LordPlagueis

Jedi Rocks.

You could always replace the hologram Maz Kanata with a hologram of another alien from the extended universe.

Hal 9000 said:

“Here we go again.”

I’ll be doing an edit of THE LAST JEDI eventually, and this’ll be a place to outline and process ideas as they take shape and coalesce into an informed approach to guide the blade to the movie. Hopefully, anyway.

This goes without saying, but I’m planning to use the best ideas that fit my goals with this edit, and welcome anyone using any and all ideas generated by this discussion. Let’s all benefit from each other as we hone the film down to our individual visions. I’ve already gathered these initial ideas together without regard to their origins, so forgive me if your ideas appear here as well.

My biggest goal is to recover the tone from the SNL and ‘Droids’ humor, in order for the effective things about the movie to do what they do.

Here are proposed changes at this early stage:

• New opening crawl to provide subtle political exposition, inspired by Reddit user noodle-flinger:

The galaxy is in chaos. With both the First Order and the Resistance decimated, each is desperate to snuff out the other and fill the power vacuum left by the extinction of the Republic.

General Leia Organa lives in hope that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight against the rising tyranny.

But the Resistance base has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the Rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape…

• Reign in the SNL opening with Poe and Hux. (Try: Cut to cockpit as Hux begins monologuing, cutting back to him in time to see monologue part 2, cutting back to fully loaded bar in cockpit.)
• Only because I’d already be editing the film at this point and not because this is in any way called for, try to have the first scene with Luke appear overcast as TFA was. Whatever filter used to achieve this could be gradually faded out over the course of the sequence.
• Cut Luke’s joke about Jakku.
• Trim Finn and Rose at their first meeting; no Rose talking to herself, no “MTFBWY” or Finn telling her to breathe. Experiment with Rose knowingly threatening Finn by telling him she stunned escapees earlier that day, like she already knows what he’s up to.
• Remove or trim Finn and Rose saying the same things at the same time, if possible
• Somehow remove Maz’s Battlefront Skype call, if at all possible. That thing was straight out of a video game cutscene.
• Experiment with removing the caretakers. I’d say keep them if the third lesson deleted scene can be used, or else remove them. (Seems like the third lesson would be their payoff, so keep them in that event or else remove them as they serve no purpose without that scene. Let Luke be lonely.)
• If evil BB8 is removed later, remove the mouse droid’s signature sound during the first Force-time scene.
• Possibly replace ignition sound of Anakin’s lightsaber. (I cant tell without the opportunity to listen to it repeatedly whether this is even needed, and a close re-listen to TFA showed me that they appear to have blended the original ignition sound with a new sound, which I can accept. If that’s the case in TLJ, that’ll work. If not, I plan to replace the ignition sound with that from TFA. I do, however, recall the quick red-guard headshot sound effect as being a non-ignition sound effect, which I will leave alone because I understand why its like that.)
• Keep the scene with Chewie about to eat a porg, though remove the final porg giving him the sad eyes.
• Remove Luke’s “nothing can make me change my mind.” I think there are two identical shots of R2 to join together, even allowing for as much of a pause as needed.
• Possibly remove Rey asking Kylo Ren for a cowl to cover himself. (Cowl? Wouldn’t that be for his face?)
• If deleted scenes make this possible, give Rey her promised third lesson from Luke.
• Undecided on removing the entire horse chase. If so, simply have Finn and Rose follow DJ out of the cell and we will revisit them later already in hyperspace. If the horse chase stays, perhaps cut away from DJ after he asks BB8, “Did you do this?” in order to remove more ‘Droids’ stuff. If the horse chase is cut, either remove the final scene with broom boy, or else just remove the closeup with the ring.
• Possibly trim Yoda’s dialogue between “…for you to look past a pile of old books” and “yes, yes, wisdom they held…” This removes Luke’s odd defensiveness and Yoda’s wisecrack.
• Cut Finn’s line to DJ: “Are you kidding? Look at us.”
• Experiment with cutting BB8 hiding under a box, cutting conversation at the door that Finn and Rose are breaking into, beginning the scene with Finn calling Poe and says they’re almost in. (If so, cut down on BB8 and evil BB8 staring each other down after being caught. Might even be possible to remove evil BB8 from that shot.)
• Trim Snoke’s dialogue pre-death which makes an obvious outcome painfully so.
• Possibly remove the specific detail that Rey’s parents are buried “in the Jakku desert.” It sort of muddies the water, as the TFA forceback scene implies they left the planet.
• Trim Finn’s nonsense as he fights Phasma, particularly his “Hey!”
• Remove BB8 commandeering an AT-ST, and ensuing jog toward an escape shuttle.
• Remove Poe’s “big ass door.” Hopefully that shot is static, so a simple crossfade or similar trickery will make it work, saying “Let’s just hope that door holds out,” or whatever the exact line is.
• Similarly, remove Finn’s unnecessary line about the battering ram being “old Death Star tech.” (Let’s never reference the Death Star in another ‘saga’ film ever again.)
• I’ll ask anyone here who is willing, to stabilize the crate Luke sits down on while talking with Leia. The filmmakers bothered to not have him physically interact with the ground, or make walking foley sounds, so this seems like a small but positive change to make. (You just gotta do stuff like this while you’ve got everything cracked open.)
• If removing horse chase, cut away from Rose after “I saved you.” 
• Remove the porg smacking against the Falcon window, unless doing so can’t be done without harming the music.
• Possibly cut Hux repeating Kylo’s orders.
• Possibly remove the dice from the end. But probably not.
• Remove black dot in the sun at the end.
• Likely retain the broom boy scene regardless of how much of Canto Bight was removed, as it is tied to Luke’s legacy.

The first paragraph of your revised opening crawl implies the First Order and the Resistance are evenly matched in terms of military might, which contradicts the movie. Keep the first paragraph of the official opening crawl.

Cut Luke milking the thala-siren.

Cut the “reach out” miscommunication joke.

Edit Rey’s vision in the cave on Ahch-To.

Recolor Admiral Holdo’s distracting hair.

Cut the entire horse chase. Finn and Rose should simply follow DJ out of the cell.

Cut Leia claiming she likes Poe, which makes light of his mutiny.

Cut Finn’s attempted suicide run against the enemy cannon, and cut Rose stopping Finn from sacrificing himself.
Finn and Rose should retreat with Poe and the others. (Rose’s clichéd line, “We will win not by fighting what we hate but by saving what we love,” was asinine because Finn was about to sacrifice himself to save the ones he loved.
It was thematically inconsistent for Rose to admonish Finn for trying to sacrifice himself right after Holdo sacrificed herself in a kamikaze attack.)

Keep the Millenium Falcon dice at the end.

Cut the broom boy scene

Ultimately, I think fan edits of Episode VIII should be postponed until Episode IX comes out.

My suggestions.

1. Restore the deleted scene of Darth Vader in his meditation chamber calling out to Luke as he constructs his new green lightsaber. The scene seamlessly connects the opening Death Star sequence with the Tatooine rescue sequence, which seem disconnected in the theatrical version.

2. Improve the pacing in the Tatooine rescue sequence. Cut the droid torture scene. Cut the song and dance routine. Cut the dancer falling through the trap door. Cut Leia haggling with Jabba over the bounty for Chewbacca. Cut the thermal detonator. Cut Leia bumping into wind chimes. Cut C-3PO warning Luke that he is standing upon a trap door. Cut the herd of Banthas. Cut the barge sailing over the sand. In general, trim the first act as much as possible.

3. Boba Fett should use a flamethrower before dying valiantly.

4. Restore the deleted footage of Yoda confessing, “Obi-Wan would have told you long ago, had I let him.”

5. Replace the wallpaper background for the docking bay.

6. Cut the Emperor’s surprise at Vader’s revelation that Luke is among the rebels on Endor.

7. Since you will not edit the prequels, you should cut Leia’s description of her mother to eliminate a contradiction with Revenge of the Sith.

LUKE: Leia, do you remember your mother? Your real mother?

LEIA: She died when I was very young. (looks up) Why are you asking me this?

He looks away, in anguish.

LUKE: I have no memory of my mother. I never knew her.

8. Cut Leia’s line, “Somehow, I’ve always known.”

9. Keep all elements of the Special Edition ending other than Hayden Christensen playing Anakin’s ghost.

Although Luke’s characterization in the film is almost certainly inconsistent with his characterization in Return of the Jedi, this is forgivable because of the vast time difference between the two films. Luke’s astral projection across the galaxy was a creative idea which aptly illustrated his mastery of the Force. His vision of the binary sunset before his death was beautiful.

Leia’s flight through the vacuum of space was almost unintentionally comical, but I could forgive this were it the only major flaw in the film. I will not criticize the humor because other Star Wars films have struggled with the appropriate level of comic relief.

By far the worst character in the film is Poe Dameron. The writers should have killed him off in the crash landing on Jakku in The Force Awakens. His reappearance in the film is utterly illogical. In earlier drafts of the script, Poe died in the crash landing on Jakku because his purpose to the story was fulfilled. In later drafts, J. J. Abrams wrote Poe back into the story despite implying he died on Jakku. Thus, despite his insistence on returning to Jakku to retrieve BB-8, he inexplicably leaves Jakku without it. In The Last Jedi, Poe Dameron is a thousand times worse. He consistently disregards the chain of command and lacks respect for authority. He disobeys Leia and in the process needlessly causes innumerable resistance fighters to die but is only demoted, essentially a slap on the wrist. Later, he even plans a mutiny. Yet Leia and Holdo speak fondly of him. In real life, after Poe’s first offense he would have been dishonorably discharged. After his attempted mutiny, he would have been executed for treason.

I hated Poe in The Last Jedi even more than Anakin in Attack of the Clones. While I could not empathize with Anakin, I could at least pity him because he was born a slave, was separated from his mother at a young age, and saw dreams of his mother in agony. In contrast, I was longing for Poe to die throughout the entire film.

Rey is an intriguing character, but her story would be so much more compelling if she faced failure. In the Empire Strikes Back, Luke was unable to lift his X-wing from the swamp. When Yoda lifted it for him, Luke was able to learn from failure. Vader bested Luke in combat and cut off his hand. In contrast, Rey bested Luke in combat. After two films in the trilogy, Rey never suffered a serious failure. The ghost of Yoda declared the moral of the story is learning from failure, yet the protagonist never wrestled with failure herself.

Finn should have died sacrificing himself to save the Resistance, a heroic act which would have been a perfect end for his character arc. In The Force Awakens, his goal was first to run away and save his own skin and then to protect Rey. Dying to destroy the canon and save the Resistance would have been a perfect end for him. Instead Rose stopped him from sacrificing himself. Her remark that they will win not by fighting what they hate but by saving what they love was a ludicrous cliché. Not all hatred is evil. All wars require sacrifice to vanquish the enemy.

Whereas Disney was unwilling to kill off any of the new heroes, it is willing to kill off one of the most intriguing villains in the saga. Snoke was not a Sith yet was more powerful than any dark side force user. He resurrected the First Order from the ashes of the Empire, and he seduced Kylo Ren to the dark side. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi hint at a compelling backstory for Snoke but never deliver.

The revelation Rey’s parents were nobodies was neither shocking nor disappointing. It was practically expected for her to be a Skywalker, and it is unsurprising Disney would subvert audience expectations. At least the script provides a backstory for Rey, unlike for Snoke.

Rey’s vision in the netherworld of Ahch-tu was disappointing, especially when compared to Luke’s vision of Vader in the cave on Dagobah. Her vision of an infinite number of Reys revealed nothing unique regarding her character.

Lastly, it is difficult for me to regard Kylo Ren as a serious villain. He is undoubtedly evil, but he is not as formidable as Vader or Sidious.

Empire Strikes Back
Revenge of the Sith
A New Hope
Rogue One
Attack of the Clones
Return of the Jedi
The Force Awakens
The Last Jedi
The Phantom Menace
Holiday Special

*Note: When ranking the original trilogy, I am evaluating the special editions.

After watching The Phantom Edit, The Cloak of Deception, The Balance of the Force, and the Anti-Cheese Edit, I would say this is my favorite edit of the Phantom Menace.

Nevertheless, I have a few suggestions for L8wrtr if he ever decides to create a second edition of this edit or for any future editor who chooses to base a fan edit on this material.

1. Revise Opening Crawl

The Shadow of the Sith opening crawl is an improvement, but the text is long, and there should be three paragraphs rather than four.

A thousand years have passed since the Knights of the Jedi Order all but vanquished their ancient foes, the evil Sith Lords. Now, after generations
of peace, a menace lurks in the shadows of the galaxy.
The greedy TRADE FEDERATION has surrounded the lush planet of Naboo with a fleet of deadly warships, hoping to seize its vast natural resources.
With the newly crowned Queen desperate for help, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi to settle the conflict…

2. Cut the sequence where TC-14 informs the Neimoidians the ambassadors are Jedi Knights and then serves drinks to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

3. Cut the hologram of Nute Gunray commanding the battle droids to destroy what’s left of the Jedi.

4. Restore Obi-Wan’s line, “You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short.”

5. Cut the scene where Nute communicates with Queen Amidala on the view screen and restore the throne room scene while trimming some dialogue.

The former scene is visually unappealing, and nothing of significance transpires.

The establishing shot of the palace is beautiful. The distortion in the hologram gives Palpatine’s voice the raspy growl of Darth Sidious. Queen Amidala’s line, “I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war,” sets up her character as a pacifist who needs to learn violence is unfortunately necessary at times.

6. Cut the scene where Sidious informs Nute the senate is bogged down in procedures.

7. In the scene where Queen Amidala watches the invasion from the palace window, it is still possible to see the electric cord powering the lights on her dress. Consider cropping the frame to eliminate the cord.

8. Cut Qui-Gon saying the battle droids will not be a problem. The line lowers the stakes.

9. As the group heads out for Mos Espa, cut Qui-Gon’s line, “No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain,” because the queen never issues any commands.

10. Restore the title Darth. Luke refers to Darth Sidious by name in Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Future spin off films may use the title for characters other than Vader.

11. Change the subtitles in Watto’s dialogue with Anakin.

Anakin enters the store right after Watto calls for him, yet Watto asks what took him so long.

WATTO: What took you so long?
ANAKIN: I was cleaning the fan switches.
WATTO: Watch the store. I have some selling to do.

Change these subtitles to

WATTO: Where were you?
ANAKIN: I was fixing the vaporizer.
WATTO: It better be fixed or else I’ll vaporize you.

These subtle changes would lead the audience to despise Watto rather than viewing him as a benevolent slave owner.

12. Restore the shot of Jar Jar juggling several items and Qui-Gon saying, “We’re leaving.” It is clear the scene is edited here.

13. In the subtitles, Watto should not order Anakin to clean the racks before leaving, considering he never cleans the racks on-screen.

14. Cut Anakin’s fight with Greedo and restore Jar Jar’s fight with Sebulba. Although I despise Jar Jar’s antics, the scene sets up Anakin’s rivalry with Sebulba. Greedo’s presence in the film is unnecessary fan service, and the visual quality of Anakin’s fight scene with Greedo is poor.

15. Cut Anakin’s “oops” right before he attaches C-3PO’s right eye.

16. In the dinner scene, cut Anakin’s line, “I’m the only human who can do it.”

17. Incorporate additional music in the pod race.

18. Restore Anakin’s goodbye to C-3PO.

19. Move the scene where the Probe droid floats across the streets of Mos Espa to right before Qui-Gon slices open the probe droid so that the transition is not as sudden.

20. Cut Qui-Gon telling Anakin to take off. Anakin never tells the pilot this. In fact, it is Obi-Wan who tells the pilot to take off.

21. Reorder the Coruscant sequence. The flow would improve if Qui-Gon demands to speak with the Jedi Council right before he reports on his attacker and requests for Anakin to be tested. The pacing would also improve if Palpatine suggests a vote of no confidence right before the senate session where Amidala proposes this.

Currently, the sequence is
a. Landing on Coruscant
b. Palpatine’s trap
c. Qui-Gon’s report
d. Senate session

Rearrange this to
a. Landing on Coruscant
b. Qui-Gon’s report
c. Palpatine’s trap
d. Senate session

21. Cut dialogue about Anakin being too old to be trained.

22. Cut Anakin’s “oops” in the droid control ship.

• Restructure the opening fight sequence to eliminate the explosives falling onto the dreadnought. There is no gravity in space.

• If possible, Leia should die in the bridge explosion.

• As other have mentioned, cut out Luke milking the thala-siren.

• Reincorporate any deleted scenes of Luke and Rey interacting.

• Replace Rey’s vision in the nether region of Ach-To. Incorporate an image of Snoke and audio of Palpatine uttering the name “Plagueis.” This could satisfy fans disappointed in Snoke’s missing backstory. Then transition to Kylo Ren’s attack on the new Jedi Order and Rey’s abandonment on Jakku.

• Cut Yoda’s insinuation Luke never read the Jedi sacred texts because they were not page turners.

• Either Poe’s mutiny should not occur or he should face at least some consequences for it.

• As others have mentioned, streamline the Canto Bight sequence. After the hacker in the prison offers to help, cut to them flying off.

• If possible, Finn should not attempt a suicide run against the enemy cannon; instead, he should retreat with Poe and the others.

• Reduce the number of times characters say, “The last Jedi.” Preferably, the phrase should never be spoken.