ben_danger

coinilius said:

An extremely radical and so-difficult-as-to-be-impossible idea for The Phantom Menace that has been bouncing around in my head for years now would be to not only remove Jar Jar from the narrative entirely through complex editing, masking and rotoscoping, but to actually REPLACE him with another character - namely, with C-3PO!

C-3PO would be a droid in Queen Amidala’s court that gets dragged along with her when they make their escape from the planet. He is placed down where the astromech’s are where he would still bump into R2-D2 and have the ‘how rude!’ line as R2 sasses him before shipping out to repair the ship. When the Decoy Queen is tasking someone to clean the brave little droid, she could instead give the job to C-3PO who would be all affronted by the very notion as it’s not part of his programming or duties. Instant ‘meet-cute’ for the two droids!

The protocol droid could handle a trimmed version of the one poignant scene Jar Jar has, asking Amadala if she believes that her people are going to die, however such an undertaking would probably work best if it followed something similar to the Lone Gungan Edition and excised all the other Gungan’s from the film as well.

Obviously such a feat would require not just scrubbing all traces of Jar Jar from the movie, but would also require filming an actor in a C-3PO costume to then edit into the scenes, as well as find a good Anthony Daniels impersonator to record new dialogue as well. And all the headaches it would no doubt cause for sound editing etc.

Bingo suggested something similar a while back - but I think it was the idea of having a Trade Federation protocol droid join them. Qui-Gon’s sarcastic and dismissive relationship with Jar Jar would work well - so if it COULD be done it would be amazing.

Good luck green-screening/CGing a shiny reflective droid in though!😉

TOWNE32 came up with an excellent idea over on the REVIEW thread.
(http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Force-Awakens-Official-Review-Thread-SPOILERS/id/46786/page/18#888866)

Remove the destruction of the Republic homeworld to the final battle at the end. Essentially this would be a much more important target than the Resistance base - so the stakes and rushed plan would still be important. The Resistance’s failure would provide a much more bittersweet ending.

If you wonder why the republic fleet isn’t involved - perhaps they are too far away to arrive in time - or otherwise engaged.

Perhaps the destruction of Starkiller itself might be as a result of its use. Maybe it is designed for just one shot - so the convenient destruction by X-wings could be avoided completely.

I wonder how essential the planetary shield plotline is? Could they just be undertaking a rescue mission? Chrome head could be abducted to just find out where Rey is - only for the heroes to find out she has escaped.

I like alot of your ideas BENIGN VIEWER - but I’ll not quote them as they take up alot of space!

Silly Radical Idea of the day -

It has been suggested that Anakin has his ‘skywalker’ removed to better hide his relation to Luke within the OT.

Well what IF Luke is never named ‘Luke’ in the PT (and the same for Leia)

Ben is Obi-Wan’s name within the OT to hide his identity - so perhaps Luke is also a rename too? Maybe it could be something exotic like ‘Obi-Wan’, ‘Qui-Gon’ etc as if that is a Jedi name.

It sort of relates back to Aragorn and Gandalf having Elessar and Mithrandir as secondary names within LOTR too.

Followup ROTJ edits might then relate back to this alternative name - maybe as Luke comes of age as a Jedi?

Would anyone rethink how they’d edit the PREQUELS now that the sequels have started? Any themes/groups/characters that could crossover?

I was wondering if the starkiller base had some alternative purpose other than a doomsday device - that perhaps geonosis might be an earlier version of it?

joefavs said:

Just got back from my second viewing, and I actually think I liked it a lot more. The things that bothered me the first time bothered me less, and the overall rhythm felt a lot more natural now that I’m familiar with the entire thing. Bring on VIII, I’m fully on board.

Ha me too! Literally just got in - expecting for the initial ‘wow’ and funny moments to ware off - but after digesting much of the plot - I really enjoyed it more.

Still can’t reconcile starkiller base though.

Watching the scene again where Rey irrationally flees the bar after being offered the lightsabre made me think that an entirely different sequence might have played out.

Wasn’t there also a deleted scene where her former boss catches up from her - and perhaps that is why she fled originally? Wasn’t a younger guy/mark hamill lookalike cast for the flashbacks?

Assuming all this gets released as deleted scenes I can imagine it will make some great fan-edit-fodder

Harmy said:

Here’s my review: https://youtu.be/Oiqlkz81744

Really enjoyed that Harmy - some good points!

Saw it last night.

Han & Chewie really steals the show for me. You really see moments of his character that even ROTJ missed - so its refreshing to see him again. And as someone mentioned earlier there isn’t that INDY4 “I’m too old for this” stuff.

Rey and Finn were great. They captured that light hearted innocence that Luke/Leia had in ANH. I thought Finn was really nice character.

There is thankfully much scope for simple faneditting to make it flow better.

Rey’s introduction reminded me of Luke’s original introductory scenes that were cut in favour of better flow in ANH. I think by the same logic we could be introduced to her a bit later on perhaps - or re-edit her introduction to BB8.

They really didn’t need to be so obvious with Ren’s patronage. Like its so obviously mentioned so many times - where if it was just confirmed on the bridge scene with Han - it would carry much more impact.

Yeah Millenium Falcon sitting in the same junk yard where Rey was seems a bit convenient - could have just been left there when she was perhaps?

Really didn’t think much of Starkiller Base. Really an unnecessary plot device that isn’t explored far enough to me given the scale and threat of it. And the red laser thing being viewable from across the galaxy didn’t seem right (I know it’s fantasy).

Not much really happened in space either.

It doesn’t deserve all this negativity - the best SW film since ESB for me.

I’ve never thought of mirroring the ‘golden age’ of the republic in TPM to what was the ‘golden age’ of the empire in ANH.

Imagine presenting the republic as a sort of super-alderaan, so there are NO weapons anywhere - because there haven’t been any wars for generations. The Jedi’s use of lightsabers might even be representative of a sort of regression of sorts that swords are enough to keep order where needed.

Battle droids with tanks and guns might be a tad more intimidating in that setting - but I’m not sure how much of a lead up that would need to make it impactful. You couldn’t have the first portion of the film just pouring over peaceful environments!

Totally agree about Anakin! Leave him behind - he should just be a background character in that story. I often wonder if it would work to open TPM with Tatooine and Qui-Gon - whilst simultaneously introducing the Naboo fugitives.

Darth Lucas said:

ben_danger said:

So in light of the impending release of episode VII - has anyone thought of ideas which might tie the PT to the ST? Lucas allegedly once said pre-PT that the threat within an ST would be revealed during the PT.

Well we kind of have to see EpVII before we can even think of ways to connect the trilogies.

Yes - this is true obviously - but there is no harm throwing ideas right? And especially in light of the extended Star Wars Lore that is growing in light of the new films.

An agenda on this forum when editting the PT is how it should always be made to fit with the OT. So sometimes this is visually, musically, or adjusting details in the story etc. Sometimes there are certain features such as the overwhelming use of exotic aliens, landscapes and spaceships which would have been impossible in the 70s/80s which make it not fit. Much of this bias might shift in light of the ST, which seems to synthesise both from what the trailers are suggesting.

Two ideas that were batted around ages ago that seemed a bit ‘un-star warsy’ at the time, might have more legitimacy now for instance -

A masked villain in TPM, who is unmasked in AOTC - revealed to be Count Dooku. Ep7 reveals additional factions of dark jedi which have started up since the end of ep6 - could something similar be used at the start of the saga? An additionally filmed actor with a mask would bring a welcome consistent villain for the PT.

I suggested ages ago that GEONOSIS could be a sort of ‘travelling planet’ - so a plot point would be the republic trying to track it down as it is being used as a sort of mobile base. A bit absurd - and no idea how it would work - but in light of what may be suggested in certain film posters, planet wide enemy base isn’t too unfeasible?

So in light of the impending release of episode VII - has anyone thought of ideas which might tie the PT to the ST? Lucas allegedly once said pre-PT that the threat within an ST would be revealed during the PT.

ZodWriter said:

How does it make sense for Hayden to be there? Will he be a Force Ghost or a Clone?

Stormtrooper?

If it truly was a I-VI saga, I think the titles of the OT would better reflect the preceeding events, so it does make some sense. Its fun to imagine anyway.

So that's what Adywan looks like?

darklordoftech said:

Veitch initially wanted to write about the Great Jedi Purge. It would have involved Obi-Wan among a group of Jedi, with the rest of the group getting wiped out throughout series and ending with Obi-Wan moving into his hut. Seeing that concept would be interesting.

Ahh that would have been so great! Shame he never wrote it, might have made a better ep III!

Tobar - would you know of anywhere I could get hold of the Daily Star Wars Comic Strip stories that aren't on the dailysw blog? (A New Beginning, Showdown and The Final Trap).

I'm really not into the Darkhorse recolour/cut/paste job and  much prefer the original newspaper serial format.

Tobar said:

All you need is the Classic Star Wars collection.

 Maybe its mw just being grown up - but the classic MARVEL and the Daily strips are really enjoyable to read. It might be the throw-away absurdity of some of it, or just how it resonates with the era of the OT.

darklordoftech said:

- Golden Age of the Sith and Fall of the Sith Empire would have been true to what was established in Dark Lords of the Sith

- no Sith poison

- no Sith amulets

- Luke wouldn't turn dark

- Dark Empire would take place immediately after ROTJ

- Dark Empire II and Empire's End wouldn't exist

- Legacy wouldn't exist

 Tales of the Jedi is great - I always loved the idea of a Sith species, that gradually became an secular organisation.

If you were to consider changing the comic adaptations of the films - ie alter some crucial plot elements for a better plotline overall - what would you change? And think Radically - this might be a whole new approach to the story.

Would the Emperor in fact be an ancient Sith survivor, perhaps even be Naga Sadow (or make Naga Sadow Palpatine) - art could easily be recoloured/altered. Would he survive the DSII, and actually die in Dark Empire?

Could Leia NOT be Luke's sister - could you rework another character (perhaps a non-romantic Mara Jade or Lumiya fill this role?)

Perhaps Luke could spend more time with Ben Kenobi? Maybe Anakin's story could be retold?

So I’ve been thinking about what a series of comic fan-edits might look like. What if all the EU comics material was pooled together, and recreated into a definitive series. Stories would be edited, emphasis might be shifted perhaps away from the core film storylines, and the core character base may expand.

I’ve recently returned to Star Wars comics after not touching them for over 15 years. The EU, and the comics especially, really lost some of its excitement and energy for me at the time when the PT was released, as it greatly contradicted my own vision of those events. The EU product line really seemed to explode and it became more and more difficult to maintain interest.

The transition of much of the EU material to LEGENDS, seemed to end much of what had been grown over the decades, so it seems more finite and complete. With this in hand, I have returned to reading much of that material that I had previously dismissed, and some of it is really great. I have amassed decades of comics now, and find the volume and scope of what has been produced both overwhelming and exciting.

What strikes me is how much of a mixed bag it is. Awesome and awful, original and cliched. There are numerous contradictions and repetitive storylines. Jedi-turns to the dark side repeats over and over again, as well as the references to pre-ANH events which clearly happen differently after 1998.

Where much of it fails, is how exciting events happen within the stories (for instance Shadows of the Empire) that never get a mention in the films (and by extension the comic adaptations of the films) - which limit the believability greatly. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker meet and interact so much within the earlier comics - so the emphasis and drama of both ESB and ROTJ are somewhat lessened.

If EU comics was to be considered as a whole narrative - and entirely separate from the other EU materials, and the core trilogies, what would that narrative be? What would you edit out/change/ignore or emphasise? Would the events of core films play out differently to compensate for other storylines? Could edit other EU comics to retell the PT perhaps?

What do people think?

In a universe where the PT is made in the earlier 70s/late 60s, maybe an infallible Adam West type?

Although I think he's already stated otherwise - I'd love him to just remove Yoda completely, and just build up interest and suspense for this 'great warrior' character in ESB.

Agreed though, puppet>CGI

DominicCobb said:

If anyone did I'm sure they were immediately sacked. That's clearly not allowed here.

Well I'd like to see it - not to say it is superior, definitive or even justifiable. Just out of curiosity.

Has anyone attempted applying a modern color grading to the OT? Just out of curiosity.

It has been discussed before, and is a recurring idea especially in proposed "3in1" edits to create some sort of narrative consistency.

One aforementioned edit suggested that the battle of Yavin could be removed entirely, so when the Rebel's initially escape the DS, they in fact go to hoth, and ESB plays out from there.

I think removing the destruction of the DS would detract heavily from the impact of ANH, but could work in the context of a trilogy.

I love his idea for Naboo being a sunken planet.