Restructured is Hal’s edit of TFA, with a few trims and a reordering of the story it offers a nice improvement over the theatrical cut while keeping the overall look and feel from the original. I recommend it if you like TFA and would just like to see a version that improves upon it.
Starlight is a TFA edit by user NeverarGreat, it has a few similarities with Restructured as Neverar helped Hal with some of the edits, but overall it’s a more radical version that has a lot more changes and additions. I recommend it if you’d like to see an alternate take on episode VII, though a few of the changes don’t align perfectly with Hal’s Ascendant.
Rekindled is a TLJ edit by user Poppasketti, it is very similar to Hal’s Legendary edit as it originated from it, Poppasketti did a lot of work that’s included in both edits as they were developed side by side. I think Legendary aligns slightly better with Hal’s Restructured and Ascendant, though from what I gather Rekindled seems to be a favourite among many users.
But it’s up to you which version of TFA & TLJ you prefer, there’s no “definitive” answer. I personally prefer Hal’s edits as a more cohesive experience, but Starlight & Rekindled are really good alternatives.
Thanks, Burbin! Very helpful! Gonna be looking into some (hopefully) superb PT edits after I get situated with these. Right now, I’m on board with Adywan’s OT edits (-he’s how I found this wonderful site).
Great write-up, Burbin!
Just FYI, Hal also created edits for Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III which are absolutely incredible.
Hal’s kinda a fan-editing legend.
Oh… It’s ON!!! Gonna be great watching versions of these films that actually HELP solidify the story integrity and overall entertainment proposition of the entire saga. It’s truly a bummer that the PT and the ST are so “divisive” merely because some of the writing and a LOT of the directing was…questionable - when the reality is that the general premise of the saga is good stuff. I’ve had some of my people spazz out when I played Adywan’s current fan-edits for them. They didn’t even know that something like this existed lol.
I’m not gonna rag on either the PT nor ST too much in this post but, suffice it to say, I’ve long felt that the PT’s main problem was two-fold: Anakin should’ve been a “teen”, as opposed to an 8 year old, when he was introduced, and, Jar-Jar was a clumsily (pun intended?) written/directed character (-because there are other, more satisfying ways in the GFFA to express “humor” that is cool for, both, kids and adults). I didn’t mind the galactic “politics” exposition, and in fact, felt that it gave more “gravity” to that universe as a whole.
The ST, on the other hand, I sadly find mostly un-watchable due to a myriad of things, but chief among them: Death Star 2.0 aka Starkiller Base and the way Rey’s character was written, seemingly to have little, if any, charm. I don’t know if it’s strictly a matter of casting or more a case of directing but… she, nor, any of the other new “big 3” aren’t nearly as endearing as Luke, Leia and Han (even Chewy and the droids) were. That, to me, is the biggest problem with those movies. Everyone loves and roots for Luke because he is introduced as being genuinely innocent and ignorant to the “truth” that shapes the reality around him as he just wants to leave a “boring” home and live out his own adventure in growing up. He then learns a terrible truth, while stumbling a bit and then uses his newfound wisdom and power to help the folks that he cares for while fighting for a greater cause that affects ALL of the other “innocents” of his world. Who can’t identify with that in real life? Again, these are just my own personal opinions in a general sense. YMMV and I’m sure it does.