You explain the reasoning of your decisions really well! I also think framing the objective of your edits as a way to make the characters and universe more in-line with their depictions in Legends. Although obviously you’ll still make decisions based on personal preference (as you should), it also gives you an extensive framework to both guide your choices and justify your decisions. It definitely makes me interested in your project and eager to see what you come up with. I liked the ST for the most part, but I always enjoy new takes on these films!
Thank you, of course this is all simply my own interpretation of events and themes and there is no “right” answer. I will be editing according to my own understanding of the content and materials, but I do want to take the views of others into account as well.
To remove Han returning to the smuggler life, I’m assuming you’ll cut the Rathtar sequence?
At this point I’m not convinced that scene needs to be entirely cut, but it certainly does need key lines removed or re-organized. I have no problem with Han Solo returning back to smuggling as a general principle, the man needs to make a living somehow and I can’t imagine him doing anything else as a career outside the rebellion… My problem with the scene is in the portrayal of his smuggling career post-Kylo’s fall. They present him as a low-level swindler, unable to repay debts, not respected, and barely competent. The gang insults him with, “Your game is old” and various comments, all which lead the viewer to look at Han as a bit of a failure. They revert Han’s career back to that of Act 1 of Solo: A Star Wars Story rather than even Act 1 of ANH where at least he has the reputation to work for Jabba, let alone the place his reputation should be after decades of being a war hero. I want to maintain a stronger appearance of his character, one that still presents who he is deep down, both a smuggler and rebel rather than a washed up common criminal. Thinking perhaps I can make it more seem like the gangs that show up are there to collect a bounty on his head (and the droid/fugitives) rather than jumping him for failing yet another deal.
I would be interested in hearing about other specific ideas you might have that maybe stand out from other edits. Are there big changes your still trying to figure out how to implement?
Sure, I mentioned the edits I am using to shape my cut so I’ll go through a few of the features from each that I think work within my goals.
1. Digmod’s Heir to the Force (and FGR additions) | I definitely like his title better than The Force Awakens. However, due to my Legends inspiration I might adjust this to “Heirs of the Force” https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Young_Jedi_Knights:_Heirs_of_the_Force . I actually think the theatrical crawl works pretty well for what I am doing, but I am open to ideas on that since I will likely be editing the title, I might as well take a look at the whole crawl. I will mostly be using this edit as a base when it comes to toning down some of the humor, maintaining the Kylo identity and mask until later on, and some of his soundtrack adjustments that I appreciate. What I will not be including from this is his decision to leave the Starkiller base superweapon scenes in theatrical order, I think those work best in the “Restructured” format to move to the end of the film. The FGR additions are minor things like adding a brief flash of Vader to Rey’s vision and other minor adjustments like that. I’ll have it listed in my changelist once I build that up. Also ending the film with no Luke. I want each film in my trilogy to be focused on the legacy of an OT character. TFA is Han’s, TLJ is Luke’s, TRoS is Leia’s.
2. Anjohan’s edit | I really like his intro to the film by starting with the desolate Jakku landscape, and then moving into the Rey scenes before the attack on the Jakku village. I want TFA and TLJ to open with her, framing her as the representation of the Light side of the force, and Kylo as the Dark. The back and forth Yin Yang between the characters is key to my retelling of the ST and I need to show why ultimately both of them will fail to accomplish their initial goals (remember, balance of both dark and light is the theme I am trying to hammer through). I also like Anjoan’s cut of the forest fight that doesn’t show Rey defeating Kylo in battle, rather the planet separates to end the fight for them. I am planning on assuming TLJ takes place at least a few weeks after TFA so Kylo’s scars will be assumed to have happened off screen, potentially in the time where Snoke says he wants to “complete Kylo’s training”.
3. NeverarGreat’s workprint | This edit has some of my favorite TFA additions in it. Some of the visual and audible cues he places throughout the film really work in my opinion. I definitely like his take on the Starkiller base weapon and battle better than any others, and I love how he uses Rey to have visions of Luke on the island. This will explain the bigger time gap between Ep. 7 & 8 in my trilogy. Rey is largely looking for Luke from an incomplete map and her own visions/dreams which takes a little bit of time.
4. Personal edits from theatrical | I’m sure I will run across some minor edits in this area, but the main one I can think of that I haven’t seen before is dealing with Rey’s escape from her Starkiller base cell. I am not having her use a mind trick on the guard, as my original post explains that she doesn’t even know what that is. I am hoping I can find a way to cut this into a scene of her simply concentrating on her bindings and using the force to spring them open. I find that much more believable for a neophyte force user to achieve rather than using a very dominating mind trick.