brimforge said:
So I had a "radical" idea for both the OT and the PT (in making it less redundant and connection it more together):
first I would drop the second Deathstar - moving the battle to Coruscant (to the end of RotJ), like it was meant in the "first draft" - the duel would then be on the planet or inside, what works best.
as an alternative to removing the half-finished DS, there could be 2(!) - one unfinished, more open (maybe just the super-laser) and one finished (hidden in off-sight) There should not be the complete imperial fleet in orbit.
Connecting with the PT: maybe replace the droid-control-ships with "space/battle-stations" (foreshadowing the first DS)
instead of just showing the plans for the "ultimate weapon", let them build a prototype, not as refined and big as the real DS, but close enough for Obi-Wan to recognize years later, how similar in design ...
Some have suggested keeping the Endor stuff as is, but making it the moon of Coruscant. It's already stated to be a moon, so not that much of a stretch to make it a moon of somewhere else. I seem to recall reading that in the original draft, this was indeed the case.
Personally, I would LOVE to see the second DS kept (that half built aesthetic is really iconic), but make it less blatant from the start. Its existence ought to have been a surprise and it should be revealed later in the film when the Rebels are launching their assault (on Coruscant). The DS being there at all is the "TRAP" then, rather than it being about it being operational. The Endor shield generator would have to be repurposed to be for a planetary shield around Coruscant rather than the one protecting the DS.
This would also mean the first shot in the movie being changed so the shuttle approaches Coruscant instead. The docking bay it lands in can be repurposed to be on the surface of the planet (in a base, or palace). The approach to the planet would necessitate some pretty heavy CG animation though.
ROTJ's opening really needed something fresh and new that we'd never seen before, and finally seeing the Imperial world would have fitted the bill nicely. Instead, we got a rehash of ANH's opening. What the hell were they thinking?