Let’s put everything together in one place (along with indicating what needs to be cut and where)
The edit would be almost entirely regular Ascendant v4 throughout. However, 3 things need to be borrowed from Rey Nobody:
- Reinstate Palpatine’s: “The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be… unnatural.” As this is now a reference to a scene that is integral to the plot.
- Both (2) references to Rey recognizing Ochi’s ship removed.
- Rey saying that Palpatine killed her parents in front of Finn (with the shot of BB-8 mirrored, possibly an AI Finn line instead of the whispers since even Luke will now be admitting that they were all created to destroy Palpatine - this isn’t supposed to be something sinister until it’s revealed to be).
And, if we want, Finn’s ADR line “He wanted her alive” could be reinstated. Though the nice thing about our other changes here is that we would have no idea as the audience that Ochi was assigned with looking for Rey up until this point between Finn and Poe, so that’s a reveal in and of itself.
Ideally, somebody would also be kind enough to modify Rey’s vision in TFA with a ship that looks more different than Ochi’s. 😉 We already know the ships ARE technically different models between films, but they do look similar enough for people to have spotted that in the trailers.
Then the following are all of the dialogue changes:
“I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it… I needed you to see it… who you are. The dark side is your birthright, Rey…”
“You’re lying.”
“I’d never lie to you. Your parents were no one. Junk traders expecting a child they never wanted.”
“Don’t!”
“They feared you. Your conception was not of any father’s doing.”
“I don’t want this!”
“…just like Vader.”
“No!”
“You’ve seen it, haven’t you? Your destiny.”
(Rey sees the vision of herself on the Sith throne)
“When Palpatine was summoned, it caused a great disturbance in the Force.”
“Stop talking.”
“The result was his greatest opportunity.”
(Cutaway to heroes capture)
“The Force showed me glimpses of a girl like you long before we met. When we first fought, in the forest, the power inside of you awakened. You revealed yourself not only to me, but to the Emperor… just as he’d intended.”
(Visions of Rey beating Kylo on Starkiller, falling into the dark cave, etc.)
“No!”
(A pedestal shatters and the mask of Vader falls to the ground)
“So that’s where you are.”
“Our fates have always been intertwined."
“No…”
"I’ll come tell you why.”
—
“Palpatine told me the rest of our story.”
“Tell me.”
"He influenced the Force itself into creating life. First my grandfather, and then you. You were his chosen heir. You… are a rightful Palpatine.”
"The Emperor wants us to fight each other, so his most worthy heir can claim the throne. But he hasn’t realized the strength of our connection, Rey… a bond, not of blood, but raw power in the Force. We can end him and the Sith, and create a new order, together…”
—
“What are you most afraid of?”“Myself…”
“Because you’re a Palpatine? The Force made us, to destroy him.”
“Final lesson. Rey… Some things are stronger than blood. Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi. Your destiny, if you don’t face Palpatine, it will mean the end of the Jedi. And the war will be lost. There’s something my sister would want you to have.”
—
“Leia’s saber.”
“She was quick to learn in our training. But Leia knew that a light as powerful as her own would cast a terrible shadow within her. She surrendered her saber to me and said that one day it would be picked up again by someone with the spirit to face that darkness.”
—
“Long have I waited… I never wanted you dead. I wanted you here, Empress Palpatine. You will take the throne. It is your birthright to rule here. It is in your blood.” (We’d remove “our blood” because they don’t share the same blood. Fortunately, that would be an easy cut because the camera switches perspective only for when he says that.)
“I haven’t come to lead the Sith. I’ve come to end them.”
“As a Jedi?”
“Yes.”
“No. Your hatred, your anger. You want to kill me. That is what I want. Kill me, and my spirit will pass into you, as all the Sith live in me (we’d reinstate his original line at the beginning since it hints at Rey’s new origins). You will be Empress. We will be one.”
“All you want is for me to hate but I won’t. Not even you.”
“Weak. (Cut back at the end of Rey’s line about her parents) Your master, Luke Skywalker, was saved by his father. The only family you have here… is me.” (Everything after this point would be unaltered Ascendant v4).