Very glad you enjoyed the project! I can’t speak much to the special effects, and I’m just as awed as you are by what Sir Ridley and NeverarGreat did.
Off the top of my head, the only special effect I did was recoloring the star sucking up after Hux’s speech, and that was just a color correction tweak.
I’m not sure about the changes proposed here, or why they would be necessary. Part of this particular project’s stated goal is to stick close to the theatrical except for the few areas targeted for alteration.
Thanks for the feedback and welcome!