Hal 9000

I brought our situation before the Great and Powerful Wizard of ChatGPT. After a few back and forths to really bring its headspace alongside my own on this, it generated this:

Here are a few more options for replacement lines that aim to convey a sense of compelling finality, while still avoiding direct references to the death of Leia’s son:

“Leia sensed that her journey as a Jedi was complete, but her role in the galaxy was just beginning.”
“Leia knew that her time as a Jedi had come to an end, but her destiny was far from over.”
“Leia felt a sense of closure in her Jedi training, knowing that her true purpose lay elsewhere.”
“Leia understood that her path as a Jedi had served its purpose, and that her greater mission lay ahead.”
These lines all suggest a sense of finality in Leia’s Jedi path, but also hint at the idea that her story is far from over and that she has a greater role to play in the galaxy. Depending on your preferences, one of these options could work well to add a bit more depth to the moment while still retaining the original performance.

Once again, it sounds very convincing as the original actor… doing a table read.

I do agree that it seems better to keep the fireside conversation as it is, as least for the main ‘Rey Palpatine’ version, rather than try to sell a dramatic reveal about Leia knowing something that isn’t revelatory.

Does Luke have enough dialogue in TLJ and TROS to train an AI? Even if only to cherry-pick phrases from?

And what about simply, “Leia told me that she had reached the end of her Jedi path”?

lol

I like what it implies, as it matches pre-TROS understanding of Leia’s life story, but it may not match the expression on her face during the flashback. Like they’re sparring and her training is almost done and she’s suddenly like “omg I just sensed that I could probably do more in politics.”

To be fair, TROS:A as it stands doesn’t fare any better.

Yeah. For that line, I’d like to try having it generate the same line as in the current version of the fan edit: “Leia told me she sensed the end of her Jedi path.” Might help smooth it over just like the line from Kylo about having become a dyad.

Congratulations! You’ve put a ludicrous amount of time and effort into this project, and I look forward to watching it with my kids when they get just a little older.

Absolutely. I hope this does sound convincing because it is quite elegant.

Yeah, I like that! I would imagine we’d get away with it more cleanly if we left “because she saw your spirit” alone instead.

But I like the train of thought! It sort of implies that Leia had a sense of danger about Rey as somehow related to the Emperor. Not necessarily as a blood relative but as a potential occupant of his throne.

That or have Luke say, “Well technically you father was just a clone of the Emperor, so you aren’t really related to him, Rey. I think you’ll be fine.”

I edited my last post. Just making sure you see it.

I’m crying. I think that works well, at least written out.

A couple potential alternates:

“Leia sensed the conflict within you.”

“Leia sensed your struggle with the darkness inside you.”

Something to sound less like she is facing an inevitable pull toward darkness which she will never master. I do wonder, though, why this should be news to Rey, given that Luke also sensed her pull to the darkness in TLJ.

Hmm, I don’t know about that. Makes it sound like he’s saying when a Jedi dies they can essentially perform an intel raid and report back.

When I first saw TROS, when Rey said she destroyed Ren’s ship and didn’t have the Wayfinder so she cannot get to Exegol, I anticipated Luke responding with, “Well, you see, when I died and became a ghost I gained omniscience so I can simply tell you how to get there.”

I know Ben Kenobi imparted new, plot-related information to Luke in ROTJ (or just narrowly avoided it, since technically Luke produced the key bit), but I don’t think this is proper for a spirit like this in a story like this.

That’s great, man!

I know when discussing it before, we had floated “birth” of her son instead of death. Might be good to generate that line, as I’m sure someone or other may want it even if I don’t.

It’d also be good to get a few readings of “Lesson three.” Not sure I’ll use it but, again, there’ll be interest.

I’m not sure if something could be done to replace a bit of screen time around the “Leia knew it too.”

Luke: “Because you’re a Palpatine. __________.”

Rey: “She didn’t tell me.”

Luke: “…”

Rey: “She still trained me.”

Luke: “________. Your heart. _________. Some things are stronger than blood. Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi…”

I bet this will help the Rey Nobody version even more.

Them ancient VHS based fan edits of TPM that subtitled Jar Jar would be amazed.

Sounds great!

That’d even tie in nicely when Qui-Gon gives a knowing smile when Boss Nass agrees to help.

Y’know, for an edit that removes meeting Boss Nass at the start of the movie. Like mine.

PM sent

“And also the Bad Batch existed and went on to do things for a while.”

Yeah, it might be clumsy to try to shoehorn that in. We’ve moved away from the answer simply and directly being “somehow,” so I’m good with that.

JJB, would it be easy to send me all these bits of audio you’ve done? And I can see which work and select from there?

Honestly even if it’s just the Kylo lines and “he’s too dangerous” it’ll be a marked improvement to the project.

I think George locked them in a room and wouldn’t let them eat until the whole trilogy was ready.

Really helps that shot of Rey which we have intercutting with Kylo from behind the scenes footage feel finished.

PM sent.

Oh my God, I love that idea, Nev.

“Oh, hello there, Luke. Been quite a while. Let me instruct you on the Force ability to merge your consciousness as you slip into the ethereal realm. There’s a good lad.”

EddieDean said:

Since there’s a little chat of an updated version lately, and I’ve just rewatched the trilogy a couple of times, some thoughts/wishes for consideration:

• Back in the day there was some talk of different colour schemes for new planets on familiar biomes. For my money I’d be interested in a more red/purple Pasaana desert, and maybe a more autumnal or pastel Ajan Kloss.

I’d be open to it but couldn’t make it happen myself. I don’t feel a need for this to happen c though.

• We also talked about Rey’s crackly saber actually shorting out at some point - did anything get finished there?

I think MR was working on it but it never materialized. It’d be cool to have if possible, but okay if not.

• Audio effects suggesting that force healing (“the power to prevent those we love from death”) is more of a darkside power could help explain why it’s not more commonly known or used.

I don’t think that’d be a good idea, as it reads as a kindly or self-sacrificing thing to do which characters always appear “good” when doing.

• I’d love to have Kylo tell Han’s ghost/vision/memory “I love you” before Han replies “I know”, preceding Kylo throwing away his saber. Poetry yes, but also a beautiful inversion of how it was first used.

I prefer it the way it is. Sublime.

• As others have mentioned, it’d be nice to have C-3PO’s memory stay wiped.

If it feels seamless and smooth, I agree.

• A longshot that’s likely dependent on AI, but possibly the only opportunity to answer “a good question for another time” might be to have Lando talk to Maz during the finale celebrations, perhaps: “You did a great job taking care of that lightsaber I entrusted to you, Maz”.

That wouldn’t do anything to answer the question of how it was recovered and I’m not sure how you’d mix that in anyway.

• To make the Dyad feel more deliberately planned, I’d be interested to see the image from TLJ of the black/white yinyang being from the stone pool in Luke’s temple flash up at a sensible point - “we’ve become a Dyad” perhaps?

The only occasions in the movie that it would feel natural would be removed from that context.

• The Jedi texts also provide an opportunity to imply in-universe existence of both Dyads (an image like the yinyang being?) and soul transferrence (though I appreciate that’s more of a Sith power), via a method similar to Neverargreat’s drawing of Rey’s island from TFA:Starlight

Do we get a look at multiple pages of the book, or just the one with a drawing of a wayfinder? If there’s another page visible and someone wanted to add a yin-yang, I could use it. But I don’t have any strong feelings on this one.

• Might there be a way to improve on “I made Snoke”? Perhaps “I trained Snoke. A puppet designed to make you who I needed you to be.”?

Hard to imagine an AI delivering his dialogue in a theatrical way. Also, I like the ambiguity of “I made Snoke,” so it works well with this edit’s implication and any subsequent SW material.

• I’d remove the Rey/Kylo kiss, and Lando’s weird scene with Jannah, but I’m sure you’ve got a good reason for keeping those.

It’s the only scrap of sex we get in the whole trilogy, and culminates their double orbit. Wouldn’t want to remove Lando and Jannah, though it’d make more sense if we had the deleted scene of Lando describing losing a daughter.

• It’d also be nice to, via VFX, see a bit more of the First Order merged with the Final Order - via the odd shot of First Order white stormtroopers, officers, and starships in appropriate shots.

Yeah, it hurts my brain to try to untangle the plot mechanics involved in the First and Final Orders, at least as we’ve augmented their relationship somewhat. Ideally Palpatine and his cultists should be depicted to be as small as possible, with their Imperial stockpile being their ace in the hole. And Palpatine makes his play to bring the First Order under his control, having set it up by proxy. In TROS it seems like Palpatine reveals himself, saying “lol wow look how much I have, makes the First Order seem puny” and not “now I claim the First Order I set up in order to man this fleet.”