Hey, thanks for taking the time to write up some ideas.

I’m not sure Luke beckoning Rey to pursue him during the fishing scene makes a lot of sense, as it’s bookended by variations of “leave me alone.”

While I can’t say I’m bothered by a slight technical continuity issue like the guard’s blade, I’ll take a look at what you suggest along with Luke vs Rey. They both sound good on paper at least.

I think the scene where Rey races to save the caretakers is the whole point for having them in the movie, and so an edit should have this scene added or else remove the caretakers. The scene has unfinished FX, for one thing. And I happen to agree with RJ’s commentary on the scene: removing it allows the audience to believe that Luke is beginning to come around and there’s a real sense of hope that he and Rey can work together before he stumbled onto she and Kylo in the hut.
I do like the scene and its message, but I think it was a good trim, and I don’t have a ‘but we spent so much on the costumes’ concern preventing me from removing the caretakers altogether.