RogueLeader

I always imagined that some hypothetical edit could extend the scene where Kylo “prays” to Vader’s helmet. Kylo asks his grandfather to show him the power of the dark side again, to help solidify his resolve. So, maybe we could see it actually respond to Kylo’a request. I feel like this vision could sum up Kylo’s motivation with a few lines.

Palpatine: If the Jedi are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end.

Vader: End this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy. It is your destiny.

Maybe we could get glimpses of the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War over these lines. The implication would be that Kylo believes that the eternal conflict between the Jedi and the Sith, the dark side and the light, can only end by bringing order to the galaxy. Of course, it is a totalitarian kind of order he believes in.

So ironically, both Kylo and Luke would be aware of this question of balance, but they have two different answers to this problem. Perhaps it is this philosophical difference that leads to their falling out, which leads to Kylo destroying Luke’s Order, because he sees it as a necessary evil. Plus, it ties in well with some of the things he says to Rey in TLJ.

Rey: Why did you hate your father?

Kylo: I didn’t hate him.

So, Kylo feels like he has to kill his past and destroy his former identity in order to remove all of his weaknesses and be strong enough to bring order to the galaxy.

Kylo: It’s time to let old things die. Snoke, Skywalker, the Sith, the Jedi, the rebels, let it all die. Rey, I want you to join me. We can rule together and bring a new order to the galaxy.

Although Kylo is, in the end, motivated by his own quest for power, and falls into the same mistakes as the Sith before him, at least we could better understand what Kylo believes in, regardless of how misguided it is.

Very well said. Always love to see you chime in, Eddie!

This is more speculation, but it would be interesting to see in future Old Republic, or even High Republic content, where Jedi or Sith houses are a thing. Perhaps there was a long standing belief in powerful Force bloodlines, whether or not that belief actually had any truth to it. And maybe we could see the issues that arose from such families, whether it be related to attachment, hubris, etc. Maybe the Skywalkers won’t be the first family soap opera the galaxy has had to deal with.

rocknroll41 said:

I wrote a blog post a few days ago detailing why the Mando season finale disappointed me: https://henrynsilva.blogspot.com/2021/01/mandalorian-made-me-mad.html?m=1

On the subject of starwars, I also published another blog post today on why I dislike the character of Poe Dameron, in particular: https://henrynsilva.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-problem-with-poe-dameron.html?m=1

I’m really enjoying these! I feel like my own feelings on the films/shows line up with yours a lot.

So maybe you could have him say “I had a dream/nightmare” offscreen before he goes on his I Killed Them All rant?

Roundhead Rian? Really?

mikereese971 said:

Also, I know it’s not on the agenda right now, but regarding the thought that Leia should “conjure” Han for Ben…I honestly think that it’s one of the few instances of ambiguity that actually works in the movie. Personally, I always saw that scene as a physical manifestation of Ben’s inner dialogue - a visual representation, done for the sake of a visual medium. I never interpreted it as Han literally appearing.

I agree with you here!

No, I don’t think that’s possible.

Even though I’m personally not crazy about using video game footage, the color correction on those shots to make them fit is pretty impressive. Those TIE shots are pretty nice too.

I’ve noticed this need to fit in a few more changes on other edit threads. I know Hal’s Sequel Trilogy has been heavily collaborative, which is why I think people hope to see certain major changes to be made to this edit, because they see it as the definitive edit, but at the end of the day Hal is the one who has to implement the changes and export them. After a certain point, though, I think they have to be finalized. Not just for Hal’s sake, but also so they can become stepping stones for future edits, and be remembered for their place in the tapestry of fan edits. Kind of a flowery description, I know, but I think we sort of have to accept when one edit’s purpose has been served, and when it is time to move on to a new edit, or make your own.

With that said, I do it would be nice to give context to that part of the vision, but that might just be something for another TFA edit.

If someone else could create a clean shot without the current puppets, maybe that is something I could try and make/film. But honestly, the shot is so brief, you probably could get away with using the elements Cinefy used for that proof concept.

These look striking, great job. I feel like the sun-bleached tone of Tatooine must be one of the more challenging parts of the film to get right, color-wise. What you have looks great. Just seems like it must be hard to tweak.

I think this would be a little too much. Especially with Snoke and Luke, which I think would be confusing and unsatisfying for viewers. I did recently had some ideas for a Palpatine-less TROS edit that would also reinterpret bits of Palpatine’s scenes as a dark side vision.

But, I think the key is that you can’t use too much of it, and it would be better to cut it in a way that makes the dream-like quality of the scenes apparent.

My idea for these visions, though, would only be limited to being induced by the Sith temple on Exegol and Palpatine’s throne room. So it sort of follows of rules of the dark side caves on Dagobah and Ahch-To. There are nexuses of the dark side throughout the galaxy where physical locations can induce visions and hallucinations. I think this helps ground the visions, and makes it less confusing for people to differentiate dream from reality.

With that said, I think one could potentially edit the Palpatine scenes in TROS to try and make it seem like Palpatine is just a manifestation of the dark side cave. So maybe you could pull off cutting “undead Palpatine” from the movie without making major restructures to the plot.

The Watsonian bends over backwards.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure DigiMod’s Heir to the Force removes that by creating a new shot.

While I would love to see that removal come to fruition at some point, I think the super weapon aspect of the base is essential to his edit, since the ground splitting apart and separating Kylo and Rey still occurs in his edit.

If you could pull the vfx off I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea. It would be sort of the point where, I imagine, the lightsaber really starts to struggle. So having a close-up shot that makes a point of saying “something is wrong with the saber” would be a nice set-up to the issues it will have in the following half of the duel. And honestly, I think any additional shots would benefit the sequence in general.

Movies Remastered said:

Yeah, Pretty much!

On another note, The glitchy Saber effects were pretty easy to do but I’m just trying to find a good spot where the blue glow isn’t too dominant in the rain reflections. That’s gonna be the only issue making this effect work. I’m thinking of using a close-up piece of footage from when Rey ignites the Saber before she jumps Kylos ship. I’ve cut that scene in my edit so it’ll be good to use it elsewhere.

0:53 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adzYW5DZoWs&t=17s

Thoughts?

Are you suggesting rotoscoping Rey and her saber out of this shot and replacing the background with the Death Star ruins?

You explain the reasoning of your decisions really well! I also think framing the objective of your edits as a way to make the characters and universe more in-line with their depictions in Legends. Although obviously you’ll still make decisions based on personal preference (as you should), it also gives you an extensive framework to both guide your choices and justify your decisions. It definitely makes me interested in your project and eager to see what you come up with. I liked the ST for the most part, but I always enjoy new takes on these films!

To remove Han returning to the smuggler life, I’m assuming you’ll cut the Rathtar sequence?

I would be interested in hearing about other specific ideas you might have that maybe stand out from other edits. Are there big changes your still trying to figure out how to implement?

Oh yeah! Sorry, sometimes I just reply to something without thinking about which thread I’m in! If I ever bring up ideas, I’m more like throwing out into the universe, rather than directing it at you.

Wait, are you about to be a real poppa?! If so, that’s the best kind of busy. Congrats man!

I think for clarifying that Snoke wasn’t literally controlled by Palpatine like a puppet, you could make two lines changes.

1. Instead of “I made Snoke”, he could say, “I trained Snoke”
   The vat of Snokes would make it clear enough that he made him (unless you used poppa’s Palpatine clones shot). Maybe a shot could be made with a Snoke clone and a Palpatine clone. You could even use that shot to show other clones that are in-between the physical appearance of Snoke and Palpatine. Which would answer the question of who Snoke was a clone of: technically Palpatine, but a deformed, genetically alerted version of him. And each new clone became less deformed than the last. Snoke was just an earlier iteration.

2. Do what Dom did, and take out Snoke’s “you have ever heard” part of Palpatine’s line. This line definitely makes it seem like Palpatine IS Snoke.

Awesome! I can’t wait to see your interpretation of it! I had the idea, but I don’t have a concrete idea for how it should look, so it will be cool seeing someone else add their own creativity to it.

I had the idea while I was brainstorming for a Palpatine-less TROS edit, but I realized it could work for a more conservative edit of the movie as well.

Hal 9000 said:

But I do like that idea! RogueLeader is a fan editing genius.

Lol, thanks Hal! Now I just gotta do some actual work…

Movies Remastered said:

That’s a REALLY good idea, dude.

I’m wondering how that effect would look and sound?

It might be a pain, but you could make the the saber more crackly, or wavy(?) as it becomes more unstable, and then we could see the saber either oscillate, or maybe even fade or dissipate. You could distort the regular saber sounds, like when it ignites or deactivates. Maybe you could add a spark effect sort of like what you have with Kylo’s. I mean, I think only one or two effects would be necessary to really sell it. The hard part might be masking out the blade for a few frames here and there to show it malfunctioning.

You mean she did for the symbolism? I mean, this doesn’t change the symbolism…

Kind of building on the idea of the crackly Skywalker saber, I think it could be interesting if during Kylo and Rey’s duel on the Death Star, that Rey’s saber was almost becoming “overloaded” from the constant saber-clashing, and starts shorting out by the end of the duel. For example, in the shot where Rey sort of shakes her hand, you could have the saber fluttering in and out. Then finally, when Kylo keeps hammering away at Rey while she is on the ground, we could see the saber give out while Kylo is raising his to deliver the final blow. This would give a reason for why Rey grabs Kylo’s saber and stabs him with it, rather than just using her own.

I think it would add an interesting aspect to the duel that we haven’t really seen before, where our characters are dealing with a malfunctioning weapon. It also gives Rey a practical reason for why she inevitably builds her own.