So here’s the (refocused) plan:

Having now gone through a bunch of episodes plus a few major edits, more of the approach this will need is taking shape. I think, in a way, this is going to be part edit, part guide, and part full polish pass. I’m glad I used the VIDEO system - it’s one I use for requirements capture at work (fuck MoSCoW system, VIDEO crew 4 lyf) - because I think that’ll inform my approach.

Essentially, in order to get the most quality out as quickly as possible, I’ll approach the edit in VIDEO order. So I’ll complete this full review pass, which will give me the master list of my edit’s episodes (some from grouped arcs, some not), and I’ll remove anything objectionable - that is, any episodes which are simply unsalveageable and not worth any watch for any reason. Then, at least, people have a decent guide.

I’ll then start editing, vital first. I’ll start with my modified version of Smudger’s first movie, and make that available. Then I’ll move on to our important episodes, then our desirable ones. All three of these categories will be allowed to use and consume content from the others if it helps improve their quality. Finally, I’ll do the slow pass through the remainder, making them as good as possible - but keeping them marked as excludable.

What I’ll also do, as I start with that skeleton before adding more meat, will be to look at the pacing as a whole (without overtly breaking chronology). So first, just the pacing of the vital episodes. By this logic, the Nightsisters arc should really end up as early as we can possibly justify it, to get us into the meat of the Maul arc as soon as possible. After the vitals, I’ll fit the importants around those vitals. Desirable episodes can then be used to surround perhaps those vital or important episodes which aren’t quite as much fun as we’d hope.

So essentially, we’ll get our best core up quickest, then fill in the gaps.

This way I’ll also be able to get the most feedback on the most important episodes, which I’ll tweak and improve as we go.

I’d urge anyone with an interest to think along with the reviews I’m doing, and with the goal of pure quality in mind (as opposed to moviefication for its own sake) would ask you to think about ways that any elements of any story can best be used to add value to any other. A good example of this is Smudger’s first movie, where the otherwise fairly bland story of Anakin and Obi-Wan rescuing Eeth Koth is used in context as part of Grievous’ plan to pull Jedi away from his true target of Kamino.