Lookin’ pretty great, Bob!
Regarding the Lobot scene, I think you could potentially address the missing slug of footage by cutting to the footage from outside the door, but play it in reverse as if it is being opened by Lobot. I think it would fit since the door is already moving up when it cuts to that second shot of Lobot.
So the order would be:
• Lobot avoids the troops and starts walking toward door.
• Outside door, we see it begin to raise open (footage reversed)
• Cut back to Lobot, waiting for the door to raise all the way open.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but would this scene go in between Leia shooting a stormtrooper and then rushing into an elevator with more troopers on their tail, and then Leia and Co. coming around the corner with Lando trying to unlock that same door? I think the hard thing would be adjusting the music to make it fit in that spot, since the Escaping Cloud City track starts on Leia and Co getting on the elevator.
Maybe them getting onto the elevator could be reworked without music, and the music playing in the deleted scene could flow into “Escaping Cloud City” around when Lobot gets captured or when Lando peaks around the corner. You might have that figured out in your head already though.
It didn’t really need explaining, but one cool thing about the scene is it explaining why there are no troopers guarding the Falcon. And I wonder if Lando asked Lobot to get himself captured in order to help them escape, or if he told Lobot to escape with them, but they weren’t expecting troopers to be guarding the door.
I definitely think it is worth keeping the scene. I would say the more deleted scenes you can fit in the better! What is the continuity issue you’re referring to?
EDIT: Just a thought, but if you insert a shot to cover up the missing slug of footage, you may have to rework the audio for the scene anyway since the timing of the music would change as well.