Jar Jar Bricks

Here are the Kylo lines I’ve got so far:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ytA9EU11nYZANGJYGB38D7wE5xNtRpsA?usp=sharing

Again, keep in mind that if some of these aren’t quite there yet I’m more than happy to generate more options. A lot of them you won’t be able to tell for sure until they’re actually in the movie itself, but I think in this case it doesn’t hurt to work backwards so we know what kind of delivery we want.

Like I said in the sequel idea thread, the problem will be that you won’t be able to describe those things by name in any prompt for a software owned by a big company. Or else they risk inevitable Disney lawsuits.

We’re gonna have to wait for open-source, community-made models that have the Star Wars movies in their training data. So we’re still a number of years out from something like this being usable for our purposes.

As for the Kylo/Luke convo, I definitely agree that this movie should have given some closure to the betrayal that Kylo felt from his uncle so as to make their appearance together at the end more meaningful.

Unfortunately, that modified scene definitely falls under philosophy #1 that I stated earlier. Which is why it only really belongs in my other thread, and not necessarily here.

Besides, one of the reasons for that scene modification was to remove the reminder that Palpatine wants Rey dead. This edit is taking the approach in that it wants to make it abundantly clear Palpatine always wanted Rey dead until Kylo is redeemed, which is why the default scene needs to stay. In my other thread, I’m taking the exact opposite approach in that Palpatine wants Kylo to fight her because he knows she will more than likely kill him, but even if Kylo wins, Palpatine himself doesn’t lose. It’s a win-win scenario for him. Definitely a more nuanced approach that speaks to Palpatine’s genius. But I think one of the goals to this project was to streamline things and make them easier to understand.

It’s funny to me how even Ian McDiarmid thinks the only logical way to justify Rey Palpatine is either that Palpatine has sex, OR that he manipulated the midichlorians:

https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46783801/star-wars-palpatine-sex/

He’s probably unfamiliar with the canon explanation of her father being a clone, but honestly as I consider that more it’s just so convoluted compared to the two options listed above. Genetically speaking, that would make Rey his daughter, not his granddaughter. When a novelization is retconning its own movie, and you can argue semantics with all of it, it’s definitely not a good look.

I’m definitely going to see this project through to the end as it seems like the most logical alternative to preserving the reveal while also (somewhat) denying it by the end to enhance taking on the Skywalker name and her genetic nobody-ness. But I want to make sure Ascendant v5 is complete first as that is what I intend on using as a base for this. I’ll still be uploading various tests like the Vader duel and stuff but I expect things to slow down here for a bit.

Cool. I’m gonna get to work sometime soon on ripping Threepio’s lines from this movie for a more accurate clone. I’ll also re-generate all of the Kylo lines as the new voice model is practically flawless compared to what came before.

I’m hoping Kylo’s voice will be seamless enough to avoid having to splice lines together like they are in v4 for “become a dyad” and “Captain Hux”. The latter case isn’t super noticeable, but the former stands out a lot at the moment.

Even if we had access to it at the moment, it would only really be useful for establishing shots due to copyright. They’re not gonna allow you to describe certain things like “lightsaber” or “TIE fighter”.

We’re gonna have to wait for the open-source, community-made models which are trained on the Star Wars films themselves. This might be another 5 years. Any company which allows Star Wars images to be generated with their software are gonna be sued into oblivion.

The raw line as well as the one I applied the echo effect to is in the following folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HJVzot6mTzlUYWbOqXKVzwsRvxk0UqrW?usp=drive_link

To help narrow things down concerning the line itself, consider that, beyond justifying Kylo dropping his lightsaber, it gives a whole new meaning to the new final scene/track of the movie “A New Home”. Since Ben joins his mom and uncle there, it means that is where they’re being laid to rest in peace. Their “new home” together. So “come home” takes on a whole different meaning than what you initially expected.

Concerning your other point, it is especially poignant considering the fact that OpenAI just unveiled AI video that’s like 90% there. However, I don’t think you’re considering the two different ways you can employ all this technology:

1. First, as you stated, you could completely morph a story and its points into something completely different and unique to you. This is what I’m doing in my own thread.
2. Alternatively, you can sprinkle in the AI creations to emphasize and clarify certain interpretations that were already present in the original film itself. This is what Ascendant ought to be doing as much as possible, imo.

This new line touches on the second point far more than the first. Leaving the scene devoid of audio allows for more interpretation, sure, but it’s also confusing and dissatisfying compared to how they could have honored Leia and Carrie.

I really think you should make #2 into the official stance of this edit so other ideas can come through. The Zorri stuff about Poe being undercover is definitely #1, as this is a completely different plot point, and thus shouldn’t be included. Her line establishing that Luke started the chaos on Kijimi would be #2, because it’s true even in canon from a certain point of view. Now if only I could get her voice to work 😉

I’ll upload the Leia line shortly. I just need to access my computer.

I can get her to whisper it instead to make it completely seamless:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1prxAlqCmTX6gZR2zfD1OTU3HovEkb4sW/view?usp=sharing

I don’t mean to be rude or blunt, but if you seriously don’t think that this sounds 99% natural then you’ve clearly got some sort of preconceived biases going on. There’s a lot of negative discourse around AI in the media, so I understand trying to minimize it so as to not alienate skeptical people (as we just witnessed with bbghost). But this project wants something that could have been released in 2019 with no one the wiser had they never been told the specifics of how things were manufactured. You have to imagine yourself in the shoes of that casual 2019 Star Wars fan who has no idea what AI even is. If that isn’t enough to convince you, then consider this. Going into this movie, nearly everybody was aware of Carrie’s passing, which allows for an abundant amount of grace. I don’t see how this is any different than CGI-ing Grand Moff Tarkin and Leia herself in Rogue One or CGI Luke Skywalker in the TV shows.

Ultimately, this movie is supposed to be respectful of both Carrie Fisher’s legacy as well as Leia Organa’s. I don’t see how the Woody doll treatment (pull the string to see what random archived line comes out!) is in any way respectful to either. I firmly believe that any way to alleviate this issue is worth pursuing. Especially in this scene, since it’s so awkwardly quiet and is lacking that “beat” which would cause Kylo to drop his lightsaber.

Right, I get that part, but it literally feels like there’s something missing in the scene that would cause Kylo to drop his lightsaber. Something more shocking and devastating for him to hear. And a direct callback to their confrontation is much more digestible.

Another thing that should probably be re-instated is everything just after Poe says “This is how he finishes it”. Yes, the planet-killing part 100% needs to go, but there are some other critical parts here.

So the scene immediately after Palpatine’s holo meeting with Pryde would start with Rose saying “Listen, it’s on every channel.” I think the scene is important because it tells us that Leia made Poe acting general. In original Ascendant, it isn’t completely clear why Poe would be next in command. There are technically several others who have more seniority like Commander D’Acy and even those who might be more fit for it like Connix given what we learn about Poe’s background in this movie. I think it’s important to emphasize that he was Leia’s pick despite all of that, kinda like how she still trains Rey despite her dark potential. Furthermore, the scene gives us a better reason for all of the civilian fleet showing up besides Lando knowing trillions of people and Leia negotiating with some planetary leaders. If everybody on the HoloNet hears an ominous message like that, they’d definitely be much more willing to rally together.

I don’t think the Zorri AI lines are ever going to fully work because of the tests I did earlier this year. Basically, I don’t know what unique voice modulation effect she has, and 11 labs can’t seem to replicate it. So even though the voice sounds like the actress, it’s still off.

In terms of a “replacement”, since you seem fine with adding in at least one more AI line, I seriously think we should consider “Come home” again. I’ve decided to place it right next to the shot of the medallion to make it abundantly clear she’s referring to Han and avoid cluttering the front-end of the audio:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1prxAlqCmTX6gZR2zfD1OTU3HovEkb4sW/view?usp=sharing

To be quite honest, I hate the idea that the best Leia, somebody who has given passionate speeches her whole life, could come up with in the moment is saying his name. It’s ludicrous, and it’s not clear why this would be enough to make Ben drop his lightsaber.

This would also pair nicely with a re-do of the Luke and Leia flashback voiceover to focus more on Leia always choosing love in her life over hatred. This is a lot better than the default, prophetic mumbo-jumbo about somebody taking Leia’s lightsaber later on and finishing her journey. That spoils the idea that Rey won’t take the throne way too early:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SH4R3i8wNuwrP8bN85aLe82Tn5E87vBj/view?usp=sharing

Darth Sadifous said:

You may want to connect with one another, as I think you could maybe use Din in his ship (helmet on obviously) conversing with Boba over the ship’s speaker using an AI convo for both men. You could have Boba saying he can’t make it unfortunately as he has his own problems putting down a gang war in his newly won territory on Tatooine (adding a mini hologram of Boba with helmet on would be even more ideal; think Palpatine during order 66 scenes with Plo Koon). Another more ambitious approach would be adding the Slave I to the fleet the amasses during season three to retake mandalore. The ship with a few Boba lines could really sell he is there helping. However, this may be out of the scope of your project, but I know it could be pulled off with the skills of people within this community. Just my two cents, let me know what you think!

Acbagel, did you already try turning up the “Style Exaggeration” setting to 50 percent? Also try applying the accent:Kiwi tag to the voice (or something similar to that if it doesn’t recognize it by being grayed out). I think doing both of these should make it more accurate.

I know Vader wasn’t working properly unless you had the “Style Exaggeration” setting up really high. Oh, and this goes without saying, but “Clarity and Similarity Enhancement” should always be at 100%. I also always apply speed:Slow to all clones because 11 labs tends to speak way too quickly.

Oh dang I had no idea somebody made a test of Dooku watching from a distance. That’s super cool. Like you said, I think it just needs to serve as a teaser for whats to come, MCU-style. “Who is that guy? Is he the Sith Lord Mace is talking about? Why is he watching Qui-Gon’s funeral, then?”

Honestly, Tales of the Jedi already breaks canon in this way, allowing this idea to be non-contradictory. Yaddle tells Dooku that everybody is headed to Naboo. Instead, he goes to Palpatine, who apparently hasn’t left to Naboo yet for some reason. We know Palpatine shows up with the rest of the Jedi there, so this is kind of canon-breaking. However, we could retcon all this so that Dooku simply leaves for Naboo along with Palpatine after he kills Yaddle. They already stretch the logistics of Palpatine being in two places at once, so I don’t see why we couldn’t do the same for Dooku.

That would be cool, but might be extremely hard to pull off. I’d be fine with either a voice filter or an entirely different voice. Darth Vader is an example of the fact that in the Star Wars universe you can synthesize a completely different voice.

ben_danger said:

i would vote to remove any noticable features of sidious so its actually a surprise when his true identity is revealed. would be cool to have dooku in his place on TPM, and to do away with the rule of the two.

LMAO just look at the first post on this thread

That’s exactly what I was thinking, RL. George makes it so incredibly obvious who the Sith Lord is that it retroactively makes the Jedi seem like idiots. Then again, there is the canon explanation that they were blinded by the dark side of the Force, but that’s kinda a cheap, cop-out explanation.

I don’t think you’d necessarily have to remove all of Sidious’ scenes so much as you’d just have to darken his hooded face and distort his voice in any hologram scenes. The fact he doesn’t do that already as a public figure in canon is kinda strange. The scenes he has in-person could still have the darkened face but his true voice, serving as a subtle hint before we’re even introduced to Palpatine. Ian already does a slightly different voice as Sidious. Plus, we never actually hear Dooku speak until about halfway through AotC.

Do we know if Sir Christopher Lee did some movies in the early 90’s that we could take footage from? That would be a decade before he recorded AotC, which matches the timing properly.

I must admit it was a questionable choice on the part of George to have a different villain for each episode. At the very least, it’s a good thing that nobody kills Dooku until Episode 3.

That being said, I do appreciate the original idea that Qui-Gon’s death was what pushed Dooku to the dark side, rather than him being the one to do it. It makes his character far more sympathetic and understandable. Perhaps even a little grey and morally ambiguous. I feel like this concept would just force him into the two-dimensional villain role with no discernable character motivations. To that end, I think I actually prefer Maul being the one to do it.

EDIT: If anybody has the VFX skills, I’d actually much prefer Dooku to be present at Qui-Gon’s funeral, taking the place of the super obvious hint shot of Palpatine after “But which was destroyed, the master, or the apprentice?” I realize this would contradict Tales of the Jedi, but it’s honestly such a missed opportunity. Mace is too foolish to realize that no Sith was destroyed by what occurred, but rather a new apprentice was born.

Yup these tests are just that: tests. Not necessarily what the final product would sound like. I just pasted the line in there, really.

The new Leia flashback test is really beautiful, I’ve gotta say. Thanks guys. This is why collaboration is always key in these things. Honestly, I think this should be in Ascendant v5:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SH4R3i8wNuwrP8bN85aLe82Tn5E87vBj/view?usp=sharing

I’m not sure if I’m gonna pursue the idea I had above only because future canon content certainly won’t oblige by it. The requirement of a “chosen one” being born of no father means the Jedi should have recognized that trend occurring in every generation at some point. But it was a fun thought experiment nonetheless.

Lmao, I just realized that the answer is right in front of me.

“I’m starting to think it’s impossible. To hear the voices of the Jedi who came before.”

“A thousand generations live in you now. [Each had one chosen to restore balance].”

And of course the voices that reach out to her later. If those could be replaced with Anakin and random people’s voices instead of fan-servicey cameos, it would actually make sense. Each one could be a “chosen one” from a past generation. I think Luke and Leia could be included too since they’re the offspring of the chosen one.

That is a completely fair criticism, and exactly what the hardcore fan sentiment would have been had they gone with the Rey backstory I’m pursuing in the other thread. I can already hear the raging YouTubers saying: “They really just brought Palpatine back so a girl could do a better job at being the chosen one.”

With the new Avatar: The Last Airbender remake coming out soon, I think there’s a very good analogy to put here to clear this up. Like you said, we don’t know exactly how often the Force has created these “chosen one” beings. Perhaps, just like the Avatar, there is a long line of succession here. And the chosen one is continually reincarnated into a new person whenever the will of the Force is violated too much. Anakin destroyed the Jedi and the Sith because both orders just wanted to control the Force. To go back to our analogy here, Aang is to Korra as Anakin is to Rey.

Under this new thinking, I suppose it would be okay for this process to continue on and on. Because, from a certain point of view, it’s the same essence maintaining that ultimate balance in the Force every time. It’s a retcon of the chosen one prophecy, but satisfactory enough to justify continually creating new content. And as Yoda says, they could have misread the prophecy. Perhaps what I’m describing could be the true meaning of it all.

I just wouldn’t even know where to begin with all this in an actual edit lmao.

I don’t disagree with the idea that there needs to be conflict again. But the Skywalker saga sets up in Episode 1 that the main character is meant to bring “ultimate balance” to the Force. The fact that only 20-30 years pass before that balance is lost and a pseudo-Empire reigns again is insulting. The only way any of this makes sense to me is that something “unnatural” happened which caused this ultimate balance to be delayed. Which we of course know is what happened when Palpatine returned. And this is why I think Rey needs to be equivalent to Anakin in terms of being the chosen one reincarnate, and not really a Palpatine.

In my opinion, future conflicts, specifically the Rey movie, should take a page out of George Lucas’ sequel trilogy scripts. They need to be fighting crime syndicates and street-level foes, not people with the potential to destroy the universe. Sure, there can be dark-side users, but they shouldn’t be Sith and they shouldn’t have grand ambitions to snuff out the light side of the Force. They should be like Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. I think George was going to give a similar treatment to Maul and Talon. Neither of them would be Sith, but they’d be interested in making as good a life for themselves as possible at the expense of others.

Think of it like the difference between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit (if you ignore the movies) is a simple tale with excellent stakes and interesting developments. However, the fate of Middle-Earth is never at stake. Then you get to Lord of the Rings, which is comparable to the Skywalker saga in that if the heroes fail, all will be lost.

TL;DR - We need only Hobbit-like stories post sequel trilogy. Or, in Star Wars terms, conflicts in the same style as the TV shows like Mando and Boba Fett. If a writer wants to do one where the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance, they DESPERATELY need to go back in time to the Old Republic. It’s such an untapped goldmine that they refuse to touch.

“He’s too dangerous” definitely sticks out, but that’s already been corrected for a potential v5.

Poe’s stuff sounds excellent. As does the rest of Leia’s stuff. Likewise, Jannah sounds virtually flawless with headphones on. Kylo’s unmasked line sounds 95% identical with headphones, to the point where I could definitely improve it but it isn’t necessary imo. 3PO’s lines definitely can be upgraded as well as both of Kylo’s masked lines for v5, as those were generated with the older method of using outside-the-movie dialogue (Lego games). I’d still love to hear feedback concerning Palpatine going after Rey’s father instead of Rey from the beginning, as I think this new masked Kylo voice is excellent.

The only line I think there is an argument could be reverted is Rey’s “from the ancient texts”. Mostly because that implication is already there for viewers that pay attention. But also because it is noticeably quieter. It doesn’t feel like AI, but rather like a different set of recording equipment was used to capture Daisy’s voice. It feels similar to Holdo’s ADR dialogue from TLJ. But to a greater degree like in the case of Luke’s “We’ll always be with you”.

The Rey Nobody edit does not use any AI voices as I understand it. They are all spliced lines from the movie itself.

I use 11 labs, but take the center channel from when the characters are speaking in the scenes I want to modify, and then run it through voice isolation software provided by RogueLeader, another member of this forum. The result is a nearly perfect voice clone.

I’m assuming Hal uses Adobe Premiere, but I could be wrong about that.