Okay so let me make sure I understand the practical things that would need to be changed in order to realize this idea.

Opening scene on Exegol, cut Palpatine’s specific request. Maybe just go from “It will be yours if you do as I ask.” To “End the Jedi, and become what your grandfather could not… but beware, she is not who you think she is (meaning the Jedi).” I think the opening scene would need to mention Rey in specific or else have a good way to end on a compelling note that doesn’t feel abrupt. (Not sure “…if you do as I ask… you will be the new emperor” and then Kylo lowering his saber would cut it.)

I do like this idea and feel it’d have been much preferable to the theatrical, but I think to realistically get at it we’d have to essentially let the theatrical alone. In other words I don’t think it’d work to imply Kylo has mysterious orders from Palpatine.

If the key ingredient of the idea is Palpatine knowingly trying to drain the dyad, I don’t think the footage is there to establish what’s happening, as he holds his hands up in surprise to exposit what’s happening.

Again, I do like this idea and wish it could be fully realized without seams. But by this point my TFA edit is a diet version of Nev’s Starlight, and my TLJ edit is a diet version of poppasketti’s Rekindled, so I wonder what this edit will end up a diet version of??