"I have to say I was amazed by the effectiveness of the rough edit in this thread that panned down to Degobah from the crawl and showed Luke in training with Yoda. THAT is what I wanted ROTJ to start like. Then Vader hunting Luke. Yes! That's what this movie was supposed to be about. It feels to me like you have the ingredients of a miracle there, but I don't know from vfx and can only wish it were in your power."

I spent a couple of weeks playing around with Luke using the Force to build his lightsaber. It was supposed to harken back to Yoda lifting the X-wing from the swamp, and be a sort of emotional sequel to that scene, with Luke now showing himself the master. I love the idea (Ben Danger's idea, if I recall correctly). Ben kindly let me use it in the edit, but the special effects shots looked just plain awful no matter what I did. I just couldn't get the lightsaber parts to look like they were within the scene. I'm sure someone with After Effects skills could get it right (Adywan no doubt could in his sleep). But it was just a horrible execution of a fantastic idea, so unfortunately it had to go.

There was also the created "problem", if that scene is included, of there being no need for the lightsaber deleted scene in the cave, a scene I like, and one that nicely transitions from Vader on the DS to Tatooine - far more elegantly so than the theatrical version. And obviously it plays into the primary theme of this edit: the Luke and Vader conflict. Although I suppose you could argue he was just testing it with his screwdriver or whatever, to make sure the screws were in right, before heading to Jabba's, where he knew he'd have to use it.

But I wouldn't want to cut that deleted scene, and arguably it was superfluous so long as the other scene was in. IMO that deleted scene should never have been cut in the first place. It's mind blowing that ROTJ has so much extraneous BS throughout and they cut a genuine moment between protagonist and antagonist.

"Regarding the Ben scene, I have always disliked it as well. But in the placement where it would fall on Endor, it actually brings a narrative boost-- just when Luke needs to see Ben. I would venture to suggest a version where Ben says something new, recutting what is there to work with. I think it might be that he hints at Leia's relationship to him and then Luke puts it together, or Ben avoids the subject altogether."

I can see your point, for sure. My concern is about how those Endor scenes between landing on the moon and Luke surrendering to Vader are already the slowest and dullest part of the edit, and I'm not sure I'd want to put Ben's exposition and over-explaining in the middle of that slowness. But making that scene (somehow... no idea how other than the use of more ominous music) one that confirms to Luke how alone he really is in this battle would be a good step forward. But I definitely wouldn't want to include the Leia as sister exposition portion of the conversation. I like that Luke comes to that realisation himself, as evidence of his growing Force intuition.

"Sorry to be pitching you ideas you have already discarded. I realize I'm doing that and can only hope you see I'm not trying to be argumentative."

I don't think you're being argumentative at all. It's interesting to read your perspective.