Here’s my take on the rescue plan. In order to “fix” the rescue plan I first wanted to understand what the plan actually WAS so that we could then remove any elements that contradict or work against it.
Plan A: The droids arrange for a meeting with Luke. Luke plans to negotiate/ use a Jedi mind trick to get Jabba to release everyone. Luke either gets the droids out as part of the deal or leaves them for Lando to smuggle out.
Outcome: Jabba rules this out immediately upon hearing Luke’s message. Lando presumably informs the team that Plan A has failed.
Plan B: Leia infiltrates Jabba’s court and attempts to break Han out. The haste of the plan means that she must sacrifice Chewbacca to buy credibility. If successful, this plan requires Lando to smuggle Chewie and the droids out later.
Outcome: Jabba doesn’t fall for the deception. Everyone is captured now except for Lando and Luke. Lando presumably informs Luke.
Luke arrives and makes one last attempt at Plan A. This fails, leaving…
Plan C: Everyone to fight their way out. Luke was likely hoping that Artoo would be present to provide his smuggled lightsaber but with Artoo absent Luke resorts to stealing a blaster. Whether he planned to kill or merely threaten Jabba is unknown.
Outcome: Everyone captured.
I understand what you are trying to do, but I think “THE PLAN” can not be fixed. Superficial elements maybe can get fixed, but the real the problems are deeper.
nhoj3 said:
So what elements of the film do I feel work against this?
For one, it makes no sense to send Threepio with Artoo. He has no part in any kinda rescue, so he is in there for no logical reason.
The only way to fix this is to erase Threepio completely.
The only REAL reason that 3PO is in there because he is a major character so I don’t think that would do any good to the movie.
It makes no sense to send Leia.
After sending the droids the only thing has failed is to gain easy entry to Jabba’s palace, what plan A would have achieved.
So if anyone should go next, it is Luke.
Use the Jedi mind trick and get out.
But it would make more sense to go together. Try the mind trick, and if it does not work, shoot your way out.
Especially makes no sense to send Leia, because they have to sacrifice Chewie to gain entry. (not to buy credibility)
Luke can gain entry without sacrificing Chewie.
So Plan B makes very little sense.
The only reason to send in Leia while sacrificing Chewie, could be to get Han out of the carbonite, and attempt to get him out of the palace. He is weak and a burden, and if it comes to a break out, rather break out Chewie than Han.
But if the plan is to use the mind trick, there is no need to get Han out of the carbonite.
So actually the only reason that Leia is in, that she has to be involved somehow. Just as Threepio.
To fix this you have to erase Leia completely, but I don’t think that would do any good to the movie
To this point nothing can be fixed with THE PLAN, because we have two characters who have no logical reason to be there.
The plan sucks, because the major characters must be involved in a major way, except Chewie, who was always merely support, so we just have to go with what we’ve got
nhoj3 said:
If this so-called Jedi shows his face, kill him.
I don’t think adding this would fix or improve anything. We already know where Jabba stands.
nhoj3 said:
2. The “Flanderization” of C-3PO. While Threepio is certainly a worrywart, that personality trait has become a caricature in ROTJ. In ANH, Threepio successfully bluffed past Stormtroopers on the Death Star and was decisive in choosing when to leave hiding and try to board the Falcon. In ROTJ the caricature version of Threepio has been left out of the plan and (because of his ignorance) could easily work against it at any moment.Strengthen C-3PO: Start by strengthening Threepio’s character by removing obvious dialogue like “Oh look, its Captain Solo and he’s still frozen in carbonite” and “Oh no, Chewbacca”.
I agree with your insight on Threepio.
But it’s Threepio’s line that reveals Solo for us.
“Oh no, Chewbacca” could go. Adds nothing anyway, but cutting this would not strenghten Threepio that much that one would notice I guess.
- Poor execution of the Boushh deception. Chewbacca is brought in with only a neck restraint, while in ANH they knew that binders was a better sell. Red flags were raised with Chewie overpowering Jabba’s guard in the stairwell but allowing Boushh to so easily tame him.
That is something that makes sense. The chain leash always bothered me to. What we see is ridiculous.
Not to mention the contrast of the two characters. Chewie should be cuffed and in chains, while the bounty hunter shoves him with a rifle to make him move.
Then again, you think is there anything that can be done with the footage, to make this scene believable?
nhoj3 said:
4. Luke’s overconfidence on the skiff in claiming that everything was under control when all plans had failed by this point.
Well, I guess, it only makes sense that he is confident in his plan, because the audience is not.
Here is where I would use outside help, that actually could be added by Adywan.
If there was an attack on the barge at the Sarlacc Pit, that would make THE PLAN somewhat credible, and would suggest a good chance of survivability.
As it is now, Luke nearly gets everyone killed at the pit. It is a miracle that anyone survives this, not to mention everyone.
Even Leia strangling Jabba could be cut, and just blow up the barge.
nhoj3 said:
A few people have already mentioned the brief scene after the Chewbacca exchange where Boushh is facing Threepio (just prior to the Boba Fett nod). Subtitled audio of Boushh could say something like:“Stick to the Plan. Tonight.”
A few moments later we see Lando in disguise, so we know that something is afoot.
An important rule of infiltration, if you not suppose to know someone, do not make contact, and surely do not talk about THE PLAN, unless something has changed.
And the audience already knows something is afoot.
All in all, there is very little that can be done with THE PLAN