I’d love to check out the rough cut!
Thanks. I’ll get it rendered and links out this evening.
In my opinion, it’s better to keep as much as possible or the flashbacks and cut the whole Hera/NR subplot.
In the end, the NR subplot is just a filler, and it was one of the weakest points of the show. I guess most of fans didn’t enjoy it.
On the other hand, let’s be honest, people love the Anakin stuff, and those flashbacks were important I’m terms of the “Lesson” and Ahsoka’s character development. Also, if you take in consideration viewers/fans who never watched TCW, those flashbacks add a lot in terms of Ahsoka/Anakin story. I understand that for the sake of a coherent, well paced 3h movie you have to trim stuff, but I in my opinion you should keep this flashback stuff, as much as possible.
And again, Hera/NR stuff was really weak and in the end turned out to be a useless filler.
EDIT
I’d be happy to watch the rough cut of this 😉 I ll have to spend 2h in a train tomorrow anyway 😉
Yeah the Clone Wars stuff was one of the best parts of the show. I think I’ll stick with my current edit of those. I’ve shortened the scenes as much as I can whilst maintaining the story.
The New Republic stuff is a really difficult one. I agree that it’s a relatively weak part of the show. However, without some elements of it there isn’t anything to plug a couple of time gaps in the Seatos story. That’s fine with a TV show, but with a movie it’s obvious that something is missing. And there is the issue with Ahsoka’s exit from Seatos. I’ll render the rough second act and send you a link.
I’ve done a cut of the first 7 episodes which is clocking in at 2h40. I’m waiting for a non-DV 4K source for episode 8 so that I can complete the cut and I’m confident I can bring it in on 3 hours, which is my upper limit for a movie edit.
Whilst I’m waiting for an episode 8 source I’m going back through act 1 to complete the audio.
Act 1 is pretty much nailed down. It’s act 2 where I’m still a little uncertain, particularly concerning the Clone Wars flashbacks and the Hera/New Republic plot. My current version includes both the Clone Wars and Hera/New Republic elements with a lot of trimming.
I guess the options for the Clone Wars flashbacks are:
For the Hera/New Republic arc I can:
Stick with my edited version which removes the defence council and tribunal scenes and trimming of the Ahsoka search.
Cut it entirely and have Huyang rescue Ahsoka from the water. However, this option creates issues with the pacing of the primary plot due to lack of spacer scenes and a very disjointed Purgil departure results in a disjointed Purgill departure sequence.
If anyone wants to look over a rough cut of the second act let me know.
Can I please get the link to download this?
This is very much a work in progress!
This evening I moved onto episode 3 and have managed to edit it down to 18mins. This puts the first 3 episodes at 68mins including the crawl. I haven’t been able to remove Ahsoka’s space walk because there are 2 key elements that occur when she is back in the cockpit with her space suit on… the flight through the Purgill and Huyang’s report on the hyperdrive ring. And actually the space walk sequence allows Sabone to redeem herself in the eyes of Ahsoka. I have massively cut down the rest of the space battle sequence so it is much faster paced.
I have two suggestions.
Suggestion #1 - Have a cold open before the opening credits, and have that scene be the one from the Mandalore when Ahsoka fights and captures Morgan. Even if it’s edited down, having that scene I think would be an awesome introduction to the series, action-packed, who Ahsoka is, who Morgan is, her power before… PLUS, it creates a fabulous full-circle moment in the end when Ahsoka and Morgan are fighting on the top of the fortress.
Suggestion #2 - The title you’ve chosen is quite generic and lacks punch. I’d workshop something else. It just doesn’t hit or sell really what this is about. This is a story about a journey of rebirth, discovery of self, and a dangerous return with a dash of hope (Hi, Ezra!). “A Threat From Beyond,” I just don’t feel captures that at all. JMO.
Anyhoo, looking forward to the finished result.
Great suggestions Arabian. Had I decided on doing 2 movies for Ahsoka, I definitely would have had the Ahsoka/Morgan duel from the Mandalorian as the opening scene and hard cut to Morgan as they approach Peridea. However, as a single movie it doesn’t really fit as the opening and I’m dead against a pre-crawl scene.
So, after watching the finale, this is definitely a one movie series. There just isn’t enough meat for 2 films. The finale itself was a very action heavy 40mins, a lot of which can be heavily trimmed or cut like the TIE fighter attack.
The whole Peridea sequence could probably be shortened to an hour, which would fit nicely into a third act. That leaves an hour or so for the middle act on Seatos.
So for the through-line story I feel the focus of the movie, in order, should be.
And as has become a theme with these edits, the New Republic scenes (and thus Hera), add little to the overall plot and will be largely cut.
I’ll hopefully have a first cut completed by the end of the week.
I’ve had a good session this evening working on the single movie plan. I’ve now gone through all seven episodes and done a rough cut which came in at 2h 58mins, which is obviously too long with a 40 minute finale still to come. However, there is definitely a lot more than can be cut.
I then went back and did a more detailed cut of the first two episodes and I believe I now have a workable first act which allows the plot to progress quickly but maintains our character introductions. This comes in at 50mins:
Logos and crawl: 2mins
Episode 1: 34mins
Episode 2: 15mins
The main changes from the first cut are:
So act 1 now plays out as:
Act 2 is where a lot of fat needs to be trimmed and I’ll work on that this week after the premiere. I desperately want to keep the Clone Wars flashbacks but they may have to go 😦
When you think about it, not a lot has happened over the course of 7 episodes. It’s basically just “Star Wars: The Return of Thrawn”. Seeing Hayden as Anakin again was nice more satisfying than in Kenobi), and I really like the the actor who plays Ezra, but over all, the show has not covered a lot of ground.
Totally agree. Plot wise it fits a 3 act movie perfectly.
Act 1: Character introduction & getting the map to Seatos.
Act 2: Confrontation on Seatos & Journey to Peridea.
Act 3: Thrawn reveal & FinaleHowever, it’s been edited and structured in a way that makes it difficult to cut the fat.
Much work to do! Hopefully all will become clearer after the finale.Perhaps they saw how popular that Kenobi fanedit was and decided to make this in such a way as to make an edit very difficult 😉
Wouldn’t surprise me. I also wonder if fan editing is one of the reasons we don’t seem to get deleted scenes anymore.
Do you think fanediting would have that much of an impact?
I would have thought it was Disney not wanting to show anything except their original product. For example there was a book written by J.W Rinzlet about the making of TFA, he did the other 6 films, but they subsequently cancelled it.
I think it has some impact. Studios are aware of Fanedits and I’m sure it has resulted in less additional footage being released.
PMs sent
When you think about it, not a lot has happened over the course of 7 episodes. It’s basically just “Star Wars: The Return of Thrawn”. Seeing Hayden as Anakin again was nice more satisfying than in Kenobi), and I really like the the actor who plays Ezra, but over all, the show has not covered a lot of ground.
Totally agree. Plot wise it fits a 3 act movie perfectly.
Act 1: Character introduction & getting the map to Seatos.
Act 2: Confrontation on Seatos & Journey to Peridea.
Act 3: Thrawn reveal & FinaleHowever, it’s been edited and structured in a way that makes it difficult to cut the fat.
Much work to do! Hopefully all will become clearer after the finale.Perhaps they saw how popular that Kenobi fanedit was and decided to make this in such a way as to make an edit very difficult 😉
Wouldn’t surprise me. I also wonder if fan editing is one of the reasons we don’t seem to get deleted scenes anymore.
When you think about it, not a lot has happened over the course of 7 episodes. It’s basically just “Star Wars: The Return of Thrawn”. Seeing Hayden as Anakin again was nice more satisfying than in Kenobi), and I really like the the actor who plays Ezra, but over all, the show has not covered a lot of ground.
Totally agree. Plot wise it fits a 3 act movie perfectly.
Act 1: Character introduction & getting the map to Seatos.
Act 2: Confrontation on Seatos & Journey to Peridea.
Act 3: Thrawn reveal & Finale
However, it’s been edited and structured in a way that makes it difficult to cut the fat.
Much work to do! Hopefully all will become clearer after the finale.
I beg you, please don’t cut Anakin’s hologram, it was so cool to see it! 😉
The whole training scene will probably be cut 😬. If we hadn’t had the Clone Wars visions I would have kept it, but it seems unnecessary since we’ve already had more than enough to establish Anakin and Ahsoka’s connection and history.
Hi ! After watching the first two films, I thought it was excellent ! No weirdness in the editing bothered me, it’s very good work, bravo ! The first one is perfect for me. For the second, some elements could have been lengthened as the passage with Ahsoka but it’s not embarrassing at all. I can’t wait to see the other two !
Thanks again for sharing your movies !
Many thanks. I agree that season one works much better as a movie because the main plot can be extracted from the filler.
Season 2 was much trickier because there was less filler and it was harder to remove. As a result I had to cut scenes down to give a more reasonable runtime. I think anything over 3 hours becomes onerous to watch.
Well episode 7 was a whole lotta filler! Looks like a single movie is back on the table!
So all that needs to be accomplished with the episode 7 footage is the arrival of Ahsoka, Baylan and Shin parting ways and Ahsoka/Sabine/Ezra reuniting.
The fight sequence achieves very little in terms of the story so can be heavily cut, just a question of just how much can he cut without it feeling too short.
The Baylan/Ahsoka duel definitely needs to go!
While we’re on the topic, there any way that we can change Ashoka’s question to Elsbeth? She should know generally where Thrawn is, and Elsbeth doesn’t actually know anything more than she does about it. Instead, could we have an AI voice ask where the map/orb/it is? That (either chronologically or by inference if used as a flashback) is what leads Ahsoka to the ruin where she finds the artifact.
I don’t think the question needs to be changed does it? We don’t see the answer so it’s perfectly believable that Morgan would say that he’s in another galaxy and you need a map to locate it.
But why would she be asking Elsbeth and not someone easier to find who knows the same thing, like Hera or Sabine? It’s weird to go on a quest to hunt an enemy in order to ask a question that your friends already know the answer to.
Even slightly different wording would help: “Where was Thrawn taken?” This would imply that she knows more. “Where is Thrawn?” sounds like he’s hiding or coming, not trapped somewhere.
Because Sabine and Hera don’t know either. When Ahsoka encounters Sabine the first thing she says is “I know how to find Ezra”.
While we’re on the topic, there any way that we can change Ashoka’s question to Elsbeth? She should know generally where Thrawn is, and Elsbeth doesn’t actually know anything more than she does about it. Instead, could we have an AI voice ask where the map/orb/it is? That (either chronologically or by inference if used as a flashback) is what leads Ahsoka to the ruin where she finds the artifact.
I don’t think the question needs to be changed does it? We don’t see the answer so it’s perfectly believable that Morgan would say that he’s in another galaxy and you need a map to locate it.
Smudger9, since it’s clear to me that episodes 6-8 won’t have enough material for 2 and a half hour movie, you could use the Mandalorian s02e05 footage you cut from your second Mando movie “Search for The Jedi” at the beginning of the second Ahsoka movie.
The confrontation between Ahsoka and Morgan could serve as flashback that Morgan would think about during the travel to Peridea, which would reveal how Ahsoka arrested Morgan and thus stretch the footage a bit.
We saw something similar in the Halloween Kills, where at the beginning of the film, thanks to a flashback, we found out how the police arrested Micheal Myers.
That’s a very good idea. I had considered using it as the opening to the first Ahsoka movie but it didn’t flow well enough into the Ahsoka series. Using it as a flashback would work much better and it also removes the need to end the sequence with a resolution. Infact ending it on Ahsoka asking “where is Grand Admiral Thrawn” and cutting to the bridge of the Hyoerspace ring as they approach Peridea would be perfect! Definitely an idea to park if I go for 2 movies!
Hi! First time posting here. Since Ahsoka started, I’ve been thinking how could a TV-to-movie fanedit of this season work. I supposed some of the ‘usual suspects’ would end up doing it, so I searched and I found that, yes, none other than Smudger9 was already planning on it. So here I am.
In my opinion, the season is unfolding in a manner that will lend itself more to a two-movie edit: the first one comprising episodes 1 to 5, and the second one with 6 to 8. I agree with Smudger when he says that, because of how Filoni has structured the series, it is difficult to cut a lot (as opposed to The Mandalorian, Boba Fett or Obi-Wan). But I also think that, even if it seems that the first episodes do not advance the plot a whole lot, they tell a complete story (sort of) in emotional terms. And, also, the end of episode 5 marks a change of setting, and also an ellipsis, that structurally would make for a perfect ending for the first movie. That movie would tell, on one side, the story of the search for Thrawn. But it would also tell the story of how Ahsoka comes to terms with her heritage, and how she emerges changed, renewed and reborn in order to start the next stage of her journey. The confrontation with Anakin would be a perfect climax, with the second part of episode 5 serving as resolution and epilogue (like Rey travelling to Ach-To to find Luke). Then, hyperspace jump, end credits, cue John Williams fanfare!
Depending on how the last two episodes unfold, the second movie could be the return of Thrawn to the galaxy, and maybe the introduction of a new and previously unknown threat (or, knowing Filoni, it could be something completely different). In any case, I think this series could work perfectly as two movies with a minimal time skip between them, similar to the one between TFA and TLJ. Until now, this show has been, rythmically speaking, quite similar to the movies (or, at least, more similar to them than the rest of the TV shows), and the big emotional stakes would make it work perfectly as two parts. Also, it would simplify a lot the editing process! Anyway, those are my two cents about it.
(P.S.: I absolutely LOVED Ahsoka’s space walk! That was the one moment I could see our beloved padawan Tano through this older, seasoned and tired Ahsoka. And, because of that, I think that’s the first moment (maybe the second, after her jump through the glass in the Corellian shipyards) the audience thinks Ahsoka can really get to ‘loosen up’ and return to her former, lighter, more heroic and peaceful self. Which I think is what has finally happened after her encounter with Anakin. So I hope you don’t end cutting the moment altogether)
Hi Juan! I agree that 1 to 5 feel like a completed arc and that would run at just over 2 hours. The finale would be slightly weak without the classic Star Wars “battle”, but it does have the emotional climax with Aksoka and the Purgill and the gap between movies with a little time skip would demonstrate just how far it is between galaxies.
My fear is that Episodes 6 to 8 won’t fit well as a movie edit on their own with lack of material and also lack of story. Had it been 9 or 10 episodes then I would agree. Unfortunately I think we’ll end up with footage for one and a half movies! Our only hope is that episode 8 is and hour or more and has more to it than simply Ahsoka and Ezra v Thrawn, Baylan and Shin. 7 and 8 do have different directors so at least we know it’s not one slightly longer episode split in half.
This is going to be a really tough edit isn’t it! As many have said, the footage is there to make an amazing movie, but Filoni always makes it difficult to cut elements because one scene always leads to the next!
I’m not too keen on the idea of opening with episode 3. The presence of a crawl does give a lot of freedom regarding where you start the story because it’s free exposition. However, there will be way too much for the crawl to achieve in order to explain the state of the galaxy, the map, Thrawn and the Sabine/Ahsoka relationship. I think there are elements of episodes 1 and 2 that we need to see.
I think this edit is going to have to be done “back-to-front”, which is what I used to do with my Clone Wars edits. Figure out where you’re going and then figure out how you got there. So what I’ll probably do is edit together 7 and 8 as the final act and see what threads need a start point.
In terms of act 1, one idea I’m floating is to have Ahsoka already in possession of the map, which will be explained in the opening crawl. I’ll still open with Baylan and Shin rescuing Morgan, but then cut to Ahsoka arriving on Lothal. Then I can reinstate the scene where Morgan sends Shin to Lothal. That should all bring in act 1 at 45mins and streamlines things.
We open on the Republic cruiser and the story then moves to Lothal before heading to Seatos.The real battle I’m having with this edit is episodes 3, 4 and 5. It’s so difficult to get those episodes edited down. Has anyone got suggestions of how to remove Ashoka’s stupid space walk? It would be easy if she hadn’t changed her damn outfit! Grrrr
Thanks for all the input. I’ve sent the link to those that have requested it.
Smudger, I think a lot of episode 3 could be cut out, namely the dog fight. Have the starfighters arrive, brief battle in space, and then dive down to Seatos. Don’t include any of Ahsoka’s cockpit scenes, on account of her outfit change. Then, have them lose them in the Purgil, and land. Cut to Baylan sensing them, and then cut to the beginning of 4. If you really need Huyang’s explanation of the hyperspace ring and purgil, you may move that to another scene, as his dialogue is very easy to move, due to not having a mouth.
Also, I still think most of the Jacen content can be cut from 5. Him showing up as Ahsoka wakes up is plenty explanation, it leaves with the audience knowing as much as Ahsoka does. You can intercut the WBW scenes with Sabine’s scenes on Peridea.
4 kinda needs to stay the way it is. I guess you could cut the saber fights down a bit, but honestly they’re some of the best parts of the episode.
I’ll have another look at moving Huyang’s hyperspace exposition to see if it’s doable. That is an essential scene and it won’t work as well for the audience without the hologram. The issue with cutting all of Ahsoka’s scenes with the spacewalk outfit is that it will be obvious something is missing. There is also the issue of the seat changes in the shuttle cockpit which would need to be worked around.
My main issue with episodes 3 and 4 is that there was no urgency from Sabine and Ahsoka once they land on Seatos. They just bumble around like they’re on a camping trip with a vague mention that their ground base isn’t far. I may need to use some AI Huyang lines to help with that.
This is going to be a really tough edit isn’t it! As many have said, the footage is there to make an amazing movie, but Filoni always makes it difficult to cut elements because one scene always leads to the next!
I’m not too keen on the idea of opening with episode 3. The presence of a crawl does give a lot of freedom regarding where you start the story because it’s free exposition. However, there will be way too much for the crawl to achieve in order to explain the state of the galaxy, the map, Thrawn and the Sabine/Ahsoka relationship. I think there are elements of episodes 1 and 2 that we need to see.
I think this edit is going to have to be done “back-to-front”, which is what I used to do with my Clone Wars edits. Figure out where you’re going and then figure out how you got there. So what I’ll probably do is edit together 7 and 8 as the final act and see what threads need a start point.
In terms of act 1, one idea I’m floating is to have Ahsoka already in possession of the map, which will be explained in the opening crawl. I’ll still open with Baylan and Shin rescuing Morgan, but then cut to Ahsoka arriving on Lothal. Then I can reinstate the scene where Morgan sends Shin to Lothal. That should all bring in act 1 at 45mins and streamlines things.
We open on the Republic cruiser and the story then moves to Lothal before heading to Seatos.
The real battle I’m having with this edit is episodes 3, 4 and 5. It’s so difficult to get those episodes edited down. Has anyone got suggestions of how to remove Ashoka’s stupid space walk? It would be easy if she hadn’t changed her damn outfit! Grrrr
Thanks for all the input. I’ve sent the link to those that have requested it.
I loved this first cut.
Ignoring the abrupt sound cuts and small errors (I hear the cut scene of the villains in the destroyed temple during the Sabine and Ahsoka one after the reunion), I feel that as a first act the rhythm flows well and that it is a model introduction to a film, without a rushed pace but also feeling light and pleasant.
I also really like how you have resolved Sabine’s injury, I think it looks wonderfully well and that it can be understood that she has been injured without it being something as serious as what is seen in the series.
I haven’t been able to see the clip with the two medbay scenes combined, but it also seems like a great idea to me.
As a silly detail, I feel that the cut of the shot in which the New Republic cruiser appears is very noticeable
after the opening crawl. I suppose you will polish these details tho.On the other hand, have you decided 100% to make just one movie for the entire season? I really felt this sixth episode like the beginning of a second part of something, with Ahsoka’s arc quite closed in the previous one. The second film may be considerably shorter than the first, but narratively it suits me better divided into two films.
Thanks Warhorn. It’s a very rough cut at the moment - I haven’t done any work on the audio yet. That will come when I settle on a final cut.
The decision on one or two movies will come at the end of the series… Although it’s starting to feel like a lot for one movie.
Speaking about the visuals, do you intend to change anything about the desaturated colors?
Absolutely.
Yes, it was a rather meaty episode. For the sake of my edit I was hoping for lots of filler. Not a huge amount that can be cut on first viewing, but that often changes on subsequent viewings. One thing I will say is that this series feels the most cinematic of the D+ shows.
I guess I could cut more by weaving it into episode 5 but it is going to be very difficult to cut this season down to 3h.
So, here are my thaughts after watching the complete first act.
The general structure works just fine and has a good flow to it. Also, the dialogue change from Corellia to Seatos had me baffled. I knew it was coming, but it sounded so clean that I didn’t notice the change.
The only piece that really stood out to me was Shin’s sudden appearance on Lothal. But I suppose you cut her send-off to Lothal because you eliminated the droid battle at the temple. Speaking of which, I liked that you dropped the fight, but maybe you could add Ahsoka’s attempt to contact Huyang back in. The cut to the cockpit felt a little quick.
Other than that, I would suggest reworking the “end”. The scene with Sabine’s hologram feels redundant. I think it would be better if we had her suit up and join Ahsoka at the painting. This way you wouldn’t need to mention the Corellia mission as an excuse for the hologram.
I imagine a scene order like this could work.
-Dissection of the droid’s brain; cut right after the mention of Seatos
-Space Stonehenge
-Huyang and Sabine chat in the med bay followed by her gear up
-The arrival of the energy core
-Sabine joins Ahsoka at the painting
Alternatively, I would consider cutting both the med bay chat and the arrival of the energy core and revert back to a version of the “Brain surgeon” scene that has Hera cheer up Sabine. The arrival of the energy core scene simply does not add anything and you would save the reveal of the ship until the heroes discover it themself.
Here’s an adjustment.
I’ve combined the 2 Medbay scenes. The audio and cuts are a little rough, but I think it works pretty well. We now get a much more believable reason for Sabine to “suit up” and join Ahsoka.
The energy core scene has been removed and the Seatos Map scene put in its place.
I think it works better - thanks for the input.