Hal’s Rogue One edit (a half-assed version of DigMod’s) (Released) — Page 11

Season 2 has been great so far. I think these last 3 upcoming episodes will really decide what changes this edit may need for a V5, if any…

I’m planning to watch this edit as an endcap to Andor. If I notice any contradictions, other than Cassian’s “This is a first for me” line, I’ll note them down and share.

That might be the only continuity error? And even then he’s pulling jailbreaking tools out of his boot as he says it, so I’m thinking the “first” he’s referring to might be the TYPE of prison he’s in, not prison in general? Either way, the scene sort of depends on his saying something there in order to prompt Chirrut’s following line, IIRC? So even if it’s a tiny continuity error, it might need to stick for the sake of the drama/emotion in that moment.

Also, it’s been awhile, I think I shot HAL a PM a long time ago (in a forum post far far away…) but I have conformed an isolated score to this cut, and I also went ahead and took the Ryan Golden lines as linked in the YouTube video from a couple years ago, isolated out just those lines, did some processing/mixing/stretching etc, and put them into the center channel, and then put the center channel back into the mix. To my ear it works pretty well, so there’s also a 5.1 audio track that’s exactly the same as the one originally on this cut - except the scene with Krennic on Mustafar now has a Vader that sounds closer to 77/80 than 2016.

I was also thinking - Vader doesn’t necessarily have to say “prepare a boarding party” either. I know we don’t want to go so far as to repurpose “Bring my shuttle,” but basically all he has to do is ask for, or demand, a vehicle in that shot. I don’t know if there’s a line like that in Kenobi, but could be an alternate way towards getting a younger/more accurate Vader sound in that last shot.

Broom Kid said:

That might be the only continuity error? And even then he’s pulling jailbreaking tools out of his boot as he says it, so I’m thinking the “first” he’s referring to might be the TYPE of prison he’s in, not prison in general?

Good point, and with how well they danced around the Star Wars: Rebels canon with Mon Mothma in S02E09, I have a feeling the team did a very thorough job making sure they didn’t contradict anything in Rogue One.

To match the other spin-offs, I know a crawl was discussed, but I’d like to see it more like how Solo, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, or Skeleton Crew did it if one gets added. More its own thing, but still honoring the saga films, and, saving the Star Wars Main Theme for the numbered episodes.

Here is a test I put together using Hal’s last crawl (and a track from the Andor soundtrack):

• Rogue One - Opening Crawl

After the final episode of Andor, I definitely feel this change should be reverted for the next version of this edit:

• Removed introductory scene to Cassian

Jar Jar Bricks said:

What about the line where Cassian says he’s been in this fight since he was six years old?

Currently watching the edit now and making notes. I think this is fine though, Maarva was definitely starting Cassian young on hating the Empire.

I’ve always interpreted the line as the “fight” being fighting for freedom and not against the Empire itself. People exaggerate as well. If Rogue One came out after Andor I don’t think I’d think twice about that line. Maybe that’s just me.

Literally what Nemik’s manifesto is about is contextualizing it all as The Fight

Okay, I watched the latest version today after finishing Andor last night, and here are my notes/thoughts:

• To match the other spin-offs, should an opening crawl be added? Andor doesn’t have one, but it seems like every other entry will have one moving forward.

  • Here is a test I put together and posted not too long ago using Hal’s last crawl (and a track from the Andor soundtrack):

  • Rogue One - Opening Crawl

• Restore the Cassian intro.

  • If rolling from Andor into Rogue One, it is essential. It helps to also cement Cassian as a co-lead of the film and make it more of Jyn and Cassian’s story than just Jyn’s. I think it also helps slow the pacing which seems a little fast in the beginning of the current edit.

• Mon suggests Galen will testify to the Senate, but given the events of Andor, what’s the point of this?

  • “Given the gravity of the situation and your history with Saw, we’re hoping that he will help us locate your father and return him to the Senate for testimony.”

  • Given Krennic and Tarkin’s later conversation about systems “flocking to the Rebellion” if the rebels get word out of the Death Star project, maybe some AI can be used to extend Mon’s line. It could be added over when the room gets silent to look at Bail Organa and notcing he looks different from how he did in Andor 😄

  • “and return him to the Senate for testimony. People will wake up when truth is restored to that chamber.”

• Restore showing the audience Cassian’s instructions to kill Galen Erso, but just the intital one on Yavin.

  • I think this adds more weight to Cassian’s decision later NOT to kill Galen and also shows us the inner conflict that Cassian is going through earlier in the film.

• Restore the announcement on Jedha about the missing cargo pilot.

  • With the removal of all the other Bodhi intro scenes, and restoring Cassian’s intro, this helps to remind the audience that they need the Imperial defector pilot to verify the story and locate Galen. Otherwise, he seems kind of useless because Saw is just leading them to Galen, why is Bodhi even needed?

• Change Cassian’s line of “This is a first for me.”

  • Narkina 5

  • “We’ve been in worse cages than this one.” “It’s all the same to me.” “There is more than one sort of prison, Captain. I sense that you carry yours wherever you go.”

• Not essential, but use Ryan Golden (or AI similar to what was used in Obi-Wan Kenobi) to make Vader sound younger and more like how he sounds in A New Hope

• Mon has been resigned from the Senate for several years at this point, but the radio guy on Yavin still chases after her yelling “Senator!!” to inform her of rebels on Scarif. It’s not too major, I just assume he’s calling her that out of respect.

I would also like to toss this out there as a sort of overall/philosophical idea regarding Rogue One and its relation to Andor, and specifically this edit being more focused on Jyn than it is Cassian:

The show, even though it has Cassian’s name, and uses him as a throughline, isn’t really ABOUT him all the time either. It might be a little thematically confusing trying to re-conform a cut that already trimmed down the film (which was sort of a mashup as it was by the time it made it to its finished form via Gilroy’s rewrites/reshoots) to fit a more coherent Erso-focused POV, and expand it back out and shift itself to be a coda to two seasons of television (that were written after the fact anyway, and with way more leeway and runway)

But considering how much of Andor is literally about how main characters in their own circles BECOME supporting characters in other peoples, and still do extraordinary work; and then recede (or disappear) into history’s shadows so others can become that history’s main characters… I think there’s something fitting to Rogue One (or even this edit of it) having that happen to Cassian himself. He goes through his journey throughout the show - and Rogue One is him (and K2) taking the co-pilot seat to help Jyn’s mission get completed because that’s what needs to happen for the Rebellion to succeed. That’s in Rogue One already, to some level. I think there’s a danger of short-circuiting that, instead of amplifying it, if Rogue One gets re-edited too much to be a “sequel” to Andor, to be a referendum on the guy himself instead of letting it be Jyn’s story, with Cassian as a supporting character in it.

To counter BroomKid’s point, I don’t want to speak for Hal, but his edits have always seemed to have been streamlined-canon, get rid of the meh but don’t fundamentally change the story. Slide his edit in place of the other and you’ll be fine.

With his sequel edits, revisions were made to VII and VIII after IX came out. I don’t see this being any different. Andor was great, and adding back some small character moments for Cassian, or making some futher tweaks based on a great Star Wars project doesn’t fundamentally change the edit.

The deepfake VFX fixes are still there, the weird Bodhi and Saw stuff is still gone, unneeded cameos, milk shots, and clunky dialogue/scenes are still removed.

Yeah, Rings of Kafrene is essential bridging content now.