Jar Jar Bricks

I was able to upscale the video of the hand to 1080p so it shouldn’t look as sketchy now. Might have to put some slight film grain over the clip in order to blend it, though.

Here is what I’m leaning toward for the dialogue (will generate it this weekend). I wanted to make sure it was clearer and easier to understand for a very casual viewer of Star Wars:

“Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story… Your father stole Ochi’s ship to escape from Exegol. He took your lightsaber from there, too. But he sold it, because he couldn’t use the Force. So Palpatine granted Ochi revenge…”

I’m going to double-post. Sorry, not sorry lol.

Two more things that I’ve been running through my head over the past week or so.

1. Palpatine says: “Long have I waited…” and can’t clarify what he has waited so long for because in this version he hasn’t known about Rey until relatively recently. I may try and create a Palpatine AI voice model to say something like “For a worthy heir to the Sith” or “I knew you could defeat Kylo Ren”. Recall that his following line will now be reinstated - “I never wanted you dead, I wanted you here, with me, Empress Palpatine”.

2. Half of the scene immediately after the destruction of Kijimi is technically usable even with Kijimi’s exclusion. All that happens is Palps blasts a message to the whole galaxy to surrender or die, and Poe is notified that Leia made him General. Do we think that Palps doing this is a stupid move, or does it make the civilian fleet showing up make more sense? I’m just curious on people’s thoughts regarding this small scene. It would lead right into Poe going to Leia’s body.

On a thematic level, it may feel better if people don’t rise up simply because Palpatine is threatening them, but rather because Luke’s legend has inspired them to stand up against any possible threat. Logistically though, it’s impossible that Lando personally reached out to so many people regarding the situation lol.

Alright, through some clever re-ordering of scenes, I think I can just completely avoid Finn talking about Ochi needing to go to Jakku to find Rey. I think it’s really important to not muddy up that sequence of events any more than it already is - Ochi should never know about Rey thanks to her parents protecting her with their lives. I think it works much better if we assume Palpatine only realizes Rey is his granddaughter during the sequels themselves. So here’s how it would work:

The last scene before we go to Rey on Ahch-To is when Finn and D-0 talk about missing Rey. Finn says: “So what’s your name?” and then we go right into the Ahch-To sequence.

When we come back from there, and do the Threepio memory restoration scene, we slip in the scene where Poe promotes Finn and Finn says that D-0 has a bunch of information on Exegol. Instead of then talking about Ochi for no reason, we go right into them learning that information. Here is a rough test of how this would work:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nSoEkH1KPgiF0IE_qD9f8dUm7DBsrq9p/view?usp=sharing

I’d probably just remove the music from the scene I moved over so that it transitions into the next part more smoothly.

Do we think I’d need a longer shot of the hand earlier in the movie in order for the lightsaber reveal to land correctly? Or does the blue bacta already make it stand out enough?

I would likely need to remove the brief shot of the attendant at a red tank just before the second shot that I modified. So it would be a long shot of the hand before the shot of the Palpatine clone vat. I’m trying to avoid having to mess with the audio mix at all costs lol.

EDIT: I think the previous shot is long enough that I could shorten it slightly, placing more emphasis on the next shot. See below for a slightly extended version:
https://youtu.be/j_30T77lxXM

I can definitely do that, and considered it initially. There are three reasons I went the way I did:

1. All canon instances of a bacta tank are blue. Palpatine’s clones don’t need a bacta tank, they’re fresh tissue, which is why they’re this new Sith red type.
2. In the canon comics, Luke’s hand is kept in a blue receptacle like this one.
3. Because the clip is so brief, I DID want it to stand out. If you’ll notice, there is a red glow on the blue tank from a nearby red tank, so it at least matches its surroundings.

If enough people want the red tank I could be convinced, though.

Back to the lines, I think it’s important to clarify that Ochi was never on Jakku. This edit is intended to be paired with one where her parents being buried on Jakku is never mentioned in TLJ. It’s honestly kind of wild that Ochi never notices the screaming child in his rear view mirror and put the pieces together. There’s also a lot of dead space during these lines in the original movie, so a little bit of extra dialogue would fit.

Kylo: “Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story… Your father stole Ochi’s ship to escape Exegol. He took your lightsaber from there, too. But he sold it, because he couldn’t use the Force. So Palpatine granted Ochi revenge…”
Flashback where he stabs her father and then approaches her mother to do the same
Rey: “No!”
Kylo: “So that’s where you are… The Emperor wants one of us to take the throne.”

This explains how her father could escape Exegol in the first place without flying a day in his life and no Force skills - he took the only vessel on Exegol that had a Sith Wayfinder on board. This also explains why Rey touching the Skywalker blade would trigger a flashback of her being left behind - the lightsaber could have been on board her parent’s ship.

I could technically work this concept in with what I’ve currently got. But maybe it would require a longer shot of the hand earlier in the movie to land correctly. After all, this is the only unanswered question in the entire trilogy and has a horrible line that goes along with it: “A good question, for another time”.

Old:

Kylo: “Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story… It was Palpatine who had your parents taken. He was looking for your father. But your father was a powerless failure. So he gave the order…”
Rey: “No!”
Kylo: “So that’s where you are… the Emperor wants one of us to take the throne.”

New:

Kylo: “Tell me where you are. You don’t know the whole story… Your father had escaped Exegol with your lightsaber. He sold it, because he couldn’t touch the Force. So Palpatine sent an assassin…”
Rey: “No!”
Kylo: “So that’s where you are… The Emperor wants one of us to take the throne.”

This creates the impression that perhaps her parents were merely Sith cultists that wanted out. The reveal later in the hangar that her father is Palpatine’s son makes this previous reveal even more distressing to Rey. So a reveal on top of a reveal. I deliberately made Kylo’s dialogue vague enough to suggest that Palpatine could have sent an assassin because her father couldn’t use the Force, which is of course the real reason, and not merely for taking the Skywalker blade.

It’s from the canon Vader comics that it’s on Exegol. One of the last lines said by Palps before this moment is “I made Snoke”. Without the vat of Snokes (which doesn’t make sense because Snoke should have been his own one-time creation), the hand is meant to explain the source of the majority of Snoke’s DNA. It also canonically helped in the creation of Palpatine’s clones, like how Grogu’s blood was wanted in The Mandalorian.

My personal head canon is that both the Skywalker blade and the hand made their way to Exegol. Perhaps one of the Emperor’s agents was spying on Vader during Cloud City and managed to get both of them. When Rey’s father escapes Exegol, he takes the Skywalker blade with him. He trades it off and it ends up in Maz’s possession. This is why the Skywalker blade calls to Rey, as her father rescued it from the Sith.

Alirghty, I finally have something of substance to share! What do we think of this?

https://youtu.be/v2LSqXSdR18

I realize that it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but that was my intention. I don’t think AI video can hold up outside of that. Any feedback would be appreciated here nonetheless.

With how (relatively) easy it was for me to do this, I am wondering if there are any other small moments I can adjust to enhance the film. I’d appreciate any ideas in that regard as well.

Technically every act of consumption we take harms the environment. The amount of computer power it takes to render all the CGI for a movie like Avatar is insane. Even powering your home harms the environment. All to differing degrees of power consumption, of course, but it’s my understanding that large language models are the worst in this regard. ElevenLabs is significantly less power-hungry, I’d bet.

If I could get a direct line to Mark Hamill or Daisy Ridley for permission, that would be fantastic. But actors are busy people. As for the ones that have passed away, the same issue applies to contacting their families, I suppose.

Anywho, I don’t want to derail this thread with arguments for or against the use of AI, so this will be my last post on the matter in this thread.

I think if a project that explained his absence already existed (could even be Clone Wars animated for all I care) I would exclude his FG. But since it doesn’t currently, there’s a bunch of unanswered questions that arise for a more casual audience member if Ben doesn’t show up as a FG. Like Hal said, as soon as it’s explained in a canon show or movie, I think we’d remove it. Less likely if it’s just a comic or book, personally.

For now I’m operating off the idea that the Ben Solo movie has been completely cancelled. So his Force ghost will remain.

Hal 9000 said:

I will point out, however, that onscreen Star Wars has certainly not shied away from heavy use of AI-generated dialogue. So… yeah. On the other hand, I get it, though.

Also worth pointing out that none of this is for-profit. It would be very different if we were profiting off of the AI edits (see the channels on YouTube for blatant examples of this).

Also, it’s not as if this is replacing anybody’s jobs. Either this tool would be used, or we’d have less creative choices for edits.

With this edit I definitely started out wanting to change big things like that but I’ve come to the conclusion that the best fan edits are the ones that don’t change story beats, but rather enhance what is already there. It’s more challenging and fun that way to me.

Plus, I’d want this to be compatible with whatever post sequel trilogy content we get right out of the box. Like, if for some reason the Ben Solo movie is no longer cancelled, they will almost certainly begin that movie with a sequence clarifying how Ben comes back to life.

Oh yeah, it’s also got the Caretaker Village sequence reinstated along with a couple of their other appearances. I think it’s important how that scene demonstrates that intervention is not always in the best interest of the galaxy, and even when it is the Jedi are usually not allowed to intervene due to their beliefs. It’s one of the only critiques Luke has in the movie that can’t really be refuted.

TLJ: Rekindled is my go-to but I’ve made a couple of changes to my personal copy of it, namely Ben Kenobi telling Luke to “let go” before Luke dies. His death doesn’t feel as bad if you create the impression that Luke voluntarily ascended because he knew his legend would do the work from there.

Thought I’d compile all of the dialogue I’m planning on using for feedback before I re-generate some of it:

Vader/Palpy Duel on Starkiller Base memory:
Kylo: You were never real.
Vader: And yet your fear remains… we both know who is more powerful.
They fight and Kylo loses.
Vader: The girl bested you in this place. You are unworthy!
Kylo impales Vader.
Vader: You are no Sith.
Kylo: I know.

Replace Kylo Ren’s line: “Palpatine wants you dead” with “Palpatine wants us to fight.”

Luke/Kylo Scene:
Luke: The dark side has failed you, Ben… like it failed my father.
Kylo: Anakin was weak.
Luke: His love for his family saved him. I wish it could save you, too.
Kylo: This family made me what I am.
Luke: You chose hate.
Kylo: I chose power!

Dyad Duel:
Kylo: It was Palpatine who had your parents taken. He was looking for your father. But your father was a powerless failure. So he gave the order…
Parent death flashback minus the line about Jakku since Ochi doesn’t even know about Rey yet
Rey: No!
Kylo: So that’s where you are… the Emperor wants one of us to take the throne.
Rey: No…!
Kylo: I’ll come tell you why.

Later in the hangar (while they’re circling each other in silence):
Kylo: Rey… I know why Palpatine wants us to fight for the Sith throne.
Rey: Tell me.
Kylo: Because he saw what you would become. You don’t just have power. You have his power. You’re his granddaughter. Your father was the son of the Emperor. My mother was the daughter of Vader. What Palpatine doesn’t know is we’re a dyad in the Force, Rey. Two, that are one. We’ll kill him. Together. And make a New Order.

Finn & Poe Scene:
Finn: “He was going to Exegol with Ochi of Bestoon.”
Poe: “Why was Ochi going there?”
Finn: “To bring the little girl he was supposed to take from Jakku, to the Emperor. His dagger revealed Rey.”

Ahch-To Scene:
Rey: “…I’m doing what you did.”
Luke: “I was wrong. The galaxy needed a legend to rise above its fear. What are you most afraid of?”
My goal with this new line is to not have Luke admit to being a coward by being on Ahch-To, because he genuinely believed that Jedi involvement would make the situation worse. With this new line, we’re referring to the galaxy being too fearful to show up in Crait, and only Luke and the Jedi’s legendary status being enough to inspire them. Luke was wrong about what was best for the galaxy, but he was NOT a coward himself!

Luke Dialogue to Ben (when Rey is dead):
Luke: “Refuse the hate, Ben… Breathe… just breathe.”

Count Dooku was originally supposed to reveal that he had Anakin’s mother killed in Episode 3. Of course, that would mean Palpatine had it done by proxy.

The original Episode 3 script was kinda wild in that way. Palpatine would essentially be Anakin’s dad because he created him through the midichlorians, he orchestrated his mother’s death, and was planting the visions of Padme’s death. I think in the end George probably felt that this was too far and took away Anakin’s own agency in his tragedy.

I had a legitimate shower thought today. Did people in 1980 hypothesize that Obi-Wan genuinely thought he was telling Luke the truth about his father? So Darth’s reveal to Luke is just as devastating to Ben as it is to Luke.

What I mean by this is, what if George Lucas had gone a different direction and revealed in Episode 6 that Darth Vader (still a separate apprentice of Obi-Wan in this continuity) had an affair with Anakin Skywalker’s wife while he was out fighting the war? Darth betrayed his friend by doing this and then killed him when he learned the truth. And Obi-Wan was never made aware that Luke’s mom did this, naturally assuming that Luke is Anakin’s son. I guess the Emperor would need to be none-the-wiser, as well.

This would have ultimately been significantly less of a retcon than what we got. The ending of the original trilogy would have ended up exactly how the sequel trilogy went, with Luke rejecting the last name of Vader and taking on the name of Skywalker in honor of Obi-Wan’s friend.

EDIT: Nevermind, I just remembered that a part of Vader’s reveal to Luke is that he refutes ever killing Luke’s father, and states that Luke doesn’t know the truth of what happened to him. So this wouldn’t have been something people thought of after seeing ESB, unless they thought Vader was lying about only that one part of the reveal. Still, this idea could have worked if it had been implemented into ESB itself to be less of a retcon.

Yes, what I posted above are just 2 new changes that I’d like to see implemented.

I’m planning on making more significant strides on this project come late December. Namely I want to assemble all of my AI voice lines in one place and nail down a final cut of the Vader fight. Once I have all of the resources in one place it will just be a matter of implementing it all into the cut.

ThiscouldbeR2D2 said:

What do you think of this, Adywan?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z6TpkT-6AY

It’s no coincidence that something like this has only surfaced a year and some change before the movie’s 50th anniversary. I would expect a re-release in theaters with the unaltered version in May 2027.

I’ve added a couple of other ideas to the potential change list:

• Use AI video software to modify the brief footage of one of the Exegol Sith cultists to be operating a machine with a severed hand in it (Luke’s hand) to match current canon. Snoke was created using many genetic sources. I also like the idea that Rey’s father escaped Exegol with the Skywalker saber and traded it off, thus why it calls to Rey when it ends up in Maz’s possession.

• Rey has a PTSD flashback of her parents flying away while the shuttle carrying Chewbacca is flying away, which is what causes her to lose her balance and unleash the lightning. This fits nicely because the ship her parents left in is right next to them; this helps the audience put the pieces together before Rey states it herself, and also shows that Rey is still insecure about her parents leaving her / seeing it manifest with her current “family”.

I think both of these additional changes should fit in smoothly. I’d still like to investigate potential Chewbacca / Kylo audio Rey could hear when she’s staring up at the Star Destroyer from Kijimi, but I’m unsure if this would land in a way that didn’t feel contrived.

NeverarGreat said:

It’s a nice conclusion to that arc.

If you wanted to simplify it, you could have Finn say “Rey…” through the Force, and Rey responds with “I know.”

Essentially, he’s been trying all this time to tell her how he feels, but in the end, through the Force, he doesn’t need to tell her, because their relationship is empathic and beyond words.

There’s also the callback to Han in ESB, which gives it that hint of romance if viewers want to interpret it that way.

I like this a lot. Leave it open-ended enough and the audience won’t be subverted.

My problem with that running gag is that Finn shouldn’t have any reason to feel ashamed or nervous about telling Rey something as simple as “I think I can use the Force.” It feels like a bait and switch because 9/10 people would naturally assume he wants to tell her that he’s in love with her due to only being willing to share it prior to certain death. We already had enough subversion of expectations with TLJ and even in this movie itself with all the death fake outs.

All that being said, that is definitely where the plot line should be resolved if somebody felt the need to include it.

Yeah, sorry about this. I’ve been busier than expected.

I think if there are some other Andor lines that we needed generated I’d do it, but it seems like a lot of effort for just that one line, assuming that it works perfectly fine without it.

Did anybody ever suggest putting a shortened version flashback of Rey’s parents leaving her on Jakku right before she screams and unleashes her lightning on the transport? Along with child Rey screaming “No!”, of course. This could honestly work well for either version of your edit, for a few different reasons:

1. Chewbacca, a person she loves, is being taken away from her on a ship while she stands helpless below on a desert planet’s surface.
2. The ship that Rey knows her parents were on is literally right next to her, so of course this trauma would be on her mind in that moment. I guess this doesn’t apply to the nobody edit, though.

In the context of standard Ascendant, I do think that this movie could have delved a bit more into Rey’s feelings of inadequacy and trauma before it’s eventually revealed that her parents were actually good people. Kylo alludes to it in their first conversation in the film, after all. In the end, you’re simply replacing one dark line of thought (fear of losing those you love) with another (seeking vengeance against Palpatine for taking those she loves).