Just sent the auralnauts a cordial message asking if they’d be at all interested.
It seems like if we did redub 3PO, it would open the question of how Kylo knew to go to Endor. Although, honestly… it’s hard to care too much about it anyway. The film doesn’t answer this other than allowing one to guess Kylo also had it translated. It does, however, establish then and there that Kylo “know[s] where she’s going” at least. That would be missing from this cut. It seems like the cost for reinstating it here would be to also reinstate the premature reveal that Chewie is alive.
Another issue is that 3PO translating the inscription doesn’t give the characters any solid information. In the theatrical, it provided important information and the heroes had to have both that knowledge and the blade itself. In this proposed plot revision, they would essentially only learn that they… need to get the blade back. All they’d learn is that Rey needs to tap into darkness somehow. Feels a little muddy.
It does seem like this muddies the movie more than it cleans it up. Personally, I’d just accept the doofy Goonies-style treasure clues as a cheesy but essential element of the movie and leave that portion relatively intact, because much of the movie is structured around them.
No kidding. Nobody says “well now we have to get the dagger back” after 3PO’s message plays (in fact, they seem more happy about the message than anything since Babu celebrates). Furthermore, Finn even questions why Rey is heading off to explore the ship by saying “Chewie is this way.” Never at one point do the characters say “go look for the dagger.” It’s always “We’re coming, Chewie” and “go save your friend”.
It’s honestly quite mind-boggling how much this movie relies on the dagger giving an exact answer.
Does Babu give a frak that the Wayfinder is on Endor? I thought he just cheers because his hack worked.
And all you’d need to do is swap in some new Poe dialogue. From:
Rey: We need the dagger.
Poe: Why?
Rey: A feeling.To:
Rey: We need the dagger.
Poe: You know where?
Rey: A feeling.Like I’ve said, I just don’t see how the dagger translation not explicitly telling them what to do is more contrived than an ancient Sith Artifact listing the exact coordinates of the 30-year-old Death Star.
I just think it’s a whole lot of trouble and removal of stuff for absolutely nothing of value in return. Clearly I’m not bothered as much by all the intricacies of the dagger.
…
I’m willing to head cannon an easy answer as for why that is on there.
I mean, I wouldn’t call character building, thematic subtext, or lore clarifications “absolutely nothing of value in return”; so different strokes, I suppose. We’d lose…not having 3PO hand them the answer on a silver platter? Truly ruinous.
The thing is, a lot of people are bothered by the many, many contrivances of the Dagger, even if you’re not. I mean, if you have to delve into head canon to make sense of the plot at its most basic level, I’d say that’s a pretty serious failing of the film. I’ll understand if the dagger change can’t work, of course; but I’m still interesting in trying.