HOW TO OBTAIN THIS EDIT:

The best way to get this edit is by PM.
Thank you!

INTRODUCTION:

Hello,

I am always amazed at the quality of work and talent on display in this forum, and it has inspired me to try my hand at tailoring an edit to my own tastes, what will be my first fan edit.

For The Last Jedi, I had a reaction similar to Hal 9000’s, and his Legendary edit is the most in line with what I want to see. It smoothly trimmed Canto Bight and was conservative with regards to cutting humor, along with a host of changes and tweaks I had never even considered that drastically improve the pacing. My favorite edit is moving the Yoda scene to just before Crait, making it the end of the 2nd act. It hammers home the lesson that failure is a teacher at the perfect moment.

However, for me there are a few scenes I still have trouble watching, scenes that take me out of the movie every time: Leia’s spacewalk, Finn vs. Phasma, BB8 piloting the imperial walker, and Rose’s “rescue” of Finn. I don’t want to be a curmudgeon, and I realize that Star Wars is lighthearted fun, but these scenes broke my suspension of disbelief and disengaged me from the story. So, with permission, I am using Hal’s edit as a base, and making a few additional changes, outlined below.

PROGRESS:

V3 RELEASED! There are two versions, one with the Palpatine additions, and a “NoPalp” version for those who don’t want the TROS tie-ins. The latest version with Palpatine is 4/20/20, and the latest “NoPalp” version is 04/05/20.

The final runtime for each is 142 minutes (credits roll at 134). Please PM me for more info.

There are four sizes to choose from for each version:

1080p Blu-Ray Quality MKV (34gb)
Video: H.264 at 30-35mbps VBR
Audio: 5.1 DTS, 5.1 Dolby Digital AC-3
Extra: English and Spanish* Subtitles and Chapter markers
*Spanish subtitles only in regular V3.

1080p High Quality MKV (10gb)
Video: H.264 at 10mbps VBR
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital AC-3
Extra: English and Spanish* Subtitles and Chapter markers
*Spanish subtitles only in regular V3.

720p Good Quality MKV (4gb)
Video: H.264 at 4mbps VBR
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital AC-3
Extra: English and Spanish* Subtitles and Chapter markers
*Spanish subtitles only in regular V3.

720p Good Quality MP4 (2gb)
Video: 1280x536 H.264 at 2mbps VBR
Audio: 5.1 AAC

Extras
For the Palpatine version, German DTSHD audio and complementary subtitles (for the deleted scenes and title crawl, which would not be covered by the German track) have been provided separately on the drive. Thank you to KetchupGore for providing these.

V3 PALPATINE TEASES:

(PW for all vimeo links: fanedit)

• Dark Side Cave 1st Appearance Sith Whispers

  • Description: added Sith whispers as the cave first calls to Rey.

• Dark Side Cave Sith Whispers and Hood

  • Description: added Sith whispers and Palpatine’s hood appears in the reflection just before Rey’s face appears.

• Flashback Palpatine Laugh (by HAL 9000 and TiMartyn)

  • Description: added Palpatine laugh to the last Luke/Kylo flashback. Thanks to Hal 9000 for providing the audio.

• Palpatine Contact

  • Description: when Kylo is in the radio room of the rebel base on Crait, he has an unexpected contact with Palpatine.

• Snoke Sith Death - Subtle

  • Description: Snoke’s eyes flash red/yellow as he’s stabbed by the lightsaber, and then a puff of blue “Palpatine essence“ releases after his body splits in half.

• Force Skype Sounds

  • Description: added some of the Palpatine Contact sounds to other Force Skype moments.

V3 NON-PALPATINE CHANGES:

(PW for all vimeo links: fanedit)

• Finn Wakes

  • Description: Rey whispers “Finn” right before he wakes up, hinting at his force sensitivity.

• Praetorian Knife Continuity Fix

  • Description: removed continuity error of knife disappearing mid-shot, also had praetorian’s knife knocked away by Rey’s lightsaer strike way in the background of earlier shot.

• Deleted Shuttle Scene Improvements

  • Description: improved reflections and particles on the wide shots, fixed 3D environment on viewscreen.

• Crait Battle Tweaks

  • Description: enhanced Finn’s “Rose” reaction to her getting shot down, rotoscoped walker to turn and flex to target Finn, reversed angle of Finn’s speeder being targeted by walker (graphic provided by smpearce1981) and modified targeting graphics, cropped Finn cockpit POV shot so walker position difference isn’t noticeable (was always off, even in theatrical), adjusted angle and position of walker so it fires down and towards Finn speeder (mockup by NeverarGreat), enhanced Finn cockpit explosion effects, added explosion effect to shot of speeder coming apart, reduced music during canon explosion, cannon beams and hum removed when Finn exits crashed speeder.

• Added Wilhelm Scream

  • Description: Wilhelm!

• Broom Boy Rebel Ring Removal

  • Description: extended shots in end sequence to cover the rebel ring shot, maintaining timing.

• (courtesy of HAL 9000) Reinstated a modified version of the balcony scene overlooking kids and horses being beaten, though removing strong hints that Finn and Rose will be able to act upon the town before they leave
  (Helps pacing and also builds on Finn and DJs talk about good vs bad sides when on ship)

V2 AND PRIOR CHANGES:

(PW for all vimeo links: fanedit)
(Original Hal 9000 changes in italics)

• Removing “mama” joke from Hux prank call

  • Description: most fan edits have heavily trimmed this scene or even removed it, but I wanted to be even more conservative about it. For me, it either needs to be long or completely cut, because a heavily trimmed version makes the stalling tactic seem kind of pointless. In the theatrical version, it’s a stalling tactic and an extremely belabored joke. In the trimmed versions, it’s a Poe character moment that serves very little actual function. I’m hoping that by just removing the "mama” joke at the end, the stall tactic makes more sense and the joke is more tolerable. I don’t think this will be a popular take.

• Trimmed Paige kicking the ladder slightly

• Very slightly trim Paige’s grabbing the detonator

  • Description: it was just a little too drawn out and didn’t even look physically possible in the original cut.

• Tweaked Music during Luke’s saber toss so it’s not a joke

  • Description: I’ve seen many edits of this scene that work well, from darthrush’s saber drop, to Ivan Ortega’s radical alterations, but I wanted to opt for something simple that didn’t change the visuals (other than adding a bit of camera movement on a couple shots). It was apparent to me that the music is a big contributor to making the moment into a joke, with a music swell leading into long awkward silence. By adjusting the music, I think the scene no longer plays as a buildup to a joke, and instead emphasizes Luke’s anger/frustration.

• Reinstated the ‘Luke Has a Moment’ deleted scene

• Cut Luke drinking milk (just that shot, not the scene)

  • Description: the look on Luke’s face while drinking was a bit off-putting and too strong coming from Luke Skywalker. I agree the purpose of the scene is to show Luke’s connection with the cycle of life (and Rey’s initial revulsion), but all of that is accomplished without Luke’s scowling look, which made it seem like he was enjoying making her uncomfortable rather than teaching her anything.

• Reinstated the deleted scene where Poe gives Finn back his jacket (with scene transition provided by OT.com user pleasehello)

• Removed Leia’s spacewalk (some edits inspired by Ivan Ortega’s version)

  • Description: this was the scene that sucked me out of the movie (no pun intended). I don’t have a problem with Leia using the force, but this moment felt like a deus ex machina that cheapened the stakes. In a movie that introduces a lot of new ideas about the power of the force, this one just didn’t work for me.

• Removed both appearances from the ‘Caretakers’ on Ach-to (with a visual effects shot courtesy of OT.com user snooker)

• Trimmed away the lone porg who gives Chewie the doughy eyes, though leaving the joke intact otherwise

• Removed Luke’s line to R2, “Nothing can make me change my mind.”

• Cut Maz’s line about having a physical relationship with the codebreaker

  • Description: this scene has a lot of issues but is critical to the plot. Even if the “labor dispute” is strange tonally, I thought at least we could remove Maz’s romantic pause about the codebreaker, which is awkward and unnecessary.

• Cut down the first sequence at Canto Bight to focus solely on finding the master codebreaker (also removing sounds of coins rattling around inside BB8 in two shots)

• Blended the original Anakin lightsaber ignition sound with the existing different sounds for two shots

• Made it appear as though Finn and Rose follow DJ out of the cell, briefly elude the guards, and the scene ends. Next time we see the trio, they are already in hyperspace (also removing the implication in the later scene that BB8 helped steal the ship).

• Added a center wipe transition from the scene with Finn, Rose, and DJ in hyperspace to the fleet losing their medical frigate

• Used a few shots from a deleted scene to remove the iron/spaceship gag, which borrowed from an old spoof which laughed at Star Wars rather than along with Star Wars (film speck removed by OT.com user poppasketti)

• Trimmed some of the comedy with BB8 being placed under a basket

• Recut Snoke’s death to trim his monologue and refocus the moment on Rey and Kylo-Ren (originally created for Hal’s Legendary edit)

• Removed Finn fighting Phasma and BB-8 in imperial walker

  • Description: while the ship is crumbling around them, we pause for a boss battle between Finn and Phasma. It just didn’t feel necessary and hurt the pacing. BB-8 commandeering an imperial walker looked plain silly to me, so that whole scene was cut. Now we go from Finn and Rose running towards the shuttle to the shuttle flying out of the ship. BB-8 was rotoscoped into these shots so we understand he got on board as well. Phasma’s body was also tracked into the shot so we know she was likely killed in the explosion. The deleted shuttle scene of Finn and Rose heading back “where we belong” was restored here as well. Not only does it give more resolution to Finn and Rose’s now-trimmed escape, it’s also a callback to the restored deleted scene when Poe gives Finn his jacket.

• V3 changes: added debris, reflections, and particle effects to enhance deleted shots.

• Moved the scene with Luke and Yoda to immediately prior to Leia looking out over Crait (using audio and video provided by OT.com user Darthrush)

• Cut Finn’s reference to “miniature Death Star tech” (but kept Poe’s “A what now?”)

• Removed Rose’s suicidal “rescue” of Finn and their dialogue after (based on darthrush’s The Dark Cut)

  • Description: this sequence was poorly conceived and for me ruined the heroic effort by Finn. Rose says she saved Finn by colliding with him at full speed in a move that should have killed them both. Then she makes a speech about how you should save the ones you love, which is what he was trying to do in the first place. Using several VFX shots, the sequence is now as follows:
    • Rose is shot down just after Finn says “No, I won’t let them win.”
      (using ideas from several OT.com users including RogueLeader and big_gareth, and a VFX shot from big_gareth)
    • Finn yells “Rose” over the radio during a reaction shot from Poe, cut to Finn flipping his headset up while looking distraught. This works for me because it adds motivation for Finn’s actions. The situation seems hopeless and he is desperate.
    • Finn continues on towards the cannon.
    • Finn gets shot down by an imperial walker at the last second. (usings ideas and FX from darthrush)
    • Finn gets out of his cockpit and yells for “Rose”. The next time we see them Finn is dragging Rose back to base saying “she’s hurt pretty bad.”
    • Rotoscoped Finn and Rose out of battering ram cannon firing and explosion. Added reaction shot of Kylo-Ren.
      • V3 changes: enhanced Finn’s “Rose” reaction to her getting shot down, rotoscoped walker to turn and flex to target Finn, reversed angle of Finn’s speeder being targeted by walker (graphic provided by smpearce1981) and modified targeting graphics, cropped Finn cockpit POV shot so walker position difference isn’t noticeable (was always off, even in theatrical), adjusted angle and position of walker so it fires down and towards Finn speeder (mockup by NeverarGreat), enhanced Finn cockpit explosion effects, added explosion effect to shot of speeder coming apart, reduced music during canon explosion, cannon beams and hum removed when Finn exits crashed speeder.

• The crate Luke sits on as he talks with Leia is now stationary and motionless, unaffected by him (effect provided by OT.com user poppasketti)

• Trimmed Hux ordering fighters to follow the Falcon, leaving this poor tactical move to be attributed to Kylo Ren’s emotional priorities

• Removed Finn’s line, “Oh, they hate that ship!”

• Removed spot on the sun as Luke gazes out after collapsing, which caused some presumably inadvertent misdirection for some upon first viewing (courtesy of OT.com user poppasketti)

SPECIAL THANKS!

Since I’m building off of Hal 9000’s excellent Legendary edit, I felt it appropriate to include his special thanks to those who helped with his edit through feedback and work, as well as adding the names of those that helped with my own version.

Everyone at OriginalTrilogy.com who contributed, including:
Hal 9000 (Legendary edit, ideas and guidance)
DarthRush (FX shot and ideas)
big_gareth (FX shot and ideas)
smpearce1981 (FX shot and ideas)
Pleasehello (FX shot)
Snooker (FX shot)
ChainsawAsh (DTS audio advice and overall QC)
MalàStrana (English subtitles; poppasketti conformed for Rekindled edit)
PodracingThisIs91 (Spanish subtitles)
KetchupGore (German DTSHD audio and complementary subtitles)
jarbear (ideas)
RogueLeader (ideas)
NeverarGreat (ideas)
FreezingTNT2 (ideas)
Ivan Ortega (ideas)
Axios (ideas)
ziggyonice (qc)
revstevens (qc)
InitAbsolute (qc)
idir_hh
TiMartyn
krausfadr
Siliconmaster482
StarkillerAG
Anakin Starkiller
Jar Jar Bricks
Darth Muffy
stevepaynter
IlFanEditore
Natedug
jeebus
HyperDown
liambrazier
krlozdac
DigMod
stretch009
One69chev
Collipso
LordPlagueis
BMadden
Drakul
StrafeSawdoffe
TV’s Frink
HerekittykittyX
DominicCobb
LordRorek
Imadethisfortheanticheeseedit
Zachary VIII
OutboundFlight
TiMartyn
Handman
Dr. Krogshöj
Nightstalkerpoet
EddieDean
DZ-330
Nd4spd
ChiefWamsutta
Valheru_84
TK-422
Possessed
CourtlyHades296
AbramPT
CarterStarkiller
Cheebo
Snoke&mirrors
Sir Ridley
Anjohan
Kaweebo
Oojason
TheLostJedi
Littlev87
Dat_SW_Guy
Toastedzen
Adywan
Tobar
Arosa1091
Chyron8472
TK251
Bop
Gimpy
LeonardoRamos
Octorox
Jrs81
Bromeo
Iryin01
NFBisms
sade1212
Noodle_Finger (editor behind a prior edit of TLJ)

I also must thank my wife for sitting with me through several viewings, making valuable suggestions (how to fix “Space Leia” to name one example), and being patient with me throughout!

Whoa, I hear it! Wait, so did you add 2 Wilhelm screams? Because I definitely hear one in the scene DZ-330 references. I can give timecode if we want to drop all mystery. 😉

I have to go back and watch again, but pretty sure it wasn’t during the Luke and Kylo fight. And what I remember is it was a trooper.

Bobson Dugnutt said:

I have no idea why you think out of all scenes that the Hologram Circus one was needing to be more impactful or that Duel of the Fates was the track of choice. But I made it for some reason and boy howdy does Duel of the Fates not fit at all.
Maybe we should add Binary Sunset to the cooking show sequence so that it really resonates with audiences. Or perhaps The Asteroid Field over the Mini-transmitter Instructional Video to increase the tension. The possibilities are endless!

https://vimeo.com/281128244

A masterwork! Thank you thank you thank you!

People rag on the Holiday Special, but I’ve always felt with the right music choices, it really can be an epic. And I love your other ideas, Mr. Dugnutt. Perhaps Battle of the Heroes in place of the Jefferson Starship? Or is that scene untouchable? Either way, I look forward to seeing your edit!

Fair enough. I don’t think I agree with the idea, but it will definitely be interesting to see!

Many of his other edits are excellent, but I think overall this cut will be too radical for me.

OutboundFlight said:

I am interested in how these radical ideas turn out. The Luke vs Kylo fight especially.

This project is very ambitious, and I’ve been watching his videos for a while now.

One thing I never understood, though, is why he’s redoing the Kylo / Luke fight. Usually he explains his thinking but I must have missed this. Is it because TLJ didn’t have a “real” lightsaber battle?

I kind of thought that was brilliant in a way. Luke was more powerful with his cunning than with trying to be a superhero. It was the only way he could truly live up to the legend.

This may stray beyond preservation into fan-edit territory, so I apologize in advance, but would it be possible to insert Duel of the Fates when the hologram circus comes out? I also felt that scene could be more impactful with better music.

Seriously, though, this is a great project and I’d love to see a high resolution version of the Holiday Special!

I’m not sure if EvenSteven wants any more talk about Holdo’s hair (if so, let me know and I can take down this post), but since there’s been discussion here, I think changing her hair to brown is doable using colorista in After Effects, which has secondaries and power masks.

Here’s a sample:
https://vimeo.com/278972236
pw: fanedit

This would still require going shot by shot and animating the masks, but it does seem doable.

Hal,
Happy to see this is out! It looks great, and I’m flattered by your mention in the special thanks and your kind words in the commentary! Like snooker, I also had a dumb grin on my face!
I really like hearing your take on the film, and it’s great insight into your decision-making process.
Congrats on the great release!

It does? I only see them listed as shorts. Also, at the bottom of the page there’s a 2018 listing as himself for “Interview - Ivan Ortega on Re-Editing Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. So I think it’s safe to say that’s him.

toastedzen said:

Have you noticed hal, as an editor, in more recent movies are deleted scenes added to the Bluray in their unfinished versions rather than becoming fodder for editors, or is this more of the direction of each studio and director and only some movies have somewhat polished deleted material?

I think this has more to do with when in the editorial process the shot is cut. Some shots/scenes are cut very late when all of the FX are done, and some not.

Saruman’s appearance was cut very late from Return of the King, to the chagrin Count Dooku. But we got the extended editions!

Hal 9000 said:

Here’s my paint-by-numbers implementation of poppasketti’s mockup for Snoke’s death.

https://vimeo.com/271892387
password: fanedit

Yasss! Great work, Hal! I’m so happy this will be a part of your version, and I just love the way people collaborate here!

My only questions / suggestions:

1. At 0:25, I put a slight zoom on the closeup of Kylo (100 to 105%) that for me helped match the camera motion of the shots before and after.
2. I rode the levels of the Torn Apart music a little, starting it soft and only letting it reach full volume for the last couple of seconds. I defer to your judgment of how it sounds in the full mix, but thought I’d mention it!

Hal 9000 said:

That’d probably be handy. I oughtta be able to do a reasonably close approximation.
Did you alter the speed of any shots?

No I didn’t alter the speed so you should have no problem matching it to the frame. I’ll send you the QuickTime with some audio references!

[Hal 9000 said:]

That’s very nice! It deftly avoids RJ’s double/triple/whatever fakeout while infusing a meaningful sense of emotion. Instantly sold. Do you already have it in full 5.1? If not, I should be able to recreate it.

Ha, I’m glad you like it!

I do not have it in 5.1 at the moment. I used the center channel of the 5.1 to grab the dialogue (mostly just Rey breathing) and added music from the Torn Apart track from TFA, but I’m not actually sure the best way to go about making the new music 5.1 with proper reverb. Any ideas? Should I send you my edits for reference so you can recreate it?

Hello,

Another thing that still sort of bothers me is how much Snoke telestrates for the audience what’s about to happen. I love how you cut out the shot of seeing the saber turning, but I still find the dialogue too obvious and distracting, and diverts attention from the tension between Kylo and Rey.

So I took a shot at removing the latter part of Snoke’s dialogue (“I cannot be betrayed…he kills his true enemy…”), and here’s the result:

https://vimeo.com/271774914
password: fanedit

The new music is from Torn Apart, which I think is appropriate here because it’s the same track that plays when Kylo kills Han Solo, so it’s kind a mirror. Just an idea I figured I’d share!

Also, Hal, when you can, please send me the sunspot prores file.

AbramPT said:

• Finally, I would love to see that little speck in the sun disappear during Luke’s final moments. It’s such a minuscule detail, but the first time I watched TLJ, I actually thought a ship was on its way to save Luke at the last second.

Hal 9000 said:

I would, too. Can anyone do that? I imagine it’s pretty easy.

Did someone say easy?!

How’s this: https://vimeo.com/271196844 (pw: fanedit)

(Hal, if you wouldn’t mind, could you send me a prores file of just this shot? I did this tweak off of your work print file.)

Hi Hal,

I’m watching the new work print and it looks great! I love the new deleted scenes and think they pace the beginning much better, and gives us some more good character moments.

I’m glad you brought back Rose’s line about “the vilest people in the galaxy.” It just makes that scene less abrupt and teases Canto Bight / DJ better. Thanks for doing that!

I also found the Wilhelm scream, but I won’t give it away so others can enjoy finding it.

Haven’t finished yet, but I’ll let you know if I have any other thoughts!

Great work!

I’d love to see the second workprint as well!

Hey Hal,

One thing I noticed when re-watching your Canto Bight sequence (so much better) is that there’s not a lot of setup for the shady people they’re about to see (including DJ), and the stolen weapons dealer’s ship moment is kind of random.

Now, I’m not suggesting adding back in any of the ham-fisted political commentary, but Rose has a simple line after Finn asks, “You know this town, Canto Bight?”
Rose says “From stories”, which is where you cut. This is a bit abrupt, but she also says right after that, “It’s a terrible place filled with the vilest people in the galaxy.”

I think adding that back would help setup the place, and DJ’s revelation about the weapons dealer wouldn’t come out of nowhere. It would be akin to Obi-Wan’s “wretched hive of scum and villainy” line from ANH.

MalàStrana said:
The thing is that this scene is probably going to be a real deal breaker for many people, so I hope someone will take Hal’s edit and implement into it the best space Leia’s removal possible !

MalàStrana, that’s what I want too! The scene is a deal breaker for me.

Here’s my current version (using Ivan Ortega’s music idea for the end of the scene):
https://vimeo.com/268210930 (pw: fanedit)

But I’m wondering what others have done. I’m just looking for the best version to splice into Hal’s edit. Maybe we should make a new topic to keep this out of Hal’s thread?

Hal 9000 said:

That is probably the best way that idea can be executed. Great work!

But, I don’t have an impetus to remove the sequence. Especially since we won’t be getting any more Leia.

Fair enough! And thank you!

I think I will use your edit when finished and splice in this bit for myself. Leia Poppins just takes me right out of the movie!

Edit: btw, that YouTube video you linked to is fantastic, thanks for sharing!

Hey Hal!

Just watched down the work print, and I love your style! You’re careful and subtle with the changes, so that none of the edits were distracting.

I was most impressed, of course, with the Canto Bight cutdown. Oh man, I can enjoy the movie so much more with that reduction, I think you nailed it!

One thing, though, that I just won’t be able to ever get over watching is the Leia Poppins scene. It’s just too distracting. Ultimately, I think I will want a hybrid of your edit with this scene cut.

So, inspired by the Ivan Ortega videos and my wife’s suggestion for how to eliminate that scene, I tried my hand at a proof of concept edit to see if it can be removed without being too fan-edity. This is the result: https://vimeo.com/268210930
(pw: fanedit)

Does this work at all? One thing I would like to do, with permission, is use the music change Ortega outlined here: https://youtu.be/wq57WLWAqU8?t=10m15s

I love his music transition from Hux to Leia, and that would be my ideal way to finish off the scene. What do you think?

Hal 9000 said:

I’m very reluctant to crop off the broom boy ending because to me it just feels so very ‘fan edit-y’ and inauthentic in a way I can’t put my finger on. Star Wars movies always end with a scene without any dialogue, and even if Canto Bight is hardly there, the meaning of the final scene would still read easily.

Hal, I completely agree with you on this. Ending on the Falcon feels rushed to me and just kind of small.

The broom boy scene works so well not because it pays off the fathier scenes, but because it pays off Luke’s sacrifice. Luke accepting his legend and using it to inspire others gives his actions such weight and scope. It’s just epic. And it plays wonderfully after Rey herself expresses doubt about the fate of the rebellion.

Without that end scene, you lose the scale of what Luke has done. He didn’t just save our heroes, he rekindled the rebel spirit.

(Hal, I would also be grateful to see an early rough cut when it is ready!)

RogueLeader said:

Wow Snook, really good job!

EDIT: Also great job on the crate poppasketti! At least on my phone it looks pretty seamless.

Thanks, RogueLeader!

I know it’s a small fix, but I’ve been following these boards for years, and I’m just happy to be able to contribute something!

Hal 9000 said:

Thanks very much; I’ll be sending you a PM shortly.

Hey Hal,

Here’s my first pass at stabilizing the crate.
https://vimeo.com/263673331
password: fanedit

I’ll scrutinize a bit more myself as I think there’s a couple small things I want to fix, but let me know if you see anything. I uploaded the prores file to vimeo, so if you like, you can download the file and slot it into your edit!