The New Republic Movie Series EPIV: A Threat From Beyond (An Ahsoka Series Edit) [RELEASED] — Page 2

I am enjoying the Ahsoka series so far. You can tell, Feloni had a great mentor as the series treads on familiar ground but manages to feel completely new. I also really like that Feloni is bringing us the Witches of Dathomir to live action, giving it a proper dark theme with occult-like and medieval elements. I agree with what has been said about the show however. The longer expositions in some scenes could be trimmed down but it needs to have the right balance. It might be overbearing for the viewer if the story moves too quickly.I don’t like whiplash films à la JJ Abrams. The films needs to maintain the sense of adventure for the viewer. What I liked about the pilot episode for example was when Ahsoka was on the mission to locate the map. The way it was directed and shot reminded me of how much I enjoy the original Indiana Jones trilogy. The feeling of discovery and being part of an adventure, without having a character explain everything directly to you, is imo great direction.
Smudger, I am a huge fan of your Mando cuts and have no doubt that you’ll nail a fantastic Ahsoka film. Adding the OG Star Wars crawl aligns it with the remaining films of the entire SW saga and I’m all for keeping the introduction of Baylan and Shin. The feeling of watching Star Wars in excitement is baked into that introduction alone and would be amiss if it wasn’t included. That reminds me, I think I had mentioned in the past that it would have been a good idea to keep most of Ashoka’s actions in your Mando cut. I believe you were working on runtime and your focus was to trim down the film as much as possible. I think Ahsoka’s Mando Episode is highly important now as it gives us a view into how she confronted and captured Morgan Elsbeth. I’m not sure if or how you’ll tackle that because it will also bring back the spear made of Beskar, Din obtains.
Lastly, I might be the only one to say that I liked the red opening crawl. It felt dark and ominous and signaled the start of a new era in my eyes. Though, it would also be a shame if it wasn’t replaced by the famous SW crawl. It has a character of its own and would surely be missed.

szopman said:

smudger9 said:

szopman said:

Smudger9, did you maybe consider combining Ahsoka and “The Mandalorian” into one film series?

It seems eventually all those shows will lead to one big crossover event - Dave Filoni’s movie.

Plus, Ahsoka already appeared in your previous “Mando” films and Thrawn’s return was hinted there before.

So, if you made them all just “Star Wars” films, this one would just be a continuation of some storylines that started in the previous stories.

Absolutely. Lucasfilm updated their Eras timeline this week so I’ll probably go with “The New Republic” as the logo for these. I’ll wait for the end of the Ahsoka series before committing to this and I’ll also need to tinker with my Mando S2 to include the now essential Ahsoka/Morgan confrontation.

EP1: Mando S1
EP2: Mando S2
EP3: Ahsoka S1 P1
EP4: Ahsoka S2 P2
EP5: BOBF
EP6: Mando S3

EP1: Mando S1
EP2: Mando S2
EP3: Ahsoka S1 P1
EP4: Ahsoka S2 P2
EP5: BOBF
EP6: Mando S3

Did you consider maybe intercutting Ahsoka with TBOBF and Mando s03 to have one coherent story with the same protagonists?
If I remember correctly, you weren’t 100% happy with the Mando/Ahsoka/Luke stuff being the last act of your third Mando movie.

Maybe you could make it the beginning of the -let’s call it-movie4? We have there Ahsoka and Mando meeting, Mando and Grogu reunion and from there, both protagonists, Ahsoka and Mando go their way and in both storylines, the return of Thrawn is heavily mentioned. And in both storylines we have Carson as a recurring character. So maybe it would make sense to make it two movies with Ahsoka and Mando stories intercutting (like the one you did with Boba and Mando) with the big finale being probably the return of the admiral Thrawn.

Or just add the Luke/Ahsoka/Mando part to the movie 4, as a prologue, and then add some scenes from the first episope of “Ahsoka” to your movie edit of Mando s03. You could even end it with a nice cliffhanger, of Baylon and Shin rescuing Morgan and then the next movie could be Ahsoka-centered.

The problem with that plan is that the two storylines don’t come back together. Whilst it may work in terms of having a chronological cut, it wouldn’t really work for a movie ending.

c0rpze said:

I am enjoying the Ahsoka series so far. You can tell, Feloni had a great mentor as the series treads on familiar ground but manages to feel completely new. I also really like that Feloni is bringing us the Witches of Dathomir to live action, giving it a proper dark theme with occult-like and medieval elements. I agree with what has been said about the show however. The longer expositions in some scenes could be trimmed down but it needs to have the right balance. It might be overbearing for the viewer if the story moves too quickly.I don’t like whiplash films à la JJ Abrams. The films needs to maintain the sense of adventure for the viewer. What I liked about the pilot episode for example was when Ahsoka was on the mission to locate the map. The way it was directed and shot reminded me of how much I enjoy the original Indiana Jones trilogy. The feeling of discovery and being part of an adventure, without having a character explain everything directly to you, is imo great direction.
Smudger, I am a huge fan of your Mando cuts and have no doubt that you’ll nail a fantastic Ahsoka film. Adding the OG Star Wars crawl aligns it with the remaining films of the entire SW saga and I’m all for keeping the introduction of Baylan and Shin. The feeling of watching Star Wars in excitement is baked into that introduction alone and would be amiss if it wasn’t included. That reminds me, I think I had mentioned in the past that it would have been a good idea to keep most of Ashoka’s actions in your Mando cut. I believe you were working on runtime and your focus was to trim down the film as much as possible. I think Ahsoka’s Mando Episode is highly important now as it gives us a view into how she confronted and captured Morgan Elsbeth. I’m not sure if or how you’ll tackle that because it will also bring back the spear made of Beskar, Din obtains.
Lastly, I might be the only one to say that I liked the red opening crawl. It felt dark and ominous and signaled the start of a new era in my eyes. Though, it would also be a shame if it wasn’t replaced by the famous SW crawl. It has a character of its own and would surely be missed.

The Ahsoka/Morgan Elspeth confrontation will definitely need to be put back in now 😞. It doesn’t impact the running time of EP2 too much, I just didn’t like how it slowed down the primary plot of Mando seeking the Jedi. I have been toying with cutting Din from the scene and using it as the opening scene of the Ahsoka movie. However, it doesn’t solve the Beskar spear plot hole and it doesn’t quite flow well enough with the Ahsoka series.

Maybe there would be some way to cut almost completely the first 2 episodes and sum it up in the opening crawl? Like, leave the introduction of Baylon and Shin, mention in the crawl that the bad guys are in the possession of very important map to Ezra, and that Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine want to find it. The Ahsoka/Sabine stuff can basically start from the scene which was the recreation of the Rebels epilogue.

Then the stuff from 1x03 is enough to establish their master/student background and dynamics. Of course in that episode there is also some stuff that could and should be cut 😄

This way you could reduce the first 3 episodes into a 20-30min prologue.

szopman said:

Maybe there would be some way to cut almost completely the first 2 episodes and sum it up in the opening crawl? Like, leave the introduction of Baylon and Shin, mention in the crawl that the bad guys are in the possession of very important map to Ezra, and that Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine want to find it. The Ahsoka/Sabine stuff can basically start from the scene which was the recreation of the Rebels epilogue.

Then the stuff from 1x03 is enough to establish their master/student background and dynamics. Of course in that episode there is also some stuff that could and should be cut 😄

This way you could reduce the first 3 episodes into a 20-30min prologue.

That sounds interesting!

That would also allow us to postpone the prison break, without messing up too much.
Without the appearance of the Dark Jedi, the incident on Corellia would appear less urgent, thus explaining the reluctance of the senators to aid the investigation. Maybe that could make the absence of any OT characters feel less contrived.

I agree. The more episodes we see, the more it moves towards a single movie. Annoyingly I think it will end up being sat between one and two movies. CrossVader is correct in that episodes 4/5 work as either an ESB-style ending or a middle act of a single movie, but its doubtful that episodes 6 to 8 will be enough for one movie.

I don’t like the idea of a really harsh cut of the first 2 episodes, because I love the introduction of the characters and there is some essential exposition in there, particularly if you haven’t seen Rebels.

I’m currently working with a faster paced edit of the first 2 episodes with the Correlia scenes cut. Sabine examines the droid head and reveals that it came from Seatos. This gets us to Seatos after 55mins. The next challenge is really tightening up episodes 3 to 5 which I think could be condensed down to about 45min, leaving an hour for the last 3 episodes… might be doable!

smudger9 said:

I agree. The more episodes we see, the more it moves towards a single movie. Annoyingly I think it will end up being sat between one and two movies. CrossVader is correct in that episodes 4/5 work as either an ESB-style ending or a middle act of a single movie, but its doubtful that episodes 6 to 8 will be enough for one movie.

I don’t like the idea of a really harsh cut of the first 2 episodes, because I love the introduction of the characters and there is some essential exposition in there, particularly if you haven’t seen Rebels.

I’m currently working with a faster paced edit of the first 2 episodes with the Correlia scenes cut. Sabine examines the droid head and reveals that it came from Seatos. This gets us to Seatos after 55mins. The next challenge is really tightening up episodes 3 to 5 which I think could be condensed down to about 45min, leaving an hour for the last 3 episodes… might be doable!

It’s your project and of course you will edit it the way you feel works best for you, but, I’m really surprised that you prefer to cut heavily eps 3-5 (especially that she far eps 4 and 5 seem to be the best ones of the 5 released eps) instead of the episode 1 and 2.

I think that even if you cut 90% of those first two eps, you can still have the introduction of Baylon and Shin. Regarding the introduction of the Rebels crew and the dynamics between Ahsoka and Sabine, I really believe that the episode 3 have it all. In my opinion, those who already know Rebels, won’t be confused at all, they know too well who’s who. And those who never watched Rebels - well, I think that they will feel they missed something anyway (in whatever format they choose to watch “Ahsoka”).

But again, your previous edits proved that you know what you’re doing 😉

Also, luckily, there s a lot of useless material that can be easily cut from the episode 5 ( we don’t really need those long and slow scenes with Jacen and Hera). One short scene with Jacen sensing Ahsoka would be enough. I think that this episode can be cut to 25-30min without a problem.

Then, if you decided to do a more “harsh” cut of the first two episodes, and considering some necessary cuts and trims for eps 3 and 4, you’d probably have a nice 60-70min I act (/1st half) of the movie. Then, there would be less to cut from eps 6-8 which will probably be the most crucial ones (I imagine that the creme de la creme will be those 3 last episodes).

Anyway, I ll be happy to check this edit anyway once it comes out as the show itself is not really rewatchable for me so far 😉

Warhorn said:

Honestly, I don’t care what approach Smudger has decided to take with this edit. Having seen all of his previous work with live-actions series I have blind confidence in his judgment when deciding what stays and what doesn’t. He always cuts things that seem essential to me until I watch his movies straight away and I understand that that’s not the case. He simply has a gift.

Looking forward with infinite desire to see his work with Ahsoka.

Definitely 😉 I’ve been following his work since the first TCW movie series trailer. He already made some SW content that I previously disliked a lot, a watchable and enjoyable experience.

szopman said:

smudger9 said:

I agree. The more episodes we see, the more it moves towards a single movie. Annoyingly I think it will end up being sat between one and two movies. CrossVader is correct in that episodes 4/5 work as either an ESB-style ending or a middle act of a single movie, but its doubtful that episodes 6 to 8 will be enough for one movie.

I don’t like the idea of a really harsh cut of the first 2 episodes, because I love the introduction of the characters and there is some essential exposition in there, particularly if you haven’t seen Rebels.

I’m currently working with a faster paced edit of the first 2 episodes with the Correlia scenes cut. Sabine examines the droid head and reveals that it came from Seatos. This gets us to Seatos after 55mins. The next challenge is really tightening up episodes 3 to 5 which I think could be condensed down to about 45min, leaving an hour for the last 3 episodes… might be doable!

It’s your project and of course you will edit it the way you feel works best for you, but, I’m really surprised that you prefer to cut heavily eps 3-5 (especially that she far eps 4 and 5 seem to be the best ones of the 5 released eps) instead of the episode 1 and 2.

I think that even if you cut 90% of those first two eps, you can still have the introduction of Baylon and Shin. Regarding the introduction of the Rebels crew and the dynamics between Ahsoka and Sabine, I really believe that the episode 3 have it all. In my opinion, those who already know Rebels, won’t be confused at all, they know too well who’s who. And those who never watched Rebels - well, I think that they will feel they missed something anyway (in whatever format they choose to watch “Ahsoka”).

But again, your previous edits proved that you know what you’re doing 😉

Also, luckily, there s a lot of useless material that can be easily cut from the episode 5 ( we don’t really need those long and slow scenes with Jacen and Hera). One short scene with Jacen sensing Ahsoka would be enough. I think that this episode can be cut to 25-30min without a problem.

Then, if you decided to do a more “harsh” cut of the first two episodes, and considering some necessary cuts and trims for eps 3 and 4, you’d probably have a nice 60-70min I act (/1st half) of the movie. Then, there would be less to cut from eps 6-8 which will probably be the most crucial ones (I imagine that the creme de la creme will be those 3 last episodes).

Anyway, I ll be happy to check this edit anyway once it comes out as the show itself is not really rewatchable for me so far 😉

I just feel that as far as a movie structure is concerned, the first one and a half episodes give us a perfect first act, which I’ve edited down to 60mins.

• Intro to the villains
• Step-wise introduction to our three main heroes (Ahsoka, Hera & Sabine) with crucial backstory.
• References to Thrawn and Ezra who will (presumably) be the centre of act 3.
• Our first Villain-Hero confrontation where the villain wins.
• Sabine and Ahsoka reuniting in a call to action.

Episodes 3, 4 and 5 don’t actually do much legwork in terms of the story, the pace is really slow and there is a lot of scene repetition. A slower-paced second act is what I always aim for, but not quite this slow. In those 3 episodes all that needs to happen is:

• A short Jedi training sequence.
• Our heroes discover the villains’ plan (hyperdrive).
• Thay fail in their attempt to retrieve the map and prevent the villains from using the hyperdrive.
• The Villains escape.
• Ahsoka has an epiphany.

It really isnt much and should occupy no more than 45mins of screentime, unfortunately the episodes are constructed in a way that makes cutting out the required material very difficult. Ashoka’s costume change in EP3 is a big annoyance.

I have uploaded a first cut of act 1 if anyone is interested in a viewing and offering feedback. All welcome.

Warhorn said:

I would love to see that first cut! Could I have a link please? 😃

Cheers Warhorn. PM Sent

WitchDR said:

Would love to check out the first cut!

Cheers!

I’d be happy to check it out too 😉

So, I could watch only the first ~40min.
Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to watch the rest until the weekend.

Nevertheless, I wanted to share some insights:
-above all, I love how you edited the fight between Sabine and Shin. Now its way better, Sabine still got injured but she doesn’t get impaled with the lightsaber. Once again you proved what a skillfull and creative editor you are! 😉 Great job!
-overall, I’m happy with all the unnecessary stuff you cut. Tho I still believe that almost everything from those two eps could be cut 😄

I also wanted to comment the opening crawl and the title.
-I think that the white “Ahsoka” logo doesn’t compose well with the rest of the crawl. Maybe it would be possible to make it yellow, as the rest of the crawl? Alternatively, you could just name Star Wars: Heir to the Empire.
-btw, talking about the title, I don’t mind it, but it’s very probable that Dave Filoni’s movie will end up being titled “Heir to the Empire”. So maybe it’d be good to find some alternative title.
-Also, since you will probably end up with only one movie for “Ahsoka”, and considering the fact that this is a limited series, with no plans for s02 (for now at least), maybe it would make more sense to skip “Episode I” part for now? Again, it could be just “Star Wars - Ahsoka - HTTE” or “Star Wars - HTTE”.

Tbh I think the original “Ahsoka” crawl wasn’t bad, maybe you’d reconsider using it? Or just to modify it/create a similar one instead of the classic SW yellow one?

And regarding your previous answer to my post, I think that you are right that story-wise those episodes make a good first act (especially if you aim to create a coherent, 3-act movie).
Tho entertainment-wise, those episodes would be out xD

I guess 2nd and 3rd acts will be more tricky, as the episodes 4 and 5, although far from perfect, have a lot of cool content that are the kind of entertainment that the SW fans love. I’m wondering if it’s even possible to reduce them to less than 50-55min (the robots fight, Baylan vs Ahsoka, Baylan/Sabine, Anakin stuff, Ahsoka the white reborn, the whole space whales stuff).

I’m very curious to see how it all will end up (both the show and your movie edit) 😉

szopman said:

So, I could watch only the first ~40min.
Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to watch the rest until the weekend.

Nevertheless, I wanted to share some insights:
-above all, I love how you edited the fight between Sabine and Shin. Now its way better, Sabine still got injured but she doesn’t get impaled with the lightsaber. Once again you proved what a skillfull and creative editor you are! 😉 Great job!
-overall, I’m happy with all the unnecessary stuff you cut. Tho I still believe that almost everything from those two eps could be cut 😄

I also wanted to comment the opening crawl and the title.
-I think that the white “Ahsoka” logo doesn’t compose well with the rest of the crawl. Maybe it would be possible to make it yellow, as the rest of the crawl? Alternatively, you could just name Star Wars: Heir to the Empire.
-btw, talking about the title, I don’t mind it, but it’s very probable that Dave Filoni’s movie will end up being titled “Heir to the Empire”. So maybe it’d be good to find some alternative title.
-Also, since you will probably end up with only one movie for “Ahsoka”, and considering the fact that this is a limited series, with no plans for s02 (for now at least), maybe it would make more sense to skip “Episode I” part for now? Again, it could be just “Star Wars - Ahsoka - HTTE” or “Star Wars - HTTE”.

Tbh I think the original “Ahsoka” crawl wasn’t bad, maybe you’d reconsider using it? Or just to modify it/create a similar one instead of the classic SW yellow one?

And regarding your previous answer to my post, I think that you are right that story-wise those episodes make a good first act (especially if you aim to create a coherent, 3-act movie).
Tho entertainment-wise, those episodes would be out xD

I guess 2nd and 3rd acts will be more tricky, as the episodes 4 and 5, although far from perfect, have a lot of cool content that are the kind of entertainment that the SW fans love. I’m wondering if it’s even possible to reduce them to less than 50-55min (the robots fight, Baylan vs Ahsoka, Baylan/Sabine, Anakin stuff, Ahsoka the white reborn, the whole space whales stuff).

I’m very curious to see how it all will end up (both the show and your movie edit)! 😉

One last loose thought - since it’s Ahsoka’s story and it’s basically the TCW/Rebels live action sequel, maybe this time you could use the end credits music from TCW instead of the classic one from the movies ?

Sorry for double post, dont know how to merge them 😭