“Everything is built on the push-pull tension created by two sides of the equation. Right from the very beginning, that was the key issue in Star Wars.” -George Lucas, Times Magazine, 2002

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdNi1BGj-6Q ).

WORKPRINT RELEASED - If you are interested in seeing the full film, please post here or send me a DM.

Hello OT community,

I am now working on editing each movie in the Sequel Trilogy according to my understanding of what it would look like if it shared the themes from Star Wars Legends. My work begins with TFA.

I’d love to have your feedback and suggestions as I create this, so please be open and offer criticism where you feel it is useful.

Goal of my TFA edit:

To more closely align to the themes of Star Wars Legends material. (https://boards.theforce.net/threads/the-crucible-canon-merging-eu-and-new-canon-as-smoothly-as-possible.50053287/)
To demonstrate the mistakes of a narrow minded view that Jedi/light side = good and Sith/dark side = bad.
To tell stories of Luke, Leia, and Han that are respectful to their OT character arcs and to better align their storylines to that of Legends.
To give the new characters more realistic character arcs that stay within the bounds and limitations of Star Wars Legends and paths that logically flow between the films.
To tell a good, cohesive, authentic Star Wars story that generally stays within the limits of Legends.

Inspiration behind ST edits: Like many of you, I am a huge Star Wars Legends fan. I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on, comics, novels, short stories, playing the games etc. For me, transitioning into the Disney Era was tough at times. Most notably in the ST handling of the characters I loved. My favorite theme in Star Wars has always been the balance of the force and the failures and evolution of the Jedi. Initially, I had high hopes that Luke would surpass the failures of the Jedi doctrine and lead a new generation of balanced force users as the original Je’daii did. But alas, that was not the case… However, I think there is opportunity to tell the ST trilogy in a way that aligns better with the themes that Legends created. From Dawn of the Jedi to Tales of the Jedi through the KOTOR era, the PT and OT, there was a very clear theme of balance and what happens when either the dark or Light tries to bend the force to their own narrow interpretation. I found the ST lacking in a clear reason for why it even existed in the Star Wars saga. I want viewers to leave my edit trilogy feeling like they now know something new about Star Wars, the force, and the OT trio. I want to start this trilogy off with a look into the legacy of Han Solo as we search for the reason Luke is nowhere to be found.

What I want to fix in TFA: I’d say this was my favorite film of the trilogy and the easiest to fix. Upon release, I rather liked the film, but did feel it was far too safe in its formulaic structure. Though I wouldn’t have ever called it a bad movie, with the ST now complete it’s hard to look back on this one fondly knowing the roller coaster of different themes and character arcs ahead.

Here are the main areas I will be changing in my edit.

Rey’s development as a force user. Rey just learned the force was even real in the first act of this movie… I despise how fast her powers develop in this film. Some things work, but others are flat out unbelievable when we look at what Legends characters experienced in similar situations. She pilots the Falcon with incredible skill (Somewhat plausible, but that first chase needs toned down). She resists Kylo’s interrogation, and flips it in reverse (Again, rather plausible, maybe tone it down a little). She uses a Jedi mind trick without even knowing what one is (Impossible, she will be escaping her cell in a much more believable way: Check out the draft https://vimeo.com/498447945). She defeats Kylo Ren in battle during her first time ever feeling the weight of a lightsaber (Nearly impossible, the fight will be edited to display her escape as more of “luck” as the planet explodes). These power spikes cheapen her development, and prematurely affect her arc in TLJ, as well as diminish the power of every character around her. No more. She will now be consistent throughout the film, using only minor force sensitive powers by instinct. Nothing strong, barely anything intentional, as she would have no idea where to even begin focusing her power. Stop and realize she literally thought the force was a myth a few hours before these incredible feats. Nothing in Legends ever showed someone developing their force powers that quickly and using those powers in a relatively controlled light side manner for good. There is a reason the Jedi took children and trained them for decades. I want to create Rey as a character I can appreciate and respect due to her realistically paced growth as a force user, not someone I have to roll my eyes at and wonder how its possible for her to even know what that power is, let alone use it. These changes aren’t to diminish her character, but to enhance it and will make her training in TLJ so much more worthwhile and impactful. Imagine if Luke was this powerful in A New Hope… All of the tension of ESB is gone already. This is the flaw in TFA that I want to fix.
Han Solo’s legacy. Han will be edited to remain as true to his RotJ arc as possible. It will be impossible to change the main storyline around his character, but references of him transitioning back into a swindling smuggler will be largely toned down. In my edit, his personal struggles are purely due to Ben’s fall and his whole character is about redeeming his son, no matter what. He isn’t a total deadbeat dad who gave up for years. He is someone who went through an excruciating experience losing his son to the Dark, then losing his wife to the pain of that situation. Deep down he remained a good person and wants to make things right. He is sad, wounded, but still the Han we know.
Kylo Ren is menacing. Kylo will remain a terrifying figure throughout the film, and as the TFA novel says, “Accepting without quite believing, Han stared back into the face of the creature that had been his son. There was nothing to see there. Only darkness in the shape of a face: alien, unthinking, unfeeling.” This act will shape Kylo’s arc and his darkness will be more prevalent. I actually like his “tantrums” and don’t feel they harm his character, especially with leaving the mask reveal towards the ends of the film. He will have no problem handling a non-force user in Finn and an untrained Rey. Kylo is an EXTREMELY important character in my trilogy and he must be growing, not regressing in this film for him to have a satisfying conclusion by TRoS.
Finn is no longer a slapstick comedy outlet. His character will be more serious and portrayed as a loyal, competent companion rather than a bumbling, frazzled grunt. Most of his over the top humor, his hammy reactions, and his general confusion is removed. A Stormtrooper defecting from the First Order is arguably the most interesting origin story of any of the new characters and I want to make Finn as cool as possible. Finn is clearly a decisive individual with a strong moral compass. He refused to kill innocent civilians on Jakku and he’s unwilling to continue in an organization that is in conflict with his own ethical stances. If Finn is such a confident, decisive individual based solely on his actions, I don’t know why is he always showing such doubt and fear in his words. He will now have a more consistent impact.

I will be inspired by and using content from Digmod’s Heir to the Force (and FGR’s cut of his edit), Anjohan’s edit, and NeverarGreat’s workprint, along with my own personal contributions from editing theatrical release. I also firmly believe that a Star Wars film must be at least 2 hours and anything less harms the movie. There must be a way to pace out the story to that length, even with the edits, or I will have failed.

Changelist:

Act 1:

Replaced title to “Heirs of the Force” (Inspired by https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Young_Jedi_Knights:_Heirs_of_the_Force)
New crawl:

Episode VII

HEIRS OF THE FORCE

An era of peace has ended.
Risen from the ashes of the
Empire, the FIRST ORDER
seeks to destroy the New
Republic. General Leia Organa
leads a brave Resistance
against the new threat.

Luke Skywalker has vanished to
the unknown regions of space.
Kylo Ren, warlord of the First
Order, will not rest until the last
Jedi has been slain.

Leia has sent her most daring
forces to search for Luke on
Jakku, where scavengers and
brigands ransack the remnants
of the old war….

Re-organized the entire First Act to make it seem like a day->night->morning cycle has passed.

Film opens with Rey’s scavenging until she scratches the wall, indicating she is going to bed and the day is over.
First Order assaults Lor San Tekka’s village later that night.
Added brief new scene of BB-8 at looking up to the night sky right before Poe’s interrogation. [NeverarGreat]
Poe’s interrogation scene with Kylo happens the next morning. (Relative to the village and Rey on Jakku, as Poe is on a ship somewhere in orbit)
Sunrise begins with Rey cooking breakfast and hearing BB’s capture.
Finn and Poe escape from cell and are shot by the cannons midday.
Rey refuses to sell BB-8.
Finn wakes up from crash, and then we continue the film into the Falcon chase.

Film opens with some extra scenes of Jakku landscape from [Anjohan]. Swapped the opening scene order to show Jakku environment before Rey scavenging + a slight color correction to these scenes but nowhere near final. Really want to make Jakku feel less like Tatooine but I’m not there yet. I somewhat like the white-sand effect from other editors, but it doesn’t work with the day/night cycle effects I’ve put into place in other scenes. (I have seen concept effects with Jakku sand being a dark grey with a yellow sky and it looks incredible, maybe one day…)
Remove Unkar Plutt’s first lines in favor of an introduction to Rey which is completely without dialogue. [NeverarGreat]
Removed the Poe, “who talks first” and “apparatus” lines that seemed to diminish the fear of Kylo Ren’s presence. No more Poe levity in this capture. Poe is a battle hardened war hero and his silence indicates that he is refusing to divulge any information.
Added Force noise as Kylo stares at Poe in the village. [Digmod]
Clipped Poe’s line as he is forcefully picked up, now it sounds like he was going to start saying something but the jolt of being hoisted up stops him. [Digmod]
Removed Kylo Ren’s “comfortable?” line and Poe’s response during Poe’s interrogation scene to avoid turning a terrifying moment into a back and forth of lighthearted quips.
Augment Kylo’s interrogation of Poe to include various sound effects and voicelines. [NeverarGreat]
After Finn breaks Poe out, cut the scene after the line, “Because it’s the right thing to do.” I want to show Finn as more resolute, not constantly afraid.
Removed Finn’s comment, “I’m talking to myself.” Now he is actually just telling Poe to stay calm. No self deprecating humor for no reason.
Removed Finn’s flippant massacre of his fellow Stormtroopers as he escapes the hangar. He is running away, not turning back to slaughter those he served with.
Cut Finn and Poe’s celebration after blowing up a turret and the scene of TIE flying away from Star Destroyer. Celebrating doesn’t seem appropriate considering they could still be killed at any second. They are nowhere near safe and the celebration distracts from the imminent danger.
Cut Poe’s, “Nice to meet you Finn.” Scene flows quicker and better by removing some of the lighter moments.
{v2 change} Added [NeverarGreat] island sketch to Rey’s hut
{v2 change} Feathered a few of the linear wipes to have that Star Wars transition feel
{v2 change} Added the [SirRidley] concept of Rey seeing the Island as she looks out into the Jakku sand
Cut the tie fighter blowing up after sinking in the sand. It’s an awkward pause that seems to say, “Trust us, Poe is REALLY dead,” but instead has the exact opposite effect.
Cut Finn’s, “I had a pretty messed up day.” This is modern 21st century language, not classical Star Wars language. The scene works better when Finn is angry about getting shocked rather that whining about his hardships.
More Finn fixes by cutting the, “This is what we look like, some of us,” lines. It becomes painfully obvious that he is not Resistance and the attempted humor isn’t needed for his character to be intriguing to us.
Cut Rey’s, “I know how to run without…” line. First, try saying this full line while sprinting a hundred yards at full speed where any blaster could pop your head off and tell me how that goes. Second, we already heard her say, “Let go of me,” which gets the point across that Rey feels like she can take care of herself. Disney really wanted to get the point across that she is strong and independent, but keep violating the show, don’t tell technique. It’s almost insulting to the audience when Rey reiterate this exact same point 3 times in the same sequence.
Remove Finn’s, “I can do this. I can do this.” It’s strange seeing them both say it back to back, and I want Finn to appear more sure of himself. He just did a very similar thing with the TIE fighter gun system so I’m not sure why he is suddenly so afraid again.
Cut Unkar’s, “hEy, tHat’S mIiiIiiNeeEE!” line for no other reason than it makes me cringe.
Toned down the Falcon chase by a few scenes, specifically ones that show Rey in the cockpit intentionally pulling off professional piloting maneuvers. I did leave in the final “cut-engines, turret locked” shot to show how they finally escape, but hopefully the rest of the trims make it seem like the force is guiding Rey rather than her somehow having incredible piloting skills. I also put a vertical flip on the dizzying upside down trailer shot, and removed JJ’s weird Battlestar Galactica camera zoom.
Removed Finn and Rey’s excessive circling celebration after they make it to space. Now their congratulations is more like a normal adult interaction.

Act 2:

Toned down Kylo’s tantrum by a couple seconds. I like seeing his rage, but theatrical takes it so far to make it seem like a joke. This trim makes it more intimidating like he could kill the officer at any second.
Removed Finn asking if Rey has, “A boyfriend? A cute boyfriend?” That line isn’t Star Wars lingo.
Removed Finn pushing down on Rey’s head. Who does that to a stranger? Combined with the forced hand holding and the double boyfriend inquiry, it all starts to cross the line into actual creepy behavior. That is the last thing in the world I want viewers to think about Finn.
Cut Han’s line when he says he “used to be Han Solo.” Also removed Finn and Rey’s confusion about who he is. Now it’s just Rey’s, “You’re Han Solo!” so it’s pure admiration. Han’s following annoyed reaction now appears not because he is frustrated that he isn’t remembered anymore, but because he is a celebrity who is tired of dealing with fanboys for the last 30 years.
Added the [SirRidley] restored scene of Han putting his dice back on the Falcon.
Removed the brief hallway scene after “What’s a Rathtar?” This way we don’t see an unnecessarily afraid Finn, and Han doesn’t appear as though he failed another job by losing all of his crew. Also preserves the mystery of what a Rathtar is just a little longer.
Trimmed the gang confrontation scene to remove any insulting comments directed towards Han’s abilities or career. Now the frequent cuts below floors are close enough together where the audience should understand they aren’t hearing the full conversation up above. It’s sufficient to know that there’s a gang hunting Han. No mentions of his inability to repay debt or his previous job failures. In fact, the second gang appears as though it’s just more members arriving from the Zaguava-something Death Gang rather than a new, second gang.
Cut down the Rathtar scene; Han and Chewie run down a corridor, they turn, Chewie is hit, Han blasts the raiders, Rey and Finn pop up from the hatch, Han shoots the door and yells “come on!” [Digmod]
Move the first Snoke scene to just after the map scene for better pacing. After all the gangs and Rathar nonsense we need a significant payoff with these characters, and the discussion of Luke fills that void.
On the Falcon when Han is telling Finn/Rey about Luke, I have cut his negative line about “Luke just walking away from it all”. It doesn’t necessarily fit in with the sequence of events I have built into my Episode 8. Now Luke’s journey remains more mysterious instead of angering to Han which fits much better into my TLJ plot.
Added hologram effect to Snoke [Digmod] but used the audio of this scene from [NeverarGreat] to hide the mentions of Han and the Falcon, as well as preserve some of Snoke’s lines for use later in the film.
Cut Maz’s redundant line “I like that Wookiee” and removed the Maz line about Chewie being her boyfriend as I desperately want to avoid the uncomfortable sexual references about Maz in TFA and TLJ.
Removed Maz’s line about Han “Running away from this fight for too long.” I want it to appear as though Han hasn’t totally given up and that he still helps the Resistance every once in a while (hence the reason he is delivering BB-8). Now we just see that for some reason Han is worried about seeing Leia again, but don’t yet know exactly why yet. Even in theatrical I barely understand why they need to go to Takodana at all, but now hopefully as my viewers look back it will just appear as though Han is giving BB-8 to Maz to avoid the emotional toll seeing Leia would bring. It’s now simply Han being dramatic which is something he and Leia have always shared instead of Han running from the whole war like a coward.
Removed Han’s line “Leia doesn’t want to see me” in Maz’ cantina. I am attempting to show their relationship as less disastrous, and simply strained due to Ben’s fall. Theatrical presents them as entirely separated, but mine will retain their bond from RotJ while reflecting the trauma they have experienced over the years.
Since Maz’s previous line is removed, I also must cut Rey’s “What fight?” line and part of Maz’s response. Now right after Finn says, “We need your help,” Maz says, “Against the dark side…” as if she’s continuing his thoughts.
Added lightsaber sfx and enhanced (echo & reverb) Vader lines “You are not a Jedi yet” and “You don’t know the power of the dark side” along with the Emperor’s laugh to Rey’s force vision [Digmod]. Inserted previously removed footage of Rey calling out to Finn from the Rathtar scene to emphasize her care for him. [NeverarGreat] And finally replaced the final scene of Kylo knocking Rey over with a scene of Vader performing a similar action [FGR].
Removed Maz’ line about Anakin’s lightsaber “calling” Rey. It’s not a concept that is ever explored again (aside implied from the later fight with Kylo, but her pulling the lightsaber from the snow is easily explained by Kylo just not even paying attention to or respecting her ability to wield the force)
When Rey runs form her vision, she now heads to the ship Finn was going to escape on [NeverarGreat].
Place Kylo’s prayer right after Rey runs from the vision to better reflect the Yin Yang of the two characters.
*Insert shots of Star Destroyer to Maz’s Castle instead of Hosnian system destruction, along with SirRidley’s new music. [Credit to whoever initially made this]
Add sound effect of Destroyer exiting Hyperspace to help explain why everyone suddenly notices its presence. [NeverarGreat]
Rey’s frightened look upon killing Stormtroopers is accompanied by a sinister whispering taken from The Last Jedi. [NeverarGreat]
Cut Han’s forced swagger no look shot and his use + surprised comment of Chewbacca’s Bowcaster strength because Han has plenty of experience using Bowcasters in Legends (Not to mention that he even used the Bowcaster earlier in the movie), “Chewbacca paused in his efforts just long enough to throw the crossbow with one hand to Han. Han caught it, turned in one smooth motion around, went to one knee and pressed the plunger to his cheek. He pulled the trigger, and the explosive shell hit the approaching machine at the junction between shoulder and arm. The metal limb fell off, and the robot trembled, but moved on.” - Chapter 14, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy.
When Rey is first ambushed by Stormtroopers on Takodana, I removed one of her killshots that was over the top. The transition works better when Kylo turns to her running rather than turning to her shooting canon fodder
Various soundtrack additions and minor video edits to the Takodana battle from [Digmod]
Added [NeverarGreat] TR-8R audio to Lightsaber Finn v stormtrooper (this is incredible work!)
Cut down on C3P0’s antics about his red arm. I left the initial comment in as it is in character, but as TFA did SO much in theatrical they try and milk every piece of humor with as much screentime as possible, so I trimmed down the other 9 times he looks back and forth. Now he quickly realizes his foolishness and moves on
Cut Han’s lines about seeing their son, Han now only says, “I saw him, he was here,” so we still aren’t 100% sure if Kylo is from Luke or Leia at this point.
Integrate Leia’s deleted scene with Kor Sella directly after Finn disembarks from the Falcon. More Leia is good at this point.
Remove Poe’s mention of Hosnian System destruction for continuity.
Removed Leia’s bitterness towards Han after arriving to the Resistance base, again to further my above reasoning. Now the scene just ends with her saying “Don’t do that” which is much more in line with their usual banter instead of this new storyline of her resenting him.
Place the interrogation of Rey directly after Leia’s “Tell me all you know”. There’s a lot of briefing in the Resistance base and I think Rey gets lost for too long in theatrical. This brings us back to Rey to remind us of her capture before they devise a plan to save her.
Cut Kylo Ren’s “You’re my guest,” line, so now he just coldly stares at Rey. Same justification as removing Kylo’s quip to Poe in in the earlier interrogation. We’re going for a menacing Kylo, not a weird one.
Preface interrogation with Rey fitfully dreaming of her recent vision of Luke and R2 as well as visions of the island and the interior of the Jedi tree. [NeverarGreat]
Used the Rey interrogation scenes from [Digmod] to preserve Kylo’s masked identity. Cut Rey’s reverse mind probe so now it only appears as though Kylo cannot penetrate her mind due to her force sensitivity. I didn’t feel like the storyline of him being afraid of not surpassing Vader goes anywhere in the trilogy. It’s never mentioned or shown as a part of his fears ever again, so in my opinion it becomes another unnecessary diminishing of Kylo’s presence. I also trimmed some of his dejected body language after the failed interrogation so he now seems more disappointed/frustrated than afraid.
Used the [Digmod] Kylo helmet and Snoke hologram edit for this second Snoke scene.
Place the scene with Chewie and the doctor right after the map scene.
Remove Leia’s lines which refer to Snoke by name, keeping the focus solely on the loss and potential redemption of Ben. At this point I don’t think there is any hiding Ben’s identity. I know the [Digmod] cut tries to preserve it until the walkway but I think it’s plainly obvious through Han and Leia’s conversation who Kylo is, even with his edits. This scene is impactful enough as a confirmation to the suspecting viewer.

Act 3:

Created a new transition from Han and Leia’s scene to Hux’s speech.
Move Hux’s speech to directly precede the Resistance Briefing scene. Made a custom cut of the [Digmod] & [NeverarGreat] Hux speech that combines their ideas. The important thing to know is that the weapon is charging at this point as it siphons the sun. When Hux shouts, “Fire!” it sounds almost like “Forward!” as all the stormtroopers turn around to watch the weapon charge. Or it could just mean “Fire the charging sequence”, either way I find it to work well.
Removed Han’s “There’s always a way to do that,” line after asking how to blow it up. Removed Leia’s following, “Han’s right,” line. Again, I strongly dislike this movie’s trend of constantly diminishing the threat of the enemy with purely nostalgic jabs.
Remove all comparisons of Starkiller to the Death Star to avoid the tired trope as much as possible.
[NeverarGreat]
Added [NeverarGreat] audio about the senate into the Resistance briefing scene
When Leia approaches Han as he is leaving for Starkiller, I have cut out their mentions of their relationship being in tatters for years. Now it should appear somber but friendly and endearing.
After the briefing and the Han/Leia farewell scenes, added Kylo watching Starkiller charging with an unused shot from Hux’s speech.
Re-organized the Starkiller infiltration.

Rey escapes her cell
Han and Finn discuss how the Force works
There is an update on Starkiller charging which has been changed from 15 minutes to 50 [NeverarGreat]
Rey runs through the halls
Chewie blasts the trooper.
Rey enters the hangar
Rey avoids the guards by hiding on the wall
Phasma is captured and shuts off the shields
Kylo senses Han.

Split Rey’s escape attempt into two parts, with her sensing Kylo and panicking initially. Kylo then begins his return to her cell.
The Falcon landing is significantly shortened to feel more like a crash and less like Han intentionally hitting every tree in a forest. [NeverarGreat]
Completely removed Rey’s mind trick as the reason she escapes. She doesn’t even know what a mind trick is and has zero possibility of successfully executing one. Instead, Rey continues to sense Kylo approaching her cell. She then focuses all of her feeble force powers into her bindings in a panic… and SPRING! They fly open. Kylo walks in seconds too late.
Removed the Stormtrooper’s footsteps audio from Rey’s escape from her cell since in my edit there isn’t a stormtrooper present inside.
Kylo’s rage has been trimmed to remove the stormtroopers running away joke, and his screams are faded through the transition.
Cut the Stormtrooper’s goofy, “Hey,” after opening the door to Chewie. Now he gets obliterated in an instant.
Finn’s over-the-top antics with Phasma are greatly reduced. He is not the laughing stock in my trilogy. He is a brave and loyal friend.
Cut the mention of a trash compactor and Finn’s way-too-into-it response. Enough with the ANH references, and cool it with janitor jokes already… I really want to take these new characters seriously but this movie does its darndest to avoid that.
Edited a new version of alarms yammering around Starkiller set to the villainous First Order theme, which sets off a chain of events ending with Hux launching waves of TIE’s to intercept the coming attack. [NeverarGreat]
Removed Poe’s lines reiterating how the sun draining works, in order to more quickly show the TIE interception.
Remove another Finn butt of the joke moment with his head nodding. Now ends with, “Why are you doing that?”
Insert deleted scene of Kylo on the Falcon, altered to include new music and sound effects indicating his happy memories on the ship. [NeverarGreat]
Move 3PO’s line ‘It would take a miracle to save us now!’ until later, and include unused lines from Poe indicating that they are switching focus to dealing with the TIE fighters before attempting another run on the Oscillator. [NeverarGreat]
Added a combination of the cue Finn’s Trek and Finn and Poe Reunited from the FYC Star Wars TFA soundtrack along with the Han and Leia cue to the Catwalk scene [Digmod]. I also recut some of this scene to keep the focus more on Han and Ben. Less reaction shots from others looking around.
[NeverarGreat] Han/Leia voicelines added as a flashback for Kylo. When I now play Kylo’s theme right at a key point he really appears like a beast out of hell as Starkiller burns around him. Kylo is a scary dude in this edit. Transitions right into Leia mourning for a heart-wrenching contrast.
Remove Chewie running for cover before detonating the explosives, implying that he is willing to sacrifice himself to prevent the weapon from firing. He roars as he detonates the explosives and Rey shouts “CHEWIE!” [NeverarGreat]
Remove the cutaway to Hux being informed of the Starkiller’s imminent firing for continuity.
Place the Ackbar scene right after Poe exits the burning Oscillator, expositing that the Oscillator is still functional and the weapon will fire in two minutes.
Inserted shot of Kylo activating lightsaber from the trailer.
Added The Force Unleashed (Infiltrating the Junk Temple) during Finn and Kylo Ren’s duel [Digmod]
Removed Finn saying, “Come get it!” and then charging at Kylo. That seems counterintuitive to his words. Instead he just charges in, ignoring Kylo’s comment about the saber.
Rescored [Digmod audio] and re-cut the Finn v Kylo duel. Finn no longer lands a blow on Kylo’s arm. It’s possible he could sneak in this lucky shot, but it makes Kylo seem so much stronger if he doesn’t even get touched by a non-force user. Kylo absolutely eats Finn’s lunch in my edit. He toys with Finn, psyches himself up by pounding his gutshot, burns Finn’s shoulder, then blocks, spins, punches, and slices him open.
Rescored [Anjohan audio] and re-cut the Rey v Kylo duel. Rey does not “win” over Kylo Ren in the duel because this is the first time she has ever ignited a lightsaber and Kylo has been training for decades. There’s just no way she is standing up to that. Kylo now relentlessly pursues her through the ravine and she’s always on the backfoot, they lock sabers and Kylo offers to train her, Starkiller tries to fire destroying the Oscillator and breaking the ground apart between our combatants. Rey embraces the dark side briefly to wound Kylo [NeverarGreat] and runs off in fear as the planet divides them, Starkiller starts to explode, and Rey collapses beside an unconscious Finn with some previously unused Snoke lines playing in the background after the scene with Hux. This is all a custom cut combo of [Anjohan, Digmod, and NeverarGreat’s sources].
I have completely re-cut how Starkiller base is destroyed in its firing sequence. It does not actually get the laser off and is destroyed as it attempts to fire. The battle between Kylo and Rey is happening around these events, while Starkiller crumbles. It works better, it really does. There is no payoff at all with the Hosnian system destruction and it is never referenced again in the entire trilogy. It is pointless.
Removed fighter pilot reaction shots from the Starkiller destruction and re-scored the scene for a more somber tone.
Cropped Chewie out of the shot with Leia after the battle so he doesn’t get dissed with the no hug.
I added some new visual effects and additional scenes to Rey’s final dream sequence, further indicating the it is in fact a dream. She sleeps at the Resistance base and dreams about Luke. I have also cut out the portion of the dream with her handing the lightsaber to Luke (this will be remedied in my TLJ version). Now Luke locks eyes with her, and suddenly she jolts awake in real life, presumably with knowledge that will help R2 + BB find Luke. I think I nailed this dream sequence and it will bring a ton of unity and cohesion into the beginning of Episode 8.
Remove the overly formal “my friend,” from Rey saying “Thank you, my friend”.
Remove the final journey to Luke’s island, which has already been partially seen in Rey’s dream. The final shot of the film is the Falcon jumping to Hyperspace, rescored with a cue from The Last Jedi. [NeverarGreat] The next film will open with Rey physically arriving on Ach-To.

If you have any ideas on how to make TFA feel more like Star Wars Legends please post your suggestions below. Once I have completed this film I will be moving onto TLJ. I hope to make a beloved trilogy for those who didn’t enjoy parts of the ST, or even those who adored it, but want a new take on it.

May the force be with you all.