The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant Special Edition (WIP) — Page 7

I do think it kinda works better if he’s trying to put them at odds with one another rather than join together. Only one can become “all the Sith” by inheriting his spirit. Especially because Rey’s vision can only possibly show Daisy on the throne, not along with Kylo. Even though they refer to such a thing in the original film, no such footage exists.

So it’s probably best to stick with the idea that only the strongest bloodline can take the throne. How exactly Palpatine’s dialogue could convey that in this scene without spoiling Rey’s heritage early is possibly worth considering.

Yeah, I’ve made wayyyy to many posts in this thread over the past week so I don’t blame you for missing it. But this is just going to be an Ascendant+ edit now. The only difference in Rey’s backstory will be that Palpatine didn’t know she existed while he was hunting for his escapee “son” (because let’s be honest, why SHOULD he know about a young child - she was presumably born on Jakku). He hunts down Rey’s father, they hide her with Unkar out of desperation to keep her a secret, Palps finds out his son cannot use the Force (as the novelization states) and orders him terminated. But Ochi has a vision of Rey when he kills Rey’s father. So he was on his way back to Exegol to show Palpatine the dagger’s vision before he gets trapped in the sand cave.

This makes Ochi’s actions actually make sense. Previously, he doesn’t think to search around Niima Outpost for Rey before blasting off in his ship with her parents. Or notice the fact that his primary target is screaming on the surface below. But if he doesn’t know that he’s even looking for a young girl, just a grown clone of Palpatine, then all of this makes sense. It also allows Palpatine to claim that he never wanted her dead, because he never takes any direct action against her. Sure, he sent Kylo after her, but he could argue he knew that Rey would kill him and become stronger. Whereas a young child Rey wouldn’t be able to defend herself against a Sith assassin.

As v5 of Ascendant approaches its release date, I’ve set my sights back on this thread. I’ve updated the description with several (smaller) additional changes I’m considering. I’m thinking the following should be good for the revamped Kylo Ren dialogue:

“It was Palpatine who had your parents taken. He was looking for your father. But he learned your father was a powerless failure. So he gave the order.”

“No!”

“So that’s where you are… Palpatine wants one of us to take the Dark Throne.”

“No…!”

“I’ll come tell you why.”

“Rey… I know why Palpatine wants us to fight for the Dark Throne.”

“Tell me.”

"Because he saw what you would become. You don’t just have power. You have his power. You’re his granddaughter.

“My mother was the daughter of Vader. Your father was the son of the Emperor. What Palpatine doesn’t know, is we’re a dyad in the Force, Rey. Two, that are one. We’ll kill him. Together. And make a new order.”

That “It was fear that kept me here” really needs to be implemented into V5. Has it?

Well, the line you’re describing is the original one, so I guess I’m confused whether or not that’s the one you prefer. If it is, that’s the one Hal went with for v5 mostly because he doesn’t have a problem with the way it’s phrased. I’m not completely determined to change it in this edit, either, so if there are some people that don’t want it changed for some reason I’m willing to oblige for that.

This edit may or may not revert back to its original plans based upon the reveals in the most recent episode of The Acolyte. Slight spoilers ahead:

We see in The Acolyte that it’s possible for children to be conceived “without a father”, yet still be visibly related to the person that initiated the ritual to start the pregnancy. Depending on if they delve further into this ritual in later episodes will determine, at least for me, if this edit should return to the idea that Anakin and Rey are the offspring of Palpatine through his remote manipulation of the midichlorians. Especially if it’s revealed that the Sith were the ones that taught their coven this method of conception. One thing that will definitely be removed, if I do return to this idea, is the kiss between Kylo and Rey, because they will be genetically related at that point. It’s visibly clear that Osha and Mae are related to the leader of the coven despite her being biologically incapable of starting the pregnancy in her partner, which would mean Anakin and Rey would genetically be Palpatine’s children if he indeed used the same ritual.

Alternatively, I may end up just completely disregarding The Acolyte as canon in my books and never watch it again because of what it implies about the prequels and Anakin. It all really depends on if they further touch on what was revealed in this episode, and how. It seems to me that they will, because:

a character does mention something about the Jedi potentially discovering how Osha and Mae were conceived and implying it would be very bad. Which gives the implication that the Sith are somehow involved.

Or you keep it ambiguous, and then as Luke seems to imply, it doesn’t matter how or why or who created anyone. What matters is who they choose to be.

Right, that would still be the message, but I’d nevertheless need to remove the Reylo kiss because we’d have an instance in canon wherein it would appear that the person who performs such a ritual is biologically related to the offspring. So might as well have Kylo’s reveal be something like:

“Palpatine influenced the midichlorians to create life. First my grandfather. And then you. We… are both Palpatines.”

Even if Rey and Kylo choose to deny Palpatine’s control over them, I doubt they’d be willing to risk making out like that LMAO.

Another thing I noticed is that Osha and Mae appear to share a Force dyad. This will line up even better with our new backstory to explain how that came about for Rey and Kylo seeing as how they all would share similar origins now.

With the cancellation of the Acolyte, I really don’t see much of a point in entertaining the whole “creating life” backstory overhaul (like Osha and Mae). I don’t believe Lucasfilm will explore that thread (no pun intended) in any meaningful capacity to justify such a recontextualization of the entire saga. I think I’ve made the right decision in recalibrating this project to merely improving Rey’s backstory and Kylo’s arc.

I’ve looked through my rough change list at the top of this page and it’s still mostly accurate. I did have an interesting idea of potentially suggesting that Kylo shuts Palpatine out of his head fully when he destroys “Vader” in their vision-fight. Perhaps in the transition from the vision back to reality there could be Palpatine’s Sith scream as he loses his hold over him, or something like that. And Kylo has his mask reforged with that special glowing red stuff to ward his mind from Palpatine’s further influence.

I’m going to officially start working on this project this month, hopefully. I’m just going to need help with a lot of audio editing, really.

Just notice this project. Liking very much the idea of ascendant with improve Rey and especially Kylo arc.
Good luck on the project. will be waiting 👍

Just notice this too. But really like your vision so far. I checked the previous pages, watched the remaining Drive files. I would say, love this Kylo vs Vader duel, but I think you should try do it a little faster. Now it has a “fan vibe”, it is really, really good looking, but too slow to me.

I extended it due to the requests of several people awhile back. I may dial it back in if enough people think otherwise.

I’ve been thinking about this project for the past week or so. I’ve got a whole 2 weeks off of work this month, so I’m thinking I’ll make some significant progress during that time.

One thing I’ve also been considering is some light VFX work to insert Luke Skywalker’s severed hand to Palpatine’s lab. This would be the (canon) missing piece of the puzzle for this movie that would make the trilogy all feel a little more planned out from the beginning. The idea being that Luke’s hand finally allowed Palpatine to finish what he was studying in the Bad Batch, and have a clone prepared for his death in RoTJ. It’s also what makes Snoke so powerful since he has some Skywalker DNA mixed in there (those bright blue eyes were Luke’s lol). Ideally, it would appear right after Palpatine’s line “I made Snoke”.

The other light VFX idea that coincides with this is having Luke’s lightsaber attached to Rey’s father’s belt when he runs into the tent in the flashback. The idea here is that her father escaped Exegol with Luke’s lightsaber (which came with the hand), and gave it to Unkar Plutt so that he’d take care of Rey. They are supposed to be scavengers with no money to speak of, so technically Ascendant introduces a plot hole here by saying that they’d be able to afford for Unkar of all people to take care of her. Plus, if they had money, they should go to literally anybody else. But if the only item of value they have is Luke’s lightsaber, then it makes sense Unkar would be the only one interested in the trade. Kylo’s line after the flashback could easily be updated: “They paid for your safety with that lightsaber. And in blood…”

It’s already been established in TFA that Unkar is collecting valuable items from the OT (starting with the Falcon), so this tracks with his character. Furthermore, it explains why the Skywalker blade calls out to Rey: her father saved it from the Sith. It also explains why, when Rey touches the lightsaber in TFA, she is shown visions of her OWN past (that’s not how psychometry works). The lightsaber was on Unkar’s person. The only thing that is left unexplained is how it ended up with Maz, but it can be safely assumed that she bartered for it herself upon travelling to Jakku at some point. I personally think this is better than Leia having the lightsaber all along and giving it to Maz for safekeeping for… reasons. The latter is what TFA Starlight v2 was seeking to do. Maz seems to indicate that there is a “good story” behind her encountering it, so I’d imagine it would have involved blaster fire and thievery, anyways.

The problem here is of course that I am not skilled in VFX whatsoever. If I need to release a v1 without these two changes, that would be fine, but I’m hoping this idea resonates with somebody on the forum and it can be finished sooner rather than later. Heck, I’d be satisfied with just the first VFX change, I wouldn’t necessarily need to complicate Rey’s backstory any further, despite how cool it is to me.

It would have to be a VFX replacement of one of the two (or both) super brief shots right before the vat of Palpatine clones. It could probably actually be a static image, given that the camera doesn’t move around at all.

The problem with the first shot is that one of the Sith goons is walking around right in front of the camera, obscuring the machinery. So maybe it would just have to be the second one, replacing the right side of the screen with the hand vat for those two seconds. But at that point it’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. Which would probably be for the best if I don’t pursue the lightsaber bit.

Eh, I really do think modifying those two shots would be the most seamless way, so the scene keeps moving along. The first guy could be on the right side of a blue hand vat, and the second guy on the left. Palpatine stops speaking completely for like 10-15 seconds, which is perfect for an AI line. Something snarky like: “Your uncle / Skywalker was a most generous donor.”

This would fit seamlessly between the other lines imo: “I made Snoke. I have been every voice, you have ever heard, inside your head. Skywalker was a most generous donor. The First Order was just the beginning. I will give you so much more…”

The double meaning there being that Luke was (arguably) responsible for Kylo’s turn to the dark side, while also being the reason Snoke was able to be created via his unwitting genetic donation.

Maybe use benefactor/contributor. Imo, sound better than donor for double meaning+snarky

They usually use the term “donor” in medical procedures / genetic applications. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s how Dr. Pershing refers to Grogu. But I suppose that would work better if we wanted to emphasize Luke fueling Kylo’s anger, since we already would have the visual of the hand.

I’m officially getting back into this project as of this week. I just wanted to run a couple of small dialogue changes by everyone for the Kylo/Vader scene and Kylo/Luke scene. Anything that’s been changed is italicized:

Kylo: You were never real.

Vader: And yet your fear remains… we both know who is more powerful.

They fight.

Vader: The girl bested you in this place… you are unworthy.

Kylo pulls the Snoke maneuver on Vader.

Vader: You are no Sith.

Kylo: I know.

The other scene:

Luke: The dark side has failed you, Ben. Like it failed my father.

Kylo: Anakin was weak.

Luke: His love for his family saved him. I wish it could save you, too.

Kylo: I embraced my true nature.

Luke: You chose hate.

Kylo: I chose power!

I changed Vader’s line because it would be unclear to casual viewers who he was referring to (Rey) and where (Starkiller Base). I changed Kylo’s line to be congruent with what he tells Rey later in the film: “The dark side is in our nature. Surrender to it.”

I think the most effective characterization of Kylo for the trilogy is that he feels inherently unworthy of affection. He admits to being a monster to Rey in TLJ: “Yes, I am”. His mother sent him away because she was too scared to deal with his dark side, which we’ve hinted at in the latest version of Ascendant. Luke, of course, then contemplates attacking him in his sleep because he fears Ben’s dark potential. At that point, he feels as if the only way to feel accepted by anyone is by emulating Vader, and, later, by forging his own new dark path.

As much as Kylo would like to return to his mother (“You can’t go back to her now. Like I can’t.”) he feels that he would be scorned because he’s gone too far down this path by killing his father. So he just goes further down it so he can at least be accepted as valid for once. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle. Yet, at his darkest point where he’s about to strike down Rey, his mother still reaches out to him and accepts him. And Rey, despite initially retaliating in anger against him, reminds him that she also once wished to be with who he really is.

It’s certainly a compelling character arc, but unfortunately it gets muddied by the messiness that is the sequel trilogy.

I have watched a YouTuber make a detail summary/review, that in his opinion, the trilogy main focus is about Kylo and Rey were searching for ‘the place where they are belong’ and ‘people who sincerely accepted them’.
Both ‘journey’ started when Kylo being sent to Luke by his parents while Rey being left behind by her parents.
So I think your characterization of Kylo above is in line with that YouTuber, to which IMO, is the strong points of the sequel trilogy 👍

I 100% agree. Rey and Kylo have the same character journey, they just start at opposite ends. Which is fitting seeing as how they form a dyad in the Force.

We’ve already done a really good job of making Rey’s character arc clearer in this way with default Ascendant. She feels unworthy of taking on the Skywalker family saber after she witnesses a vision of her most darkest moments throughout the trilogy, and of herself on the Sith throne in the future. Despite Leia telling her that she is as good as family, she still doesn’t feel like it is warranted deep down.

The revelation that she is a Palpatine shatters her completely. Kylo idolizes his grandfather while Rey is terrified of hers. The only reason she doesn’t let her fear stop her from action is Luke telling her that Leia also stopped her Jedi training for the exact same reason (fear of a dark relative), but she trained Rey and reached out to Ben with the Force when it mattered most.

Unfortunately, I feel that Kylo’s arc isn’t quite there in the original movie or Ascendant, which is one of the main reasons I’m making this edit. Beyond the whole “finding where you belong” arc for Rey and Kylo, fear is a common theme for almost every single character in this movie.

The problem is that Ascendant is using 2 whole Kylo Ren scenes for Palpatine to say the exact same thing to Kylo he says at the beginning: “Kill the girl.” We can use those moments to get into Kylo’s headspace better; to know his fears and need to find belonging.

As a result of those scenes being gone, we can also pull the twist that Palpatine never wanted Rey dead in a more believable way. I really like the idea that he just wants the two to fight so he gets whoever is stronger to come to him on Exegol. It reminds me of first poster for this movie.

Anywho, I’ve basically just described most of the changes I’ll be making again, besides that Palpatine was only going after Rey’s father originally in her backstory to smooth over some weird details.

Hopefully everyone is caught up now lol 😉

Kada22 said:

Just notice this too. But really like your vision so far. I checked the previous pages, watched the remaining Drive files. I would say, love this Kylo vs Vader duel, but I think you should try do it a little faster. Now it has a “fan vibe”, it is really, really good looking, but too slow to me.

In response to this comment, I have prepared two versions of the duel. For my own personal convenience, I haven’t added any dialogue, yet. Here is the longer one (where I last left off on this project):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WiLWxP7WQJBP4J7j90lxr4jMw06Tkox5/view?usp=sharing

And here is the slightly shorter one:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CMQQWUEDFsqKk2U6v20XKfwto4dgiCIo/view?usp=sharing

Would appreciate some more feedback here. I happen to agree and prefer the shorter one.

I think what he said is the part they exchange blow make them looks like practicing.

I think the scene starting from the first blow is okay because it looks like darth Vader calmly received Kylo’s blow(because the camera focus on Darth Vader).

But the scene when the camera looking at them from far, that make them looks like slowly practicing saber play.sorry for my English