrooper armor in existing shots here (but of course nothing graphic and bloody). Occassionally added more piercing arrows for some other existing and new shots for the remainder of the battle. The audience needs to believe that the Ewoks are doing their part in taking out Imperials.
    – Continues as normal from there for a bit.
    – Then a quick shot of several commandos quickly grabbing their guns in the pile amid the action, then keeping low and running for cover in the forest.
    – Then just before the shot of Han with his blaster and the door seen closing in the background, lengthened the shot of the Imperials seen rushing into the bunker. Inserted Sarkli to the shot yelling in his comlink, “Seal the door at my location!” The door begins to close just as he makes it through.
    – Then it continues from there, but added the missing AT-ST at the front now starting to turn around to begin the pursuit in the forest.
  • Removed the scene with 3PO luring the stormtroopers out. While it is kind of fun, it would be a better surprise for the Ewoks to immediately shoot their arrows at the Imperials. Parts of this scene could be edited and serve better for later in the battle.
  • Alternate idea: The shot with the Imperials coming across the two droids might work for later. This would have to be sometime before Leia calls for R2’s help at the door. The “freeze” and “don’t move” dialogues should be removed.
  • Removed the smoke from Leia’s gun when she fired it (with no added laser) while Han is running to the closing bunker door. Where she was aiming it, the blast would have almost hit Han if the blast were added, which wouldn’t look good.
  • Removed/replaced many of the Ewoks’ “Iyeeha!” and other ‘gleeful’ noises. Again, this way they can sound more like a threatening bunch of little warriors.
  • Added a new segment where Imperials are running out to the forest and tall grass, then (just like the pygmy mummies in The Mummy Returns) Ewoks take them out.
  • Replaced the first view of the flying Ewok with a more dynamic shot, with the camera following behind him as he approaches the AT-ST.
  • Added evident marks/cracks on Imperial trooper helmets/armor after being hit by any slung/dropped rocks.
  • Fixed the background to be consistent behind C3PO and R2 between shots (3PO is not near a branch, then suddenly is covered by one), just before R2 leaves to help Han at the bunker.
  • Added a few quick shots showing Rebel soldiers in the forest shooting and being shot at by Imperials. A couple on both sides are seen getting hit.
  • Edited it so at least one of the catapulted rocks doesn’t hit the AT-ST. While it looks funny that it was hit repeated times in a row, if at least one of those would miss, then it’ll be more realistic and less silly.
  • Inserted more destruction to the catapults after the AT-ST fires at them.
  • Alternate idea: While the catapults are the least ridiculous things set up by the Ewoks, it might be better still without them; it raises certain questions if we see things like these set up already. This attack on the Imperials needs to feel like it was a spur of the moment, because it wasn’t that long ago that the heroes asked for the help.
  • Added AT-ST laser blasts actually hitting the ground where the Ewoks are.
  • Inserted Ewoks running for cover past the 3 trees, but made it unclear if they survived when the trees are destroyed.

The Space Battle Continues

  • Removed evident polygonal boarders around any space ship.
  • Added new shots of starships dogfighting, including more action showcasing A-wings and B-Wings. Some during this sequence and more later on.
  • Added shots of and/or inserted in existing shots of Star Destroyers using their side cannons (the ones that flank the ship’s tower structure) against Rebel capital ships. Never seen them use these before.
  • Added some new ‘heroic’ shots of the Millennium Falcon as it’s shooting away at Tie Fighters.
  • Inserted new interior shots of the MF with soldiers at the turrets firing, for here and more later on. If possible, cleaned up and used the original deleted shots showcasing a couple soldiers at the MF turrets.
  • Replaced the original A-Wing pilot who says, “Got it.” This was originally a female who was dubbed as a male.
  • Inserted Shay during the “Got it” sequence. It’ll give her more screen-time and help sort out some confusion of who gets shot and who doesn’t.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – Replaced the original A-Wing pilot who says, “Got it,” with Shay in her A-Wing saying, “This is Green Four. Got it.”
    – Then edited it so it’s an X-Wing that gets shot by the Tie Fighters (not an A-Wing) and then it’s an A-Wing (it’s implied it’s Green Four, Shay) who shoots both Ties.
    – Then the original shot of Green Leader who says, “Three of them coming in from 20 degrees.”
    – Then a quick shot of Shay looking and saying, “I see them.”
    – Then the original shot of Wedge saying, “Cut to the left. I’ll take the leader.”
    – Then inserted an A-Wing to the next shot cutting to the left from Wedge’s X-Wing.
    – Continues from there.
  • Edited the Tie Fighter that Wedge barely shoots on the wing to, instead of exploding, only spiral out of control (and will eventually crash). This can look cool.
  • Edited it so the Tie that was chasing after Wedge doesn’t carelessly crash into the Medical Frigate, but instead fires several shots and evades it.
  • Inserted A-Wings and B-Wings in some existing shots throughout the space battle.
  • Added some additional quick shots with Madine saying things and/or giving orders so he has more screen time and appears to still have a commanding role (also to have more impact for later).
  • While the camera is following the MF, added one more chasing Tie and edited it so the Falcon is clearly using its ANH turrets to destroy it.
  • Inserted more (new or cleaned up original) shots from inside the MF with the gunners as they’re shooting.
  • Added some other dogfights to the background during that chase.
  • Improved the FX of the X-Wing dogfighting a Tie Fighter outside the Falcon’s cockpit view just before Lando says, “Only the fighters are attacking. I wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for.”
  • Edited it so the objects outside of the Executor bridge don’t shift so much in that short amount of time.
  • Replaced the background behind the officer who says, “We’re in position now,” to be consistent with the layout seen in ESB:R.
  • Dubbed over the horribly delivered line, “We’re not going to attack?”

Operational Battle Station

  • Edited the Imperials standing next to the laser beam so they are smaller in proportion and aren’t standing as close to it. Poor guys could easily be getting cancer.
  • Enhanced the FX of the Death Star firing.
  • Added more ships and action happening in the shot when the Rebel cruiser is blasted by the Death Star.
  • Added a brief glimpse of Rebels inside that cruiser getting blown up, including General Madine, since this should be his cruiser getting destroyed. This will add an extra punch to the losses during the battle. Then back to the exterior shot of it blowing up the rest of the way.
  • Enhanced the explosion FX of all Rebel ships destroyed by the Death Star.

The Battle of Endor Rages On

  • Added new shots of some Rebels and Ewoks behind trees/logs in battle with the Imperials. A couple casualties on both sides continue to be seen. A thermal detonator is tossed at a group of Imperials and explodes (a great way to reintroduce these weapons since it was removed from earlier in the film).
  • Added some shots involving Chewie shooting his bowcaster at Imperials.
  • Edited it so, by addition of new shots and inserting them in existing shots, Ewoks are still using their bows throughout the battle to attack Imperials. This way we see how the Ewoks are managing to stay in the fight to help take down the numbers of Imperials.
  • Added new shots of the alien Rebel sniper perched in a tree rapidly sniping unsuspecting Imperials.
  • Kept the Blu-ray additions to R2 when he is shot, except edited it so the electricity isn’t as severe. Also added a scorch/damage mark on his chest where he was hit for all remaining shots.
  • Fixed Lea’s mouth when she says, “I’ll cover you,” to Han.
  • Added a new and last scene of Col Serra shooting at Imperials.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – More new shots of mayhem in the forest.
    – Then view of Col Serra who is shooting at and being shot at by shadow troopers.
    – He shoots a couple of the troopers dead but eventually gets hit twice and critically injured. Serra then hunches behind a log in extreme pain.
    – Then a quick shot of Imperials closing in on his position.
    – Then view on Serra again where he knows the Imperials are nearby and activates a thermal detonator. It begins to ‘beep’ more rapidly until he says, “Damn fools.”
    – Then a long-view shot of the explosion in the trees where several nearby Imperials are launched in the air by that blast.
    – Then a view on Dameron as he’s shooting, stops briefly to look toward that explosion, and he continues shooting. He knows what just happened to Serra.
  • Fixed the problematic flipped shot of the Death Star’s dish for the close-up view of the dish. The Death Star can still be ‘upside down’, though, because there is no up and down in space.
  • Added some extra smaller ships (both Rebel and some Imperial) getting damaged/destroyed because of the cruiser blowing up, just for more chaos.
  • Inserted some various debris from destroyed ships in space as the battle continues on.
  • Added shots in the main space battle of some Rebel fighters and Tie fighters dog fighting while having to maneuver around huge hunks of destroyed ships.
  • Replaced/enhanced the outside cockpit view when Lando says, “Yes, I said closer…”
  • Fixed all shots with static ships.
  • Added new shots, before the scene of Gray Leader (the Y-Wing pilot) getting hit, of Tie Bombers bombing apart some Rebel cruisers. These need a moment to shine too.

The Dark Side Beckons

  • Removed the close-up shot on Luke’s saber just before, “You want this, don’t you.” With it, the Emperor’s hand wasn’t consistent between shots and it wasn’t needed anyway. Kept the shot of the lightsaber when Palpatine touches it, though.
  • Edited it so Luke’s sudden attack on the Emperor appears more swift.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – Just when Luke turns around in the long-view shot with his hand outreached, edited it so we see the lightsaber hilt quickly leap from the arm rest to his hand.
    – Removed the close-up shot of Luke’s saber leaving the arm rest (once again, the Emperor’s hand was a continuity error here anyway).
    – Then the original shot of Luke igniting his saber, and it continues from there.
  • Kept the Blu-ray fix when the sabers are locked over the Emperor, but edited it so both tips can be seen; neither saber would be that long from where their users are actually standing.
  • Added yellow glows/flashes when sabers make contact all throughout, as was done in ESB:R.
  • Added extra lighting on the Emperor’s face from the lightsabers that are so close. This effect should, ideally, highlight how evil/scary looking he actually is even more.
  • Added subtle sparks coming from the sabers any time when they clash or lock together, like in TFA. These will be seen mainly for the close-up shots, such as here.

Turn Of Events

  • Added more quick shots of shadow/stormtroopers shooting and also throwing a thermal detonator (cylinder-shaped) of their own at the Rebels. A couple Rebel soldiers are seen killed by this.
  • Added a quick shot of another shadow/stormtrooper about to throw his thermal detonator, but he’s shot just in time before ‘pulling the clip’. Then we see the Rebel sniper where it’s implied he was the one who shot that Imperial.
  • Added more and final shots of the Rebel sniper.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – The Rebel sniper heroically continues sniping other Imperials. There are some quick POV scope views, too.
    – Eventually, the sniper sees an approaching AT-ST, which sees him also. He attempts to jump out of the tree in time, but he and the tree are blasted away (in homage to Saving Private Ryan and that sniper).
    – Then the shot of Chewie and Ewoks about to take over an AT-ST (presumably the one that just blasted the sniper away).
  • Fixed Chewbacca’s bandolier so it isn’t switching sides just before he is swinging on the vine to the AT-ST.
  • Edited one of the accompanying Ewoks before hijacking the AT-ST to look like the one that will later be inside the AT-ST.
  • Replaced Chewbacca’s ‘Tarzan yell’ while he’s swinging to instead be one of his simpler roars.
  • Improved the FX of the AT-ST getting shot at and destroyed by Chewie’s hijacked AT-ST.
  • Reduced/edited out the cheese from the Ewoks who are inside the AT-ST with Chewie. Especially now that there will be more lives lost on the good guys’ side, it’s important to be mindful about not having two scenes of conflicting tones back-to-back during this battle (where one moment it’s serious and sad, then immediately after it’s just jolly and silly).
  • Replaced both silly shots of a scout trooper being spun around the tree and another clotheslined with a more serious-toned sequence.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – New shots of Ewoks and Rebels behind trees shooting at and being shot at by shadow/stormtroopers and scout troopers on bikes.
    – Then a new POV shot of a scout trooper on the bike shooting and occasionally hitting some Ewoks/Rebels on the ground. It’d be good to finally see these in action for their intended purpose.
    – Then a side-view shot of the carnage he is wrecking on the ground.
    – Then again in the POV shot where eventually a vine is tightened at biker’s level.
    – Then a side-view shot showing him getting clotheslined. The trap shouldn’t appear to be already set up and predetermined (like it was originally), but rather it should appear quick and improvised.
    – Then a new view from on the ground where some other bikers are speeding past and then an Ewok lassoes the scout trooper. He is yanked off the bike and it would look cool.
  • Added more shots of Rebel soldiers collaborating with the Ewoks.
  • Added shots of Ewoks throwing rocks directly at some bikers. At that speed, a rock coming at them would be like a bullet.
  • Edited it so there are larger rocks that are being dropped on the Imperials and these are crushing their armor.
  • Removed the silly sequence of the Ewoks chopping the vines for releasing the two logs that smash the AT-ST’s head in. Cannot imagine how it was even possible for these natives to set this trap up in this area.
  • Added a new sequence (to replace that removed sequence) of Ewoks ambushing unsuspecting Imperials.
  • Removed the sequence of the Ewok pulling the lever to release the collection of logs which causes an AT-ST to do a ‘break dance’ before falling and catching on fire.
  • Added a new sequence (to replace that removed sequence) of a similar scenario of a single log coming down to trip an AT-ST - something that is not childish.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – Some Ewoks and Rebel soldiers (including Dameron) are behind a large log on a hill, overlooking an AT-ST chasing some Ewoks as it’s about to walk by.
    – Dameron studies both the log and AT-ST for a second then says, “Push this log down! Come on!” The other soldiers start pushing and the Ewoks understand, so all together they manage to get the log to start rolling down.
    – Then a new quick shot of this large log tumbling down the hill.
    – Then a shot of it hitting the left leg of the AT-ST as it’s taking a step; it is tripped, falls sideways, and crashes (but doesn’t burn, though it’s implied that with the hard crash the drivers inside are not okay).
    – Then a quick view on Dameron who appears amazed to see that actually worked.
    – Then cut to the view on Han Solo as he’s attempting to open the bunker door.
  • Edited it so Han is actually successful in hotwiring the door open after he says, “I got it, I think I got it.” While it was funny before, this will show Han’s resourcefulness and capability to successfully do hotwiring.
  • Edited and removed a lot during the segment right after Leia gets shot in the arm so it’s not as cheesy and campy.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – Right when the door is seen starting to open, Leia is shot in the shoulder.
    – After Leia is shot, removed the glimpse of 3PO saying, “Oh dear,” then moved 3PO’s concerned “Princess Leia, are you all right?” in its place here (This way you aren’t yet warned about anything until very soon).
    – We then see the (trimmed) close-up view on Leia’s face right as she’s lowering her focus from Han to the what’s approaching in the distance (the shadow/stormtroopers).
    – Then inserted a brief glimpse (trimmed) of Han looking concerned as he’s realizing what’s about to happen (trimmed it before he smiles and edited out the troopers that were originally in the background).
    – Then Leia immediately pulls out her blaster and takes aim.
    – Removed the original side-view shot while Leia is shooting, so we don’t see that the troopers are standing right there and also Han with his hands up (it’s assumed that the troopers are much further away, but incoming).
    – Replaced the original view on the troopers standing and getting shot with a new view of them running towards and getting hit by Leia’s bolts (the second trooper to get blasted is seen aiming and about to fire a shot).
    – Then it continues as normal with Han looking to Leia in appreciation.
    – So, removed the original stormtroopers running up to them and their nonsensical dialogue (at this point, the Imperials would no longer be asking the Rebels to “freeze”), removed Leia’s blaster being tucked away, and removed the “I love you” and “I know” moment (unlike in ESB, here it comes off as very cheesy and forced).
  • Edited it so Han’s hands (and 3PO’s) are no longer seen up in the air until he sees the AT-ST.
  • Edited Han’s line so he says, “Get down here! Door’s opened!” by replacing, “She’s wounded.” Also removed Han’s, “No wait!”
  • Replaced Han’s original, “I’ve got an idea,” by dubbing him to instead say, “We can do this.” Edited his lips so it looks right to what he’s saying now. The original line isn’t necessary as he now has already opened the door.

Father Vs. Son

  • Replaced Vader’s pathetic howl as he is falling down the stairs after being kicked. Instead, he grunts when kicked (which was originally heard when he hits the floor) and then removed that grunt when he lands. This, as little as it may be, goes a long way to help improve Vader.
  • Fixed the background in the shot while Vader is falling down the stairs.
  • Edited it so when Vader is kicked down the stairs, he lands on his feet and crouched (as though he collected the Force to keep from falling to his butt). Before anyone claims that this sounds like a ‘PT thing’, Vader clearly did use the Force in ESB to soar down the stairs, so why couldn’t he here? This will greatly improve Vader’s prowess so it feels more consistent with how he was in ESB, rather than being completely dominated by Luke. They did try to humanize Vader and we are meant to pity Vader (nothing wrong with either notion), but it went too far by making him physically weak, which he isn’t.
  • Fixed Vader’s cape so it’s still over his shoulder between shots.
  • Added sparks and damage to the tubular panel (which Luke jumped in and out of) once Vader hits it with his lightsaber.
  • Edited it so a section of that same tube continues to spark and eventually falls off immediately after Vader says, “There is no conflict”.
  • Removed the set charges and smoke from the ceiling when the catwalk is collapsing.
  • Edited it so only the lower parts from where the lightsaber cuts through the supports fall and anything above stays at the ceiling.
  • Edited it so, while Vader is walking down the stairs, we see a brief glimpse of his hand reaching out from his right side and a lightsaber hilt jumping to his hand; then he ignites it as originally. Not that it’s absolutely necessary, since an adult can easily figure how he got his lightsaber back, but it can help anyway just so it’s clear for everyone else (when I was young, I thought he had a spare lightsaber on his belt since we didn’t see him pick up the lightsaber he tossed; it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I figured it out). Plus, being that it’s Vader, this could look cool.

Taking The Bunker

  • Enhanced the FX of the Tie Fighter exploding in front of the SD bridge, by making it more obvious it was shot and not just colliding into the bridge.
  • Removed the whole original segment of Han luring the Imperials to open the door and come outside, and also of him and the Ewoks surrounding these Imperials outside. This scene no longer works in this edit and it was a bit cheesy anyway (even if it was amusing when Han does his shrug).
  • Moved the sequence of Han and co. busting through the blast door of the shield generator room to here, right after Lando’s, “Come on Han ol’ buddy, don’t let me down.”
  • Added a scorch mark to Leia’s arm where she was now hit earlier, for continuity.
  • Edited it so it actually looks like the Rebel soldier makes contact with the imperial officer when he smacks him with the butt of his gun.
  • Removed Leia making mention about Imperial reinforcements showing up.
  • Enhanced the large visual screen inside the bunker.
  • Replaced and enhanced the bad matte of the power grid in the background for all shots.
  • Trimmed off the remaining frames of the shot once Han catches the charger. As it was, in the last few frames after he catches it, he suddenly doesn’t appear to be in a hurry.
  • Edited the ending of this sequence heavily so that Han and co. are not getting captured (they already have been in this edit). Also edited in the new Imperial character, Sarkli, (who was in hiding) to be in this power grid room; he will now be the one who gets knocked into the power grid.
    – The shots are as follows:
    – After the (trimmed) shot of Han catching a charger, a new shot of Sarkli coming out from hiding to shoot a Rebel down and he prepares to aim at Han.
    – Then the original shot of Han throwing the charger.
    – In that shot, trimmed off all frames of Han winding up his throw. This way he’s already in the follow-through motion, which causes his action to appear quicker and helps the believability why the Imperial didn’t shoot in time.
    – Then an edited shot of the charger knocking the Imperial (now Sarkli) over the railing. Replacing that original officer also fixes the overall bad shot, which had black lines and the actor was seen jumping backward before actually getting hit.
    – In that shot, fixed the computer console on the left from moving.
    – Also in that shot, after Sarkli is knocked over the railing, added a satisfying electrical ‘zap’ to imply he was fried.
    – Then a new quick shot of a random Rebel soldier helping up the other who was just shot (he’s only wounded). Here we hear Han saying, “Throw me another charge.” This could potentially come off as comedic hearing Han saying after that previous shot.
    – Then the original shot of Han being tossed a new charge.
    – Then the close-up shot of the ceiling as he place the new charge there.
    – Then the original close-up shot of a gloved hand placing another charge (this shot was when we originally heard Han say “Throw me another charge.”).
    – Then the next scene.

The Final Duel

  • Removed Luke’s lightsaber that appears to be in Vader’s hand while he’s searching for Luke. It should be assumed that Luke still has it.
  • Removed all shadows cast by the lightsaber props. Lightsaber blades are literally a beam of light and so it’d be strange for there to be shadows cast by them; there should still of course be shadows from the hilts and users.
  • Added burn marks to all surfaces/railings when struck by a light saber.
  • Removed the pre-cut on the railing before Luke cuts through that and Vader’s hand.
  • Replaced Vader’s dummy hand with a better looking one as it gets cut off, and added his other hand on the railing so it’s consistent with the previous shot.
  • Replaced the original stuffing of wires at Vader’s cut wrist to instead show a cauterized, metal arm with fewer wiring.
  • Edited it so Luke turns his head only once to face Palpatine.
  • Fixed it so Luke’s lightsaber blade isn’t seemingly going through/under the railing when it shouldn’t, just after the Emperor says, “And take your father’s place at my side.”

The Shield Is Down

  • Removed Han’s reflection seen while he’s running away from the bunker.
  • Edited it so the audience views the dish blowing up first since this should be the epicenter of detonation. Then as the explosion expands, the explosion continues outward to the bunker’s secret entrance (but edited it to look like it’s the tail end of the explosion rather than a detonation point).
    – The shots are as follows:
    – A new shot at the front of the dish when it explodes. It’s a better and more realistic explosion than the original. Debris from the dish is seen falling on the nearby landing pad. The massive mining site may be seen in the background. The original explosion FX had problems (a large piece of debris bouncing back) and was too over-the-top, which all made it fake looking.
    – Then a new shot viewing from behind the shield generator while the camera pans down to the secret entrance that Han and co. just ran out of. Here we see flames shooting out of the door.
    – Then it continues on as normal with Han looking pleased with his handiwork.
  • Inserted some Imperial cargo shuttles in the shot where the Rebel starfighters are heading to the Death Star. They should still be busily working, although there may be fewer of them.

The Fall Of The Emperor

  • Enhanced the VFX of the Emperor’s Force lightning where necessary.
  • Edited it so the lightning matches up with the Emperor’s hand/finger movements better in certain shots. When he flexes, that’s when there is a surge of intensity.
  • Removed Vader’s “NOs” from the blu-ray version. This was horrendous.
  • Removed the glimpses of Vader’s skeleton while he’s being electrocuted. This only happens in cartoons and so it looks cheesy.
  • Enhanced the electricity seen flowing over Vader’s body so it’s more noticeably striking his life support system.
  • Replaced the bad matte of the chasm in all shots.
  • Fixed the cut railing so it’s consistent with before.
  • Replaced the ‘stiff’ Emperor when he is about to be thrown over, so he will have movements and is clearly trying to electrocute Vader.
  • Enhanced the FX while the Emperor is initially falling down the chasm.
  • Removed the Force lightning from the Emperor all the while he’s falling. There’s no purpose for him to still be doing this.
  • Edited it so the Emperor’s ‘explosion’ isn’t caused by him illogically hitting the Death Star’s core so suddenly. The laws of physics should still apply somewhat in that regard. Instead, it should be Force-related since, apparently, he has returned again for TROS.
    – The shots can be as follows.
    – Trimmed the original shot of the Emperor falling to accommodate a brand new shot of his final moments. Possibly trimmed his screaming as he is falling, also.
    – Added a new shot that briefly follows the Emperor down the chasm (almost like the shot following Luke falling in ESB) until suddenly, by the Force somehow, he ‘Force explodes’; the explosion can be similar to Flynn’s death in Tron Legacy. This will also make the death of the powerful Emperor more visually interesting (and a bit fantasy-like, as it originnaly intended to be) if we can see him briefly disintegrating beforehand and then ‘boom’.
  • Fixed Vader’s wrist so it isn’t bent, caused by the actor’s wrist under the sleeve.
  • Edited it so the lights on Vader’s chest plate are noticeably flickering, making it even more obvious that his electronics are critically damaged and he is in trouble.

Into The Death Star

  • Inserted a Rebel starfighter getting blasted by a defense turret just as they’re about to enter the opening. This gives a better sense of danger here, so it doesn’t appear as easy to simply fly in.
  • Edited it so some laser blasts actually do hit the MF, but its forward shields were enough to protect it.
  • Improved some of the bad backgrounds.
  • Removed the brief pause in the dialogue, “Copy. Gold Leader,” so the speech flows more naturally.
  • Improved the VFX of the MF losing its dish.
  • Edited the last shot so it doesn’t appear they are about to enter the DS’s core just yet. Instead, it’s just more tunnel space to fly through. This is for better flow in the timeline.

The Executor Is Destroyed

  • Edited it so there are 3 or so B-Wings destroying a Star Destroyer, in homage to a certain concept art. This can either be in the background of existing shots (prior to this) or a new sequence of its own for here. The B-Wings will finally have a shining moment and a chance to show off their gyroscopic cockpit as they fly around.
  • Expanded the attack on and destruction of the Executor by adding a whole new sequence of shots. Edited it so Home One and various other ships, together, assist in taking down the Executor; this way, it takes a lot more punch to ultimately destroy it, as it should.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – First, a new shot or two of the Executor shooting from all sides at surrounding Rebel cruisers. It’s dominating all that’s around while slowly piercing forward for more victims.
    – Then a new (and edited) shot on just Admiral Piett (possibly using footage that was previously removed) staring out the forward bridge windows.
    – Then the original shot above the Executor where an X-Wing gets destroyed and Green Leader, the A-Wing flying beside the X-Wing, is nicked on the wing and spirals out of control. Updated the VFX here, too.
    – Then the original quick shot of Green Leader screaming as he’s spiraling out of control. Moved this shot to here, instead of him crashing into the Executor’s bridge (something else will happen to the bridge).
    – Then a quick new exterior shot of Green Leader’s A-Wing as a laser blast from the Executor finishes him off. Or, he crashes into the shield of the Executor.
    – Then a new cockpit shot of Lieutenant L’ulo (Green 2) in his A-Wing exclaiming, “Admiral, that command ship is shredding us apart!”
    – In that shot with Lieutenant L’ulo, Ackbar speaks over the com, “Green 2, I want you and…”
    – Then a shot inside Shay’s cockpit (Green 4) with Ackbar still over the com, “…Green 4 to escort Gray Group for a counter attack.”
    – Then an exterior shot of a couple A-Wings flying while avoiding debris of a previously demolished ship with the Executor in the background.
    – In that shot, Ackbar is finishing on the com, “Approach their command tower from the stern and destroy those shield domes.”
    – Then a cockpit shot again of Lieutenant L’ulo as he responds, “We copy, Admiral.”
    – Then cockpit view of Shay again as she says, “Gray Group, on our six at point-three-nine.”
    – Then a new shot of a human Y-Wing pilot saying, “Right with you.”
    – Then a quick new exterior shot of several Y-Wings grouping together with the pair of leading A-Wing fighters while there is surrounding action around.
    – Then the original shot of Ackbar at his chair saying, “We’ve got to provide cover for those fighters.” Edited it from the original line, “We’ve got to give those fighters more time,” because now he is to be referring to the Y-Wings being able to get to the Executor. Or, it could also work just fine with the original line.
    – In that same shot, he continues, “Concentrate all fire on that Super Star Destroyer.” Edited what’s outside the window to match what’s been established as happening involving the Super Star Destroyer and other Rebel ships. Instead of a Star Destroyer getting destroyed in the background, replaced it with a Rebel Cruiser that was next to and destroyed by the Executor.
    – Then a new exterior shot of Home One coming towards the screen and shooting many of its forward weaponry (at the Executor). It looks and sounds very impressive with the various lasers shooting at once.
    – Then a new long-view shot of Home One and the Executor as they are now essentially toe-to-toe with each other. It is epic. Home One is bombarding the Executor but is starting to take hits of its own.
    – In that shot, the camera then zooms/shifts back to the Y-Wings and A-Wings approaching the stern of the Executor. They’re under flak from both the Executor and some Ties. A couple Ties in the way get blasted by the escorting A-Wings but a couple Y-Wings also get blasted.
    – Then a new shot of a Y-Wing pilot saying, “It’s a heavy fire zone down there.”
    – Then a quick shot of L’lulo saying, “Keep steady.”
    – Then a new shot of another Y-Wing pilot, glancing down at their computer and back ahead, saying, “I’m in range. Proton bombs ready.”
    – Then a cockpit shot of Shay looking nervous from all of the surrounding flak as it gets thicker, but she remains steady. She exclaims, “All right, you wishbones, here we go!” ‘Wishbone’ is slang which refers to the Y-Wing.
    – Then the original shot of the A-Wing fighters (one of them is presumably Shay and the other L’ulo) flying in to attack one of the Executor’s shield domes. Updated the VFX here and extended this shot long enough to also insert Y-Wings releasing their proton bombs. This makes it much more logical how the dome explodes as it does.
    – In that shot, made it clear that it is the backside of the Executor that these fighters are striking from, so the background should be looking toward the front of the Executor.
    – Then it continues as normal inside the Executor’s bridge, “Sir, we’ve lost our bridge deflector shield!”
    – Then the shot where Piett replies, “Intensify the forward batteries, I don’t want anything to get through.”
    – Then, removed the next original exterior shot of the X-Wing getting blasted and an A-Wing spinning out of control (since this now already happened).
    – In place of that removed shot, inserted a new shot of Y-Wings in formation, making a turn, and launching more proton bombs.
    – Then the other original shot with Piett exclaiming, “Intensify forward fire power!” The other commander yelling, “Too late!”
    – In that shot, edited it so there are proton bombs seen outside the window, instead of an A-Wing, that are incoming and about to hit the bridge.
    – Then the shot of Piett and other diving away from the impact. Again, edited out the A-Wing and replaced it with massive explosions from the proton bombs.
    – Edited the ‘copy-n-paste’ layout of ships and bad matte of the death star outside the Executor’s bridge window.
    – Then a new long-view exterior shot focusing on the Executor’s demolished bridge.
    – In that shot, the Executor is still managing to deal damage against surrounding Rebel ships. Even with the destroyed command tower, this shows it is still very deadly and not going down yet without more fight.
    – Then a shot of Shay saying, “Keep hitting it! Give it everything we got!”
    – Then a new shot of a Y-Wing pilot saying, “Let’s target the main powertry!”
    – Then a new shot looking from behind the Executor with its engines getting blasted by some Y-Wings and possibly assisting B-Wings. One engine blows up violently which causes a chain-reaction of other engines in that row to be ruptured; more rows of engines on the other side get demolished, too. Now, with most of its engines suddenly destroyed, the Executor starts to slowly lose control and tilts.
    – Then a shot of Lieutenant L’ulo, peering out the side of his cockpit, saying, “Look! It must have lost its stabilizers. It’s going down!”
    – Then a quick shot of Shay looking back and managing a relieved smile.
    – Then the original shot inside Home One with cheering as the Executor continues its nose-forward decent outside the window.
    – Then the original close-up shot on Ackbar as he is also looking relieved.
    – Then a couple new shots inside the Executor where the personnel are falling to the floor and sliding as the tilt of the Executor increases. The sirens are blaring. This goes on for 6-7sec total.
    – Then a quick exterior shot of the Executor with the camera following it down as it’s nearing the surface of the Death Star. The gravity of the DS has taken over and is bringing it the rest of the way down. Action is still going on around.
    – Then a new quick shot inside the Death Star, with the camera slowly moving toward a series of large windows and seen outside is the monstrous Executor getting closer and closer. Imperials of all kinds are yelling and helplessly running away from this imminent collision.
    – Then a new and more dynamic exterior shot of the Executor now crashing into the Death Star’s surface. There will still be plenty of explosions, but it should no longer violently explode like the unrealistic original ‘volcano of fire’. It should pierce part-way through the DS like an arrow, with remaining exposed sections of the ship crumpling up (like crushing a soda can) from momentum. This way, it adds variations to all of the ‘vehicle deaths’ and so now it can be seen just moments again when the DS explodes (where then it will explode with).
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • Added this large impact on the Death Star to all later scenes where it should be.

Vader Unmasked

  • Inserted Luke’s saber hilt that should be attached to his belt, for continuity (since he is seen with it in TLJ).
  • Fixed the bend in Vader’s wrist again while Luke is pulling him.
  • Kept the eyebrow-less and blue-eyed Anakin. His brows wouldn’t survive the flames any more than his hair would. His eyes are kept blue for continuity with young Anakin (plus, Luke had to get his blues somewhere).
  • Removed Anakin’s eyebrows from certain shots (while viewing on Luke) where it was forgotten to be removed.
  • Edited the back of Anakin’s heavily scarred head so it looks more like how it did in ESB when he had his helmet off then.
  • Adjusted the skin tone of Anakin to have some pink/natural flesh color so it’s not quite as ghostly, powdery white. He may have been in a helmet and suit for the past 25 years, but that doesn’t mean his natural skin color, though heavily scarred/injured, will be so drastically white; he still has blood pumping through his body.
  • Edited the top of Anakin’s head so it’s less ‘egg-shaped’ because of the cap he is wearing.
  • Added a tear starting to come down Luke’s cheek during, “I won’t leave you,” since a tear path is present in the very next shot.
  • Added the missing tear path on Luke’s cheek just before he starts to lower his head.
  • Inserted the missing chin plate on Anakin’s helmet in the last shot when Luke lowers his head.

The Death Star’s Destruction

  • Enhanced the various VFX explosions/shield waves given off from the main reactor after Wedge and Lando shoot it.
  • Improved the VFX of the main reactor collapsing on itself before exploding.
  • Inserted a scene, after the shot of the MF leaving the core, of Jerjerrod telling the surviving Imperials to retreat. This settles a minor plot hole by visually confirming for the audience where any of the surviving Imperial ships have gone; all of a sudden they’re not there and they couldn’t have possibly been all destroyed, and the same with the Imperial ground troops, too.
    – The scene is as follows:
    – After the shot with the MF leaving the core, a close-up shot viewing a complex Imperial computer panel where more and more lights are flashing red. The camera then quickly pans up to a technician who looks up and exclaims, “The main reactor is destroyed!”
    – Then the wide-view shot on Jerjerrod in the foreground as he stares ahead in dismay. That Imperial tech and array of computer panels are in the background. Used this shot from a cleaned up deleted scene (the deleted scene where Jerjerrod was originally ordered to destroy the moon).
    – In that shot, replaced the original Imperial tech with the new one as he continues, “Sir!” Inserted other Imperials in the background looking concerned in place of the originals.
    – Still in that same shot, the camera then begins to zoom in on Jerjerod and, befuddled, he replies, “Send the alert… all remaining ships and ground troops… will retreat.” The shot hangs on him for just a little longer for dramatic effect. Dubbed in his new dialogue and edited his lips to match the new words.
    – If that deleted scene cannot be cleaned up, inserted brand new shots inside the bridge of a random Star Destroyer with similar dialogue between an officer and the captain.
    – Then a quick exterior long-view shot of some Star Destroyers with one making the leap to light speed. The Death Star is partially in the background, Home One and some Rebel fighters are closest in the foreground, and debris from destroyed ships is all around.
    – Then a new shot of Ackbar when he says, “Move the fleet away from the Death Star!” This way he isn’t leaning over a railing to the briefing room as originally.
    – Then the briefing room shot with the hologram of the DS with a flashing red center. Enhanced the VFX. Or, alternate idea: Removed this hologram shot as this can potentially be conveyed with the new shot of Ackbar.
    – Then added an exciting new CGI shot or two following the MF as it (and the last Tie behind it) is maneuvering through the obstacles of the DS interior, all while being chased by the flames (imagine the intense sequence in Aladdin where they are on the magic carpet trying to escape the collapsing Cave of Wonders). This new bit should be the same length as the footage showing Luke escaping the Death Star.
    – Then the cockpit shot with Wedge fleeing the Death Star.
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • Removed all shots showing Luke fleeing the Death Star in the shuttle. This will add more suspense and have greater bearing to Leia’s ‘Force sense’ later when Han asks.
  • Edited the fleet in the background, when Wedge and also Lando escape the Death Star, so they don’t appear static.
  • Edited it so the last Interceptor gets a bit further engulfed with flames before it explodes. Originally, it was hardly touched by the flames.
  • Edited the VFX for a new and more realistic explosion to this massive Death Star, instead of ‘flicker’ and boom. The crashed Executor should also be seen just prior to the explosion.

Leia And Han

  • Edited the explosion up in the sky to match the new explosion previously seen in space.
  • Edited the lighting here so the day is later afternoon and the sun is getting low.
  • Inserted a new quick shot of more surviving Rebel commandos, including Dameron (last view of him), looking to the sky in joyous relief.
  • Removed Han’s apparent jealousy of Luke while he’s speaking to Leia. Leia already made it very clear to Han multiple times that she chose him, so his jealousy has always felt unwarranted.
    – The dialogue is as follows:
    – After the cheering of Rebels and Ewoks, Leia and Han look up to the sky and then he asks her, “I’m sure Luke wasn’t on that thing when it blew.”
    – Leia responds, “He wasn’t. I can feel it.”
    – Then the shot of Han, looking a bit confused as he is looking to her and continues listening. Trimmed it just before he asks her, “You love him, don’t you?”
    – In that same shot with Han, dubbed in a voice of Leia where off-screen she begins explaining, “It seems it’s a special gift we both share, because…”, and she pauses for a second.
    – Then the shot of her leaning in and continuing, “…he’s my brother.”
    – Continues as normal from there.
  • Alternate idea: Edit it so Leia just says, “He wasn’t. I can feel it,” Han looks at her a bit, then she continues, “He’s my brother.”
  • Fixed it so Leia’s and Han’s hands around Wicket are consistent between shots, if possible.
  • Edited the shots while the Ewok is trumpeting the victory and the panoramic view of the forest so it is more scenic as their sun is beginning to set behind the forested horizon. It’s satisfying to see after this large battle.
  • Added brand new music starting to swell up at the end of this shot, as it then transitions into the next sequence - the liberation of Coruscant.

The Moon Of Endor Celebration

  • Removed this entire sequence. This likely will not be a popular opinion, but hear me out: First, it doesn’t add anything extra that’s significant to the story that the previous and next scenes didn’t already accomplish. The ending should of course be a happy moment but it ought to feel more bittersweet too, especially after so much sacrifice and loss. There are undoubtedly some heartfelt and fun shots during the original celebration, but keeping any of that would be greatly out of place when so much else should be removed - so it all must be taken out.
    – With the celebration removed, the last shots we would see of each of our main heroes will still be very satisfying: Lando, as he just escapes the DS and yells, “Yeeha!”; Chewie, R2 and 3PO during the DS explosion with a ‘mighty roar’, ‘excited beeps’ and “They did it!”, respectively; Leia and Han, with her little revelation to him and how they sweetly and happily kiss each other (leading up to making a baby Ben); and Luke, at the funeral pyre sending his father off. These all are great as final moments of our heroes, therefore the cheesy ‘kodak’ moment isn’t needed.
  • Alternate idea: If the celebration sequence is to stay, condensed it as much as possible; only the necessary shots shall remain. Definitely removed the original, cheesey ‘kodak’ moment and, since the funeral pyre scene should be the last scene, Luke seeing the Force ghosts here should be removed also. It should just be the audience seeing our heroes happily (as can be) reuniting before the film concludes. Also, removed the original ‘Yub nub’ music since, tonaly, it doesn’t quite fit with how the scene should feel; again, the ending vibe should be triumphant but a little more bittersweet.

Liberation Of Coruscant (brand new sequence)

  • Added a new series of montage shots at Coruscant in place of the removed Endor Celebration. This is what is actually important to see - the removal of the Empire at the capital planet and the rise of the New Republic. There is no dialogue during this sequence, just indistinct sounds/cheering and new music that’s fitting for what’s happening onscreen.
    – The sequence is as follows:
    – Wipe to a new establishing shot of the planet Coruscant, the planet-sized city and capital of the galaxy. There are still some Imperial Star Destroyers around here (for now). The camera slowly zooms in on the planet.
    – Then a shot somewhere within the cityscape. The sky looks more smoggy bleak and the skyscrapers appear more run-down than we are used to in the PT.
    – Then some shots of citizens receiving holograms/transmissions in aurebesh, headlined <subtitled> “The Emperor Has Fallen” (pun not intended) and “The Empire Is Shattered”. Each shot cuts (or cleverly transitions, but no wipes) into the next for this new sequence.
    – Then some shots of Imperial soldiers and officers attempting to keep the rioting citizens in line.
    – Then shots showing continued riots from the citizens who eventually overwhelm the Imperials.
    – Then an extreme long-view shot of Mon Mothma at a podium, surrounded by some senators and General Dodonna, who just finished a speech (but we didn’t hear it) to a huge crowd and they cheer/applaud. Above her is a huge holographic/video display of herself and the camera zooms away to reveal more of the crowd cheering. It can be inferred she gave an official speech declaring the Empire’s downfall and will perhaps become the elected leader of the New Republic. The large senate building may be seen in the background. Also, here the sky may appear more beautiful, in a way symbolizing the happy new beginning for the state of the galaxy.
    – Then the SE panning shot of Coruscant celebrating and the Palpatine statue being pulled down. Updated some of the VFX here.
    – In that shot, for sure kept the blu-ray addition of the senate building in the background. As for the Jedi temple, it makes sense that Palpatine would have destroyed the temple, but it equally makes sense that he’d keep it as a mockery.
    – Removed the Wilhelm scream of the stormtrooper in that SE shot.
    – Then the sequence concludes with another shot of the entire planet of Coruscant, but now instead of seeing any Imperial ships, the audience only sees Rebel cruisers, or no cruisers (either way, no Imperials will be seen). The camera slowly zooms away from the planet as we leave it.
    – Then wipe to the next and final sequence.
  • Removed the footage showing other planets celebrating. While it’s always nice to see everyone happy, they were not integral to the plot like Coruscant was, and seeing some of those other locations celebrating actually didn’t make much sense anyway (such as Tatooine).

The Funeral Pyre

  • Moved this to be the very last scene. This would be the perfect way to end the film.
  • Edited in the ghost of Sebastian Shaw so it appears for a moment within the flames (and Luke sees this) then disappears. Inspired by a mock-up which used Hayden as the ghost; even for a Hayden ghost, it was very touching and beautiful to see the ghost transpire in this way.
  • Alternate Idea: If not that idea, it would equally make sense if we don’t see the ghost of Anakin. After all, should a final good act be worthy of ‘redeeming’ him entirely of the multitude of evil acts from before? It is debatable either way, but if the ST wanted to explore and introduce his Force spirit there, it wouldn’t become a contradiction just because we don’t see it here.
  • Alternate Idea: Edited it so the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan and Yoda appear during this sequence. Then appears Anakin (Shaw) as usual, Luke sees this, and the ghosts all fade away together.
  • Edited it so, just before the camera pans up to the night sky, the end credits will now appear. This will also remove the Rebel starships originally shooting fireworks after the pan-up, which isn’t necessary anyway nor is it logical that they’d prep their starships beforehand with fireworks.

End Credits