On a different note, and maybe for V3, is the issue of the First Order knowing the location of the Resistance Base. This will still need to be explained somehow. Previously I’ve tried to include a scene where Hux talks to Snoke after the Oscillator attack and they decide to destroy the Resistance. However in addition to requiring all-new Hux dialogue this has the issue of diminishing one of the benefits of this edit which differentiates itself from ANH.
Another solution would be to rearrange some scenes so that both the Republic and the Ileenium system are potential targets at the same time. Here’s how it could work:
(Optional) Move the first Snoke scene (and the reveal of the Starkiller) to just after the introduction of Leia. This makes more sense anyway, since the Finalizer should have been hunting for the Falcon instead of returning to base for a few lines of exposition. The scene would play out exactly as before except without the line “The droid we seek is on board the Millennium Falcon in the hands of…”. The reason for moving this is so that Snoke’s dialogue is re-contextualized to imply that he knows about Kylo’s abandoning of the droid.
Hux goes to oversee preparations, and the Starkiller charging sequence happens just before Rey’s interrogation, with the target being the Republic as usual.
After the interrogation, the scene with Snoke would be similar to the theatrical version:
“The scavenger resisted you!”
“She is strong with the Force! Untrained but stronger than she knows.”
“Ren believed that the girl was all we needed. As a result, the droid has been returned to the hands of the enemy. They may have the map already.”
“Then the Resistance must be destroyed before they get to Skywalker.”
“We have their position. We tracked their reconnaissance ship to the Ileenium system.”
“Good. Then we will crush them once and for all.”
“Supreme Leader. I can get the map from the girl. I just need your guidance.”
“If what you say about this girl is true, bring her to me.”
Finally, keeping the 30 seconds to fire scene with Hux would clearly establish that the weapon was still operational, and had enough juice for another shot.
I can think of several more benefits to this rearrangement. First, Snoke is not being kept in the dark about Kylo’s abandoning the quest for the droid - Hux merely hammers home the point that Ren’s plan had failed. Second, the choice of which planet to destroy first is left ambiguous and it’s reasonable to assume that the decision would be left in Hux’s court. This gives the character real consequences for his hubris, since he was aware of the threat posed by the Resistance and destroys the Republic first anyway. Third, since there are now two planets at stake, a first-time audience may be truly worried for Leia’s fate, especially if they know that a major character is killed in the third act. Fourth, the extended Hosnian destruction sequence would gain a new meaning as characters on D’Qar realized that they might be victims of the first firing.
Finally, the decision of Hux and the ambiguity of the target system could not happen with ‘another Death Star’ - this dramatic situation could only occur with this type of hyper-lightspeed weapon. In other words, the Starkiller might finally live up to its potential in this edit.