Yes, the magically fixed saber is one of the strangest missed thematic opportunities I’ve seen in a movie.
Xindo pulls a small tablet out of his suit pocket and plugs it into a computer terminal in an alcove of the destroyer. With a few taps he has accessed the security system and takes note of the life signs moving about the halls. He unplugs the device and moves down the hall, shifting into a side corridor a moment before a group of technicians turn the far corner. They talk amongst themselves, and Xindo overhears them expressing worry about the reconditioning process. One of them feels like it’s going well, but the other fears that they are headed for a Code Thirteen. Xindo frowns, hearing this unfamiliar term. They pass and he searches the ship schematics for the reconditioning facility. He moves toward the turbolift at the end of the hall.
The turbolift stops and the doors open on a wide hall. He waits in the corner until it is clear, then quickly strolls toward a maintenance tube. He craws through the cramped passage, keeping clear of the large bundle of wires and tubes to the left. Eventually he comes to a junction and turns left. There is a small hatch which he manually rotates open, peering out onto the reconditioning room. It is a vast space situated so far forward on the destroyer that the room tapers to a point at the end. There are no level floors, just gently sloping surfaces studded with reconditioning pods. A few of the pods display green lights on their monitors, but most of them fluctuate yellow and even as he looks one of them turns red and begins beeping. An officer directs a duo of Death Troopers to the disturbance and the pod opens to a hiss of steam. The trooper in the pod emerges shaking and shouting. He sees the approaching Death Troopers and tries to escape, but they quickly subdue him with stun weapons and drag his semi-naked body away with a pair of wrist restraints. The last thing Xindo sees of the trooper is his defiant expression as he is taken away.
True.
The dagger really worked for me, in a camp way. Felt very Raiders.
Why can’t she just have innate Force powers? Her usage of the Force never felt like a mystery to be solved to me. It’s just protagonist business.
Something something Mary Sue.
To be fair, she picked it up much more quickly than anyone else in the galaxy, including the literal Chosen One.
There is actually an explanation in TLJ for this, the whole ‘darkness rises and light to meet it’. It is shown how Rey and Ben are as evenly matched as can be possible. While this might not satisfy everyone, to expect a different explanation in the final installment is a bit silly. The only thing worse than that would be to actually provide such an explanation, which would alienate those who have accepted the prior explanation as well as coming so late in the story that everyone else has already made up their minds.
In short, pulling that thread in the eleventh hour will just make a mess.
There are quite a few broken links here, but from what I can see it’s really good!
As they turn a corner they see on a large stone an alien woman crying out and gesticulating to their rickshaw. She has a small following of her own. Rey asks what she is saying, and the mayor says that the woman leads the Church of the Force here, and is saying that Rey is proof of their feeling. Rey inquires further, and the mayor says that a feeling has swept the city recently of heightened awareness. Things are brighter, the sounds clearer, life fuller. The woman has foretold the coming of the Knights of Ren and a new master to lead them. Rey grips her saber as tightly as she smiles.
They arrive at the skull to find it only part of a building shaped as a coiled serpent. It is a colossal structure, stretching into the distance in either direction. Between the multitudes of ribs are doorways in which are docked skiffs and flying devices of a multitude of varieties and sizes. The mayor asks if he should be discussing the selection of their craft with Rey or with her companion, and Rey answers that her servant is sadly blind and mute. Ben nods pitifully. The mayor then suggests that he or an experienced pilot go with them on their journey to the castle, but Rey says that this will not be necessary, only that they want the fastest craft they have. He selects for them a small craft and refuses Rey’s attempt at payment. He bows away, saying that it was an honor to be in the presence of so powerful a Jedi Master.
The small craft, a repulsorlift platform with sails and a weighted water scoop on the front, is carried to the skull and they behold the vast sweep of a cliff wall upon which they are perched. A waterfall cascades from the lower jaw of the skull to the valley below, where it winds its way into the distance. The sun is setting behind the skull, tinging everything orange and red. Rey, Ben, and R2 pile into the craft and the water scoop is cast into the waters of the river. They are pulled above the surface of the water on a ten foot cushion of air to the precipice, and their momentum flings the craft out into the air. Rey fights with the rudder as they swerve and wobble their way towards the river below. Ben pulls up the blast shield to see what is happening. They come in too hot and the bottom of the skiff goes underneath the water before bobbing back into the air. R2 is rattled and Ben is soaked. He removes his helmet and sputters. Rey masters the controls and they lower the water scoop again into the water, to be drawn along at the river’s pace while the wind is low. Rey asks how long it will take to get to the castle and Ben responds that it will be morning of the next day before they arrive.
They coast in silence for a while, then Ben breaks the silence by saying that he can’t stop thinking about what the preacher said. He feels different as well, ever since Rey brought him back. Though for him it’s an absence, not a presence. The terrible destiny that he has felt all his life, the destiny which Luke and even Leia admitted in their moments of darkness, has gone. It has been replaced by this profound absence, and Ben feels like for him it’s a chance for a new start, away from the responsibility and curse of great power. Rey wishes she could feel as he does but all that she feels is deep inadequacy at the loss of her power, and more than anything a sense of guilt that she is deceiving the galaxy in being a false hope. She is placing all her hopes on the Knights of Ren to have answers, and a way to regain that which she lost just as the Jedi of old had to recover from the cataclysm of their sin. This last she says before realizing what she is implying, but Ben understands. He puts the helmet back on and lays down on the deck as if to sleep, pulling down the blast shield once again.
Although I prefer the X-wing, The Y-wing is my brother’s favorite ship.
Fantastic necrobump btw 😃
Alfred Hitchcock said:
The silent pictures were the purest form of cinema; the only thing they lacked was the sound of people talking and the noises. But this slight imperfection did not warrant the major changes that sound brought in… In many of the films now being made, there is very little cinema: they are mostly what I call ‘photographs of people talking.’ When we tell a story in cinema, we should resort to dialogue only when it’s impossible to do otherwise.
I’m a visual/visceral artist. I enjoy crafting worlds and conveying my ideas through imagery and sound cues; I don’t enjoy writing dialogue. Much of my writing process is spent ruminating on dialogue, and it keeps me in doldrums. Some screenwriters are Tarantinos, and God bless 'em, but others are Murnaus. I’m a Murnau. Time has come for me to internalize that.
Talkies are so 1927, anyway.
I feel that. It’s one reason my Ep IX is mostly dialogue-free summarizing. Sure it’s less ‘finished’ but you could try doing something like that at least for first drafts. This would prevent a lot of re-writing dialogue later on.
I think you meant to say ‘desperate unoriginality’. And yes, despite the clever ‘all of the Sith’ angle, you would be right.
Definitely one of my favorites.
I have decided to keep Threepio on the Destroyer, necessitating a slight change to a preceding scene. The story continues:
…
The voice gives them landing coordinates and as they approach the city, they see a throng of people already gathering in the landing area. Chewie growls and Rey responds that their reputation must have preceded them. Ben says that he will need a disguise, since it would be a bad idea to reveal that the Supreme Leader yet survives. There is a scramble as Rey and Ben rummage through the crates in the Falcon’s hold for any sort of costume.
The crowd clamors in the city square, chants in an alien language filling the air. As if making an entrance, the ramp remains in place until the chant grows into a deafening shout. Finally it lowers, revealing Rey flanked by Chewie and Ben. Ben wears a poncho and a training helmet with the blast shield down. Over his shoulder is slung Chewie’s bandolier and on his hips is one of Han’s belts and blasters. The crowd is silent, apparently waiting for some sign from Rey. She hesitates. She sees their eyes on Luke’s saber at her side, its pieces locked together but still quite useless. She takes it from her belt and raises it in what she hopes is an inspiring manner. This is all the crowd needs, and it bursts into cheers and a path opens to allow her passage. Rey asks Chewie to stay with the ship, and he nods, giving Rey a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He tries to do the same to Ben, but he is already following Rey through the crowd. R2 bumps Chewie as he trundles after the duo and Chewie roars at him in annoyance. He moans forlornly as his friends disappear from view, turning away and closing the ramp behind him.
As they make their way through the crowd, Rey remarks that Threepio should have come along so he could translate the alien language. Ben says that the meaning is pretty clear even with his inability to see. Rey notices that there are several words in basic, such as ‘Skywalker’ and ‘Jedi’. As they make their way through the crowd they are joined by a human dressed in official-appearing robes. He introduces himself as the mayor of this town and offers to guide them wherever they need to go. Rey asks where they should be headed for transport to the castle, and Ben says to look for the big skull, she can’t miss it. Rey finally takes in the architecture of the city, noting how many of the buildings have elements that look like massive bones. In the distance a red-painted skull juts above the surrounding buildings, small skiffs issuing from its open jaw. Ben stumbles, almost toppling Rey as he grabs her for support. Helpful hands from the crowd help him to his feet. Any companion of Rey is a friend of theirs. The mayor leads them to a rickshaw and they emerge from the throng.
It’s a bad title, but I get why they changed it. Wish they changed it to something better, though.
I’m curious if anyone has any ideas
Well yeah, I
that would have been better.
oh.
Alternate thread title: On a scale of Duracell to Yotsuya, how well do you think they handled Palpatine’s Return?
Tarkin definitely is the main villain of the first film. Not the highest ranking, but I don’t see how anyone says that the Emperor was a real presence as a character, and wasn’t even revealed as Force sensitive as you say.
Also recall how dismissive the Imperial officers were that one of their co-workers adhered to some mystical cult? The '77 Star Wars universe was far more secular than later installments, with the magic mostly relegated to generations past.
Definitely, it could have worked if they stuck to it. I am imagining an Akira situation and that would have been really good, essentially someone consumed by their ever increasing power. It would have been interesting if Rey also gained more and more power in response, but it again runs the risk of that power creep problem and turning Rey into basically a god in order to defeat him.
Anything would have been better than the half-assed quasi-villain quasi-redeemed Kylo from TROS.
If done perfectly, in a decent movie, Palpatine could have worked. This was nowhere near that movie.
You’re probably right. I remember some of the early speculation, from after the teaser trailer was released, said that Palpatine would appear as a possessing spirit. The main villain would be a Sith loyalist, played by Matt Smith, who gets possessed by Palpatine’s spirit towards the end of the movie. That could have been a much better way to bring him back.
I would have loved something like that. However, the whole ‘Palps is all the Sith’ was much more sophisticated an idea than I expected, so it’s not as it he was a complete waste. And it actually improves the angle in ROTJ where Palps wants Luke to kill him. Now we get a reason.
Kylo as a villain also has issues. He’s compelling, but nowhere near intimidating enough to be a ‘big bad’. Hux is a joke by the end of TLJ, so he can’t be the primary villain. Both characters are also far too hotheaded to be masterminds of the First Order. The only choice left is to create a new villain. In my rewrite I chose Thrawn since he is a perfect coolheaded mastermind with which to balance the fire of Hux, and Kylo is quickly redeemed. Yes, it is difficult to redeem such a character since he has rejected two calls so far, but it also feels wrong in a series so focused on the concept of saving conflicted characters to not have Kylo be redeemed.
I understand why you chose Thrawn as the villain in your rewrite, but for me it has two issues:
- Thrawn has no force sensitivity. The main villains of the saga, namely Palpatine and Snoke, have always been force sensitive, so it could be underwhelming to break the tradition for the final movie of the saga.
True, in a standard story he would be underwhelming, but in my version Thrawn’s plan is to destroy Force sensitivity throughout the galaxy (starting with Kylo and Rey), making him a threat to the Force itself instead of merely another Darkside user. Instead of rising to the level of Palpatine, he’s dragging everyone else down to his level where he is superior. It also helps to alleviate the power creep that tends to happen near the end of magical stories.
- Thrawn wasn’t established at all in the previous two movies. Just like what happened with Palpatine, randomly introducing a new main villain in the final movie of a trilogy is probably not a good idea.
Again you are right but there’s really no other option unless you go the Kylo or Hux main villain route. However since he never becomes Supreme Leader, it could be assumed that he was always working offscreen as a part of the First Order, like General Pryde. It’s not as bad as announcing him as the new biggest thing in the galaxy ever suddenly. And he’s already made appearances in other Disney Star Wars media and is the most well-known villain in Star Wars who hasn’t yet had a mention in the movies.
Those are also the main reasons why I wish Kylo would have been the main villain. I disagree with the idea that Star Wars is all about redeeming villains, that has only happened once in the entire saga.
But that redemption was built up to for six movies, no Star Wars film has escaped that shadow. Of course there are villains who do not get redemption, like Tarkin or Palps or Dooku, but they are all acting basically of their own volition. Vader and to an extent Kylo are much more controlled and intentionally twisted by their masters into villains. You could argue that by the end of TLJ Kylo is now uncontrolled by his master, but we also see how destabilizing and weak this makes him. If he continues in this haunted, weakened vengeful state it is increasingly difficult to take him seriously as a villain, much less the ruler of the galaxy.
If done perfectly, in a decent movie, Palpatine could have worked. This was nowhere near that movie.
Kylo as a villain also has issues. He’s compelling, but nowhere near intimidating enough to be a ‘big bad’. Hux is a joke by the end of TLJ, so he can’t be the primary villain. Both characters are also far too hotheaded to be masterminds of the First Order. The only choice left is to create a new villain. In my rewrite I chose Thrawn since he is a perfect coolheaded mastermind with which to balance the fire of Hux, and Kylo is quickly redeemed. Yes, it is difficult to redeem such a character since he has rejected two calls so far, but it also feels wrong in a series so focused on the concept of saving conflicted characters to not have Kylo be redeemed.
I’ve changed the Thrawn shipyard scene yet again, this time bringing in the financiers of the galaxy and reintroducing the Master Codebreaker from TLJ, so it’s worth rereading. I’ve also seeded some talk of a Knight of Ren being knowledgeable about ancient Jedi lore, to give Rey a more specific goal in solving her existential crisis. Below, the story continues:
…
Xindo, still in white attire and wearing his distinctive red Plom bloom, paces restlessly in his quarters. The old woman lounges on a couch. Xindo asks how she can accept this child harvesting, and she answers that he needs to grow up and accept that this is how the galaxy has always been. She chides him, saying that if they don’t profit from the First Order then someone else would. He looks away angrily. She tells him firmly that their little game has ended and that his mother has won. They both bet heavily on opposite sides, but though hers was the greater risk the dice came up on her side in the end. He should now focus on getting serious about his own life and giving her some grandchildren, asking where that pretty girl went that he was involved with. She adds that he tends to lose everything she gives him, just like that very nice ship on Canto Bight. He says his ship was stolen, and regardless the game hasn’t ended, not while he still has chips to play. She looks at him quizzically, asking if he might be planning to foolishly contact the Resistance. She reminds him that this would be exceptionally foolish because it would put in jeopardy their family’s fortune and safety. He makes to leave, and she asks where. He says that he is going to get some air. He leaves. The mother takes a small furry creature out of her purse and tells it to keep an eye on her wayward son. It purrs and slinks after him at an unobtrusive distance.
The turbolift doors open onto the bar and lounge area of the station, and Xindo sees the businesspeople mingling and laughing with the First Order brass. He waits for the doors to close, sighing in disgust. He punches the number for the maintenance level. The doors open onto a more grimy hallway. He exits, the small creature slithering its way after him silently. He walks the halls, the hulking mass of a docked destroyer visible through the windows on his left. Technicians of various species, covered in oil and grime, hurry to and fro with equipment out of an adjoining maintenance tube. They give him troubled looks, and he moves past them. He sees the primary docking tube entrance and makes towards it, only to be blocked by hazard signs and a flimsy barrier strung across the hall. He steps past this as well, finally coming to the door to the tube. It is locked and bears a bright yellow and red quarantine sign. Xindo glances around, then slips a slicer key into the lock. It hisses open and he enters. From across the hall, the small creature chitters to itself as if seeking direction, then scampers back the way it came.
…
Rey sits in the hold of the Falcon, attempting once again to piece together the broken hilts of the lightsaber. R2 rolls up, beeping helpfully. Rey shoos him away, telling him that she doesn’t need his help. He beeps again, and Rey smiles. ‘No, I don’t need another one’ she says, telling him that she’ll soon find answers to her problems and be able to reforge the sword of legend.
In the cockpit, Ben and Chewie sit alone. Ben asks Chewie why he wanted to come on this mission. Chewie growls and Ben says that he doesn’t buy the story of old Rebel friends on the planet. Chewie looks uncomfortable, and growls two syllables. ‘Life debt?!’ Ben says incredulously, reminding Chewie that he did in fact shoot him. Chewie growls an apology, and Ben says that the debt was paid long ago by his father, and many times over. Chewie growls dissension, to which Ben has no response. A warning light blinks on the control board and Chewie roars for Rey to come to the cockpit.
The Falcon exits hyperspace above the forested planet of Gramelon. Rey studies the scopes and notes that there doesn’t seem to be any First Order presence yet. Ben seems relieved. Rey asks where on the planet the Knights of Ren will be gathered, and Ben says that it’s a castle in the sacred forest where no spacefaring vessel may enter. Rey looks worried, asking if there’s any way they could bypass this, when a voice crackles on the radio alerting them to their position over the planet. The voice asks them to divert to the city coordinates before the ship is vaporized by their defensive weapons. Ben says that they should probably do what the voice suggests. Rey sighs, diverting the Falcon and landing in a busy, colorful city a continent away from the forest and castle.
Just saw Space Jam for the first time.
The titular ‘jam’ did not occur in space.
0/10
I’m curious how it looks in motion.
I’m so sorry.
Having used both Mac and PC, both feel solid to me. PC can be less stable simply because of the array of components available of varying levels of quality, but any build of decent quality parts will be as stable as a Mac. I use PC because that’s what I grew up on and Mac feels awkward to navigate, but that’s all personal preference.
I hear that Davinci Resolve has good video editing on par with FCP or Premiere Pro, maybe you could try that?
Have Rey be Palpatine’s granddaughter, and he tries to possess her.
Have Palpatine be back with absolutely no explanation.
Give Palpatine a fleet of planet destroying Star Destroyers with absolutely no explanation.
Give Palpatine a bucket of Snoke clones as a reason for Snoke’s existence.
Have Palpatine reveal that killing him will make him win right as Rey is about to kill him.
Have Palpatine change his plan no less than three times.
Have Palpatine’s minion kill Rey’s parents instead of taking them to Sheev for interrogation.
Have Rey’s parents say ‘She’s not on Jakku’ and have this actually work.
Have a scene set on a visually dramatic lava planet but constrain the action to a flat section of burned forest.
Introduce a map mcguffin but have it be found and used immediately by the villain, requiring the introduction of an identical copy of this mcguffin for the heroes to pursue, then a contrived reason for the villain to pursue the heroes instead of just waiting for them to find the second mcguffin and arrive at his location, which is what he wants to do anyway.
Give Chewie a fakeout death but almost immediately reveal that he is still alive.
Give enemy ships a new ability, then concoct a novel way of countering this ability, then cut the scene where all of this is paid off.
Retcon Leia as being basically a Jedi who does practically nothing with these skills for the rest of her life.
Have Leia communicate with Kylo through the Force and help redeem him at the cost of her life, then cut the communication bit so it looks like she dies for no reason.
Have Kylo hallucinate an image of his father, and have this appear to be what redeems him.
Cut Finn’s presence in the film down to ‘Fails to deliver a line’.
Make a point to give the Latino character a background in drug smuggling.
Give Poe a character arc in which he is burdened with the responsibility of leadership then cut any scene where it is displayed.
Give Threepio a complete memory wipe so that he can translate some data which was in his memory.
Trap characters on a doomed planet, but then have those same characters show up later with no explanation for their escape.
Introduce the concept of a ‘Force Dyad’, which means that when Kylo and Rey are together they have the amazing ability to be so strong that their power can be instantly drained from them by Palpatine. Since Kylo is required to be present for this to work, make him arrive on the planet via a standard TIE fighter, one specifically without a hyperdrive.
Cut almost all scenes of the Knights of Ren doing things.
Cut Rose.
Make a point of placing the ruins of the second Death Star on a planet which isn’t Endor, just to confuse people.
Make the most fanatical devotee of the First Order betray this organization because he doesn’t like the way its leader chews his food, or something.
As a symbolic illustration of Luke’s freedom from his exile on a remote island, cut his part to 1(one) scene which is constrained to only this island.
Make the villain’s planet both notoriously hard to get to but also extremely easy to get to by thousands of ships from across the galaxy.
Give the dangerous planet-destroying fleet the small weakness that without constant external guidance they will just crash. Also make their primary weapon unshielded and so poorly made that destroying it will blow up the ship.
Rule the villain’s defeat a suicide due to being very bad at his signature attack.
Set the final scene of the movie on a planet nobody in this universe cares about and has little meaning even to the main character. In fact, cut mention of any well-populated planet and make Bespin and Endor representative of the entire galaxy.
Call the movie which kills all the Skywalkers ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.