Bingowings said:If it wasn't for the original cast and the ever entertaining Ian McDiarmid I don't think this film would be remembered as fondly as it is, in quite a few ways TPM is actually a better film.
Some of your suggestions are really great.
I'd still like to try and do my 2 Death Stars and Piett dying to save his fleet ideas out (still building that computer for a video mockup) and the Fan-O-Matic variations would take a lot of the sillyness out and change the tone to match the other films more.
The space battle needs a complete work over (explosions that actual explode rather than just cast splodges infront of the models).
I think your ship to ship firing idea should be extended to all the ship battles and if the alternate fate of the Executor doesn't work out having her bashed to bits by multiple ships makes much more sense than the silly way she goes out in the current form of the film.
What is it with the Empire and it's obsession with building gigantic structures which can be taken out by tiny ships (it worked as a metaphor in ANH but you can only take it so far)?
Or possibly show or suggest Piett (and others) escaping the Executor via escape pods. It would mean re-editing the bridge sequence; you could keep the "conecntrate forward fire power!" line but remove the following scenes wiht the "too late!, A-wing pilot screaming and bad bridge ramming composite. You could take the scene in EMPIRE in the Avenger bridge when they are dodging the other Star Destroyer, but replace the outside view with rebel transports crashing into the hull. Add a scene with "Piett" running off the bridge, add a small hatch on the wall in the hallway leading to the bridge (indicating the presence of escape pods near the bridge) which would lead to the next scene:
- in the scene where you see the Executor begin its downward spiral, show rebel transports kamikazing into it as specs of space pods are jettisoning away from the ship. The point being that to show Piett or another imperial officer shaking the rebel woman general's hand in the Ewok celebration to indicate that Piett or said officer is establishing the first peace and beginning of the new republic - which could then truly justify the "universe-wide" celebration and wrap up the loose ends regarding the rest of the Empire.
I don't know how it could be done (other than taking Piett's head from certain scenes, other shots of an officer shaking someone's hand and other complicated editing and FX work), but to actually make Piett out to be a hero of sorts would give the character some credence (ie, he represents how those in the German army were tiring of the Nazi party and Hitler and wanted a peace with the Allies). Also, it could tie in nicely (as a mirror image of sorts) with how Wedge Antilles is a constant background character who gets some supporting character respect - being that it would help to show that Luke, Han and Leia aren't the only ones with character development and stories to go behind them.
I guess to get the idea of what I am describing, watch the end of METROPOLIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTFMZBDXQUo