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Unusual Sequel Trilogy Radical Redux Ideas Thread — Page 108

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I was thinking about the possibility of reconciling Palpatine’s resurrection with the Chosen One Prophecy.

What if Palpatine from The Rise of Skywalker is not the real Palpatine? Maybe he’s just a med clone who inherited Palpatine’s memory and who believes to be Palpatine. Maybe we can say that Palpatine actually created a clone of himself in order to transfer his Force essence, but he never discovered how to transfer his spirit. Yet, the clone still exists and gained a separated conscience.

This way, we can actually say that Anakin killed Palpatine, yet still have Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker.

“I know that all of you like to dream about space and are a little bit of envious of us. But you know what? We’re also envious of you. We are exploring the space, but it’s only the beginning. Planets and unknown worlds are awaiting of you. You will continue to storm the Universe.”

— Yuri Gagarin

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I like the idea of removing a twist altogether. I think she’s more compelling without it, and the reverse twist in TLJ works as her big character twist in the trilogy. I think the dialogue between Rey and Kylo should emphasize Rey’s feelings of unworthiness towards the Skywalkers and the Jedi, as it feels like her overcoming this is the most fleshed out part of her arc. Kylo feels he can never be accepted back to the light after killing Han, and Rey feels like she’s too flawed to carry on the monumental legacy of the Jedi. Maybe Kylo could mention the crackling saber in this scene.

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EddieDean said:

I think these are really good points and ideas. RotJ really works at the end because Luke faces so much temptation. Rey has a tending towards the dark but that temptation could really be emphasised.

Speaking of the dagger, now that it operates by whisper rather than the absolutely contrived pointing, it’s remaining flaw as a plot device is that the good guys stumble upon it in an absolute quirk of chance. Perhaps it could be implied that it’s somehow drawn Rey to it- either through Palpatine’s machinations or its own.

Maybe after they fall into the tunnels, after Finn says, “Which way out of here?”, we could change Rey’s off screen line from “We have to hurry” to something like, “Wait, I sense something this way…” after she turns away from camera.

And like Dimitrios mentioned, perhaps we could squeeze in a line from Lando about the caves, but I’m not sure how it could/should be phrased. If Lando mentions the caves, then the audience will wonder why him and Luke didn’t check them if Lando knows about them. And I don’t think there is enough time during their scene with Lando for him to really rationalize it. Maybe he could say, “Maybe he fell in the sinking fields”. Again, may run into the same problem.

I like those write ups btw Starkiller! Really need to play around with making clean audio for those two scenes so people can play around with them.

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Wow, a lot of great thoughts since last night everyone!

I agree that Rey’s backstory shouldn’t be important compared with what is within her now. We’re circling solutions on how to deal with the dagger on the Death Star, so maybe it’s as simple as it calling out to people who are already in tune with the Dark Side.

Rey leaves her friends to go after the dagger on Ren’s destroyer, and gets into the fight with Ren. He tells her that she doesn’t need the dagger to find the Emperor’s wayfinder, since there’s no force that can keep Rey away from the Dark Side. He suspects that Rey is even now trying to return to the dagger, though it is now useless to her and she has merely imperiled her friends to find it. When she destroys the Vader mask, his suspicions are confirmed.

I think this, along with dialogue exploring Rey’s hatred of her parents leaving and her subsequent self-deception, would be sufficient to bring the scenes in line with TLJ’s anti-revelations.

We could still have Ren tell her that her parents were killed by the Emperor’s assassin, but he says that they were killed because he had foreseen what Rey would become and wanted to leave a calling card for her to find - the dagger. However, this didn’t go entirely to plan and she ended up being drawn to a very different weapon with a dark history, which led her to Luke instead of to Palpatine.

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Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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The idea that Rey doesn’t need the dagger to find the Wayfinder could have wider implications in the story.

She destroys Ren’s ship on the island, including his Wayfinder. When Luke says ‘You have everything you need’, he could be referring to the force that will lead her toward evil, but that she must harness this force to lead our heroes to Exegol.

We could see her removing the Wayfinder from Ren’s ship, but alter it to show that it is clearly burned and nonfunctional. Perhaps remove her line about ‘two were made’ to make it ambiguous what she’s thinking in that moment. Then later when she is flying to Exegol, the shot of the Wayfinder on her dashboard could be altered to show that it isn’t glowing and isn’t hooked up to anything. Really, this needs only to be a visual change in two or three shots to indicate that Rey isn’t using the Wayfinder like Ren did in the beginning of the film, but that she’s relying on her dark nature to find Exegol, even if she doesn’t realize that she’s doing it.

Not only would this subvert the McGuffin-heavy plot, but it would bring everything back to the level of pure character and be a dark echo of A New Hope, with Rey using the Dark Side to fly Luke’s X-wing and save the day.

Also, it always felt like kind of a cheat that the Wayfinder wasn’t destroyed with Ren’s ship, which this fixes.

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@NeverarGreat
I agree with everything, but I think it would be better not to show the Wayfinder in the XWing. That could be very easily misread as her using it, even when not hooked up.
Because why should she bring it if it is of no use?

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NeverarGreat said:

Also, it always felt like kind of a cheat that the Wayfinder wasn’t destroyed with Ren’s ship, which this fixes.

To be fair, it was found on Mustafar, and originally belonged to Vader. That thing needed to be extremely heat-resistant by design.

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Jar Jar Bricks said:

NeverarGreat said:

Also, it always felt like kind of a cheat that the Wayfinder wasn’t destroyed with Ren’s ship, which this fixes.

To be fair, it was found on Mustafar, and originally belonged to Vader. That thing needed to be extremely heat-resistant by design.

Actually Mustafar has many non-volcanic areas; suggesting that everything needs to be heat-resistant is kind of a hurtful stereotype peddled by Calamarians and other people who don’t understand Mustafarian culture.

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Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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Lmao

Plus it already survived one TIE explosion on Pasaana. Best to keep it consistent.

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Kylo manages to survive his ship crashing, so it makes sense that the wayfinder would survive as well. When Rey burns his ship later, that’s more of what’s known in the insurance industry as a ‘total loss’.

TheDimitrios said:

@NeverarGreat
I agree with everything, but I think it would be better not to show the Wayfinder in the XWing. That could be very easily misread as her using it, even when not hooked up.
Because why should she bring it if it is of no use?

Perhaps Rey doesn’t know how the Wayfinder actually works, and may assume that merely having the artifact near her will impart an ability to find Exegol. And this may be correct, for her.

I like the idea that the Wayfinder isn’t necessary for Rey to find the source of darkness in the film, while it is necessary for Ben. And I don’t think it matters if the audience even picks up on it, because it is supposed to be a subtle difference. If a viewer wants to believe that she used the Wayfinder to find Exegol, they can still believe that. However, a more discerning viewer may realize the difference and appreciate the added depth.

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Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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But Kylo doesn’t appear to have the item on him, and in the background you can see the ship is a flaming ruin. I genuinely think it goes through the same process twice.

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Here, Nev, here is that scene with 5.1 audio. It’s a first attempt, and so if you have feedback and are interested in making it better, let me know. The sync is not identical to the clip you provided, so you are aware.
The mov file is for use in editing, and the mkv is more suitable for straightforward viewing.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zZuEYos__YBJMY8rSfjggjOS-02Hxr3n?usp=share_link

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.

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Awesome, I’ll check it out!

Jar Jar Bricks said:

But Kylo doesn’t appear to have the item on him, and in the background you can see the ship is a flaming ruin. I genuinely think it goes through the same process twice.

Checking the scene again, it appears that there’s a fire behind the pod, but that where Kylo was sitting appears to be intact and isn’t on fire during the scene. Which makes sense, because otherwise Kylo would have problems.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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Hal 9000 said:

Here, Nev, here is that scene with 5.1 audio. It’s a first attempt, and so if you have feedback and are interested in making it better, let me know. The sync is not identical to the clip you provided, so you are aware.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zZuEYos__YBJMY8rSfjggjOS-02Hxr3n?usp=share_link

Hmm, it sounds like the central channel is missing.

Other than that, it sounds good 😉

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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NeverarGreat said:

Hal 9000 said:

Here, Nev, here is that scene with 5.1 audio. It’s a first attempt, and so if you have feedback and are interested in making it better, let me know. The sync is not identical to the clip you provided, so you are aware.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zZuEYos__YBJMY8rSfjggjOS-02Hxr3n?usp=share_link

Hmm, it sounds like the central channel is missing.

Other than that, it sounds good 😉

Try the mkv I just added. The mov file is for editing rather than viewing, with six separate mono tracks that together comprise the 5.1.

There are certainly flaws here, so again, if this is something you want to develop further let me know.

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.

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I’d love to voice my opinion on it but the mkv is like 3 hours long so I’m not sure what’s going on there 😦

EDIT: NVM it’s working. We’re missing the Maz line but overall it works decently. I still think we need to visually see whatever it is Ben sees.

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DZ-330 said:

Hal, is this something that you are considering for V5 of Ascendant when the time comes?

No, I think it muddles what’s happening and I don’t think it works fully. I’d also rather have Leia reach out as herself first before we let Han take over the show.

Also, JJB, what Maz line do you mean?

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.

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Her line would be “To save her son now, will take all the strength she has left.” I posted a link to it in this thread awhile back.

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Hal 9000 said:

No, I think it muddles what’s happening and I don’t think it works fully. I’d also rather have Leia reach out as herself first before we let Han take over the show.

I agree, was just curious. It is a fun idea to mock up though!

The Star Wars Saga:
I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX | Rogue One · Solo
What was first just a dream has become a frightening reality…

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I think the idea of revolving the whole plot around the Dyad makes way too much sense. Suddenly Palpatine has a clear plan that doesn’t involve Rey killing him and his spirit passing into her, Kylo has something to reveal to Rey in the hangar that isn’t her being a Palpatine, and presenting the Dyad as inherently part of the Dark Side (even if that turns out to be untrue) sets up a decent dilemma on whether or not Rey should kill Palpy to take his throne if it means turning to the Dark Side.

Do not DM me for edits. Whatever you’re looking for I don’t have it.

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Jar Jar Bricks said:

Her line would be “To save her son now, will take all the strength she has left.” I posted a link to it in this thread awhile back.

Oh, right. Sorry, forgot about that when mixing it together!

I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.

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Anakin Starkiller said:

I think the idea of revolving the whole plot around the Dyad makes way too much sense. Suddenly Palpatine has a clear plan that doesn’t involve Rey killing him and his spirit passing into her, Kylo has something to reveal to Rey in the hangar that isn’t her being a Palpatine, and presenting the Dyad as inherently part of the Dark Side (even if that turns out to be untrue) sets up a decent dilemma on whether or not Rey should kill Palpy to take his throne if it means turning to the Dark Side.

True, but with what footage we have available we’d still have to use Rey getting close to killing Palpatine for his essence transfer. Maybe in the hologram scene Palpatine could say that he’s sensed Kylo Ren’s death, which would explain why he’s suddenly okay with the essence transfer plan instead of hoping Ben follows Rey to Exegol. And then when Ben suddenly shows up he’s like: “Oh, I thought you were supposed to be dead. Too bad your coming together is gonna be your undoing.”

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Hal 9000 said:

NeverarGreat said:

Hal 9000 said:

Here, Nev, here is that scene with 5.1 audio. It’s a first attempt, and so if you have feedback and are interested in making it better, let me know. The sync is not identical to the clip you provided, so you are aware.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zZuEYos__YBJMY8rSfjggjOS-02Hxr3n?usp=share_link

Hmm, it sounds like the central channel is missing.

Other than that, it sounds good 😉

Try the mkv I just added. The mov file is for editing rather than viewing, with six separate mono tracks that together comprise the 5.1.

There are certainly flaws here, so again, if this is something you want to develop further let me know.

There are definitely bits missing here, but I think the biggest issue with this concept is what you said - Han’s voice seems to come out of nowhere. This, however, isn’t the fault of the scene, but the setup earlier in the film.

I’ve been thinking about it a bit, and can see one way to set up Han’s memory organically. We already have one piece. When Kylo speaks to Rey during the festival, she tells him that she can see the cracks in his mask, and that he is haunted by his father. What we really need is a scene that embellishes that, something that would go between that scene and the appearance of Han’s memory exactly one hour later in the film so that we don’t forget that the subplot exists.

I suggest moving two scenes: the one where Kylo communes with Vader’s mask, and the scene where masked Kylo stands in the destroyer hallway and talks to Palpatine. The Vader mask scene could take the place of the hallway talk, happening right after the Falcon is towed into the Star Destroyer. Overlay Palpatine’s voice on the scene so it is clear that Kylo is using the mask as a conduit to speak to Palpatine, and only for this purpose, since he now knows that every other voice was just Palpatine in disguise. Kylo’s voice would have to be changed since he isn’t wearing his mask here, but we’ve already proven that it’s possible and there’s no lip matching required.

The hallway scene can now go several different places in the film, including back where it was in the theatrical version. Since Palpatine’s dialogue is no longer there, it’s a blank slate to fill with whatever troubled thoughts Kylo would have, so we could put Han’s voice into his head, or even place Kylo’s whole vision here, though it would probably be stronger with just Han’s voice. Here, his line ‘Take off that mask…you don’t need it’ actually makes sense, as he’s, you know, wearing the same mask from TFA. If it does go back where it was in the theatrical version, it would form a nice parallel with Rey’s scene where she vows to kill Palpatine. Just as Rey is falling into the darkness, Kylo is tempted by the light. It is noticeable that the next time we see Kylo, he has no mask and presumably didn’t take it with him. So Han’s voice is already having an effect on him. We are seeing the scene from TFA play out again, this time across several scenes and with real progression for Ben’s character.

This scene switcharoo has another benefit. Now that Vader’s mask scene has moved away from the beginning of the film, Kylo’s scene progression goes directly from meeting Palpatine to reforging his mask. This ties directly into the commands of Palpatine, which are to ‘kill the girl, end the Jedi, and become what your grandfather, Vader, could not.’ Therefore, he is recommitted in this moment to becoming like Vader without the confusion of consulting Vader’s lying mask.

With this reshuffling, we might lose Kylo’s vision, but I would argue that Rey’s vision is strengthened by being the only one in the film, and having a scene where Han speaks to Kylo would serve the purpose of Kylo’s vision and more. The only loss in removing that early vision is that now there is no indication that Kylo is haunted before Rey brings it up during the festival, and unfortunately there is no early scene of Kylo which would really work to establish this. Unless…

Imagine altering the final paragraph of the crawl to say: "Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren rages in search of a hidden power that could ensure his victory…

Pan down to Mustafar, where we see Ren carving his way through his enemies. With each one that falls, we hear the sounds of his past coming back to haunt him. The voices of Luke on that fateful night, of Rey in the forest, of Snoke on his throne, which changes to the laughter of Palpatine. He sees the Wayfinder. With this, Mustafar Minute actually pulls its weight.

So to recap, Kylo now has a whole arc established in minute 1 and developed at 3, 23, 65, 80, and 83 minutes into the film.

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Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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I like the ideas. Granted, it does give Kylo less of a reason to reforge his mask which Ascendant fixes pretty well. Then again, I never had much of an issue with that to begin with. I’d be curious to see what else you can come up with here.