logo Sign In

Idea: This dude added Admiral Ackbar to TLJ and makes Holdo actually seem competent.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

If you haven’t seen this already, take a look. This guy over on Reddit posted this and it looks pretty fantastic.

Here’s a direct link to the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-UnuWAThss

Would love to see this integrated into some fan edits, and makes it really come together to make sense of why Holdo doesn’t tell anyone her plan. Thoughts?

“The Ziggy Edit” — A Conceptual Fanedit of Return of the Jedi

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-The-Ziggy-Edit/id/17844

Author
Time
 (Edited)

My thoughts are that Holdo was more than competent in the theatrical version of TLJ.

Though a nice try on a technical level from the editor there with inserting Ackbar back into their version. Decent voice work as well (and at the very end too) 😃
 

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

Author
Time

oojason said:

My thoughts are that Holdo was more than competent in the theatrical version of TLJ.

Perhaps competent isn’t the right word. What bugs me about her character is that she comes out of nowhere, we’re suddenly supposed to just go along with her plan (which the audience doesn’t know about), and then in the end, she saves the day?

Having Ackbar vouch for her is something that make it feel more complete, in my opinion.

“The Ziggy Edit” — A Conceptual Fanedit of Return of the Jedi

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-The-Ziggy-Edit/id/17844

Author
Time

That’s a really cool video, and really impressive roto work!

ziggyonice said:

Perhaps competent isn’t the right word. What bugs me about her character is that she comes out of nowhere, we’re suddenly supposed to just go along with her plan (which the audience doesn’t know about), and then in the end, she saves the day?

I don’t think we’re supposed to go along with her, I think we’re supposed to be suspicious of her like Poe is. Then we’re surprised (like Poe) when she actually has a plan and saves the day.

I think the problem from a character perspective is that she does nothing to reassure anyone that she knows what she’s doing, creating growing animosity that leads to a mutiny.

One explanation that I thought while watching it was that she couldn’t trust anyone after being tracked through hyperspace. It reminded me of Battlestar Galactica, when they kept getting followed through light speed because someone planted a tracking device on their ship. If Holdo is suspicious of a traitor, she might keep her plans more secret. However, this is not really addressed in the film, so it comes off as a plot contrivance.

Author
Time

poppasketti said:

That’s a really cool video, and really impressive roto work!

ziggyonice said:

Perhaps competent isn’t the right word. What bugs me about her character is that she comes out of nowhere, we’re suddenly supposed to just go along with her plan (which the audience doesn’t know about), and then in the end, she saves the day?

I don’t think we’re supposed to go along with her, I think we’re supposed to be suspicious of her like Poe is. Then we’re surprised (like Poe) when she actually has a plan and saves the day.

You’re right — I see what Rian Johnson was going for. With that said, I don’t like it. I get it, but it doesn’t sit well with me at all because in the end, she is suddenly embraced by Leia as a friend. It’s as if we’re suddenly supposed to be okay with this stranger making these great sacrifices, despite her abrasive attitude.

One explanation that I thought while watching it was that she couldn’t trust anyone after being tracked through hyperspace. It reminded me of Battlestar Galactica, when they kept getting followed through light speed because someone planted a tracking device on their ship. If Holdo is suspicious of a traitor, she might keep her plans more secret. However, this is not really addressed in the film, so it comes off as a plot contrivance.

I have the same head canon — yes, she couldn’t trust anyone. Unlike Battlestar Galactica, however, they didn’t say this in The Last Jedi. The thing I like about this guy putting Ackbar back into the film is that it explains that they’re not discussing the plan for that very reason. That makes Holdo’s abrasive attitude make so much more sense and actually allows the audience to feel more appreciative for her sacrifice.

Just my two cents, anyway.

“The Ziggy Edit” — A Conceptual Fanedit of Return of the Jedi

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-The-Ziggy-Edit/id/17844

Author
Time
 (Edited)

His technique of creating a background plate could also be used to put in any character there. If Ackbar was unconvincing, you could even film a new shot with an actor in Resistance garb.

The rotoscoping and Ackbar being in his ROTJ outfit just doesn’t make it 100% convincing for me.

Author
Time

poppasketti said:

I think the problem from a character perspective is that she does nothing to reassure anyone that she knows what she’s doing, creating growing animosity that leads to a mutiny.

One problem with Holdo is that a lot of her original dialogue didn’t work in the edit and had to be redone with ADR and limited reshoots. The result is a Laura Dern performance of one version of Holdo replaced with different dialogue in a lot of scenes, and to me it’s a factor in why it sometimes feels off. Originally Holdo was more “spaced out and hippy dippy” in Rian’s words, and was supposed to be more overtly flirtatious with Poe.

Author
Time

That’s an interesting point.

That “Lune Lovegood” personality that disappeared in the film is actually still present in the novel Leia: Princess of Alderaan, which is about when Leia learned that her father was a part of the Rebellion and then joined it herself, around the age of 16. A young Holdo is also present in the book, and her personality is apparently pretty eccentric in there. Clearly Claudia Gray wrote it before they changed her character in the edit. I guess you could write it off as her personality maturing as she got older.

I would really like to see the alternate version of those scenes and actually see how “spaced out” she really was. I wonder exactly why that didn’t work in the edit. Did her quirks make it seem ridiculous that she would be in charge? Was it just too weird?

A part of me wonders if some pertinent info may have been lost by making that change. Would people have understood her more by the end of it with those alternate lines?

Author
Time

There is a snippet of it in the BTS footage:

“You’re used to getting away with an awful lot, huh? Because people like you? That I-can-take-'em-all-on-myself gleam in your eye. That’s dangerous, and the last thing we need right now.”

I would really like to see the alternate version of those scenes and actually see how “spaced out” she really was. I wonder exactly why that didn’t work in the edit. Did her quirks make it seem ridiculous that she would be in charge? Was it just too weird?

Rian said it was too much, too strong. I just wish this was something that was detected and dealt with on the page in a draft as opposed to in the edit/reshoots. I do think LD’s performance suffers from it in a way that’s hard to put your finger on. There’s also some really obvious ADR(especially with headphones).

Author
Time

well done imho - i may even do a v5 of my Clean Cut to incorporate this footage. 😃