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If you could make your own Special Edition of the entire saga, what would you change


RamonAtila
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I didn't say Rogue One wasn't canon (although Disney's canon means nothing to me as I follow my own head canon, which favors the old EU). I said that Rogue One is a spin-off film that is on par with all other material outside of the six George Lucas films. Part of canon, but not within that same bracket at the episodic films.

That's how I feel, at least. Don't much care what Disney and LucasFilm say.

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My film/television canon (bold denotes top-level canon, with the others being of a lower status):

The Phantom Menace

Attack of the Clones
Clone Wars (2003 micro-series)

The Clone Wars (Filoni series--extremely loosely)

Revenge of the Sith

Rebels

Droids

Ewoks

Rogue One

A New Hope

The Story of the Faithful Wookiee (Holiday Special cartoon clip)

The Empire Strikes Back

Ewoks: Caravan of Courage

Ewoks: Battle For Endor
Return of the Jedi

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Yeah, I agree that Luke constructed his lightsaber much earlier, and that he did so within Obi-Wan's hut. In fact, that is exactly what happens in Shadows of the Empire. :p

The ONE EU book I thoroughly enjoyed!

 

 

R1 is definitely canon. Disney set a precedent and I think we should all agree. No matter what you love and don't love as a fan, canon is this:

Not true. Disney in throwing the pre-existing EU to Legends status did so so that they could say everything from that point forward was unified equal canon-- meaning the new books, comics, and cartoon series.

 

That said, I'll always maintain that this will only be true until a filmmakers decides to over-write something.

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My canon is this:

 

Level 1.1: Star Wars, Empire, The Muppet Babies Star Wars episode

Level 1.1-2: The end of Jedi, Sith, The one time my cousin and I spent alot of time figuring out the story of what we were gonna do with the figures

Level 1.2-.38: Force Awakens, Holiday Special, Middle of Jedi, Phantom Menace trailer

Level 2.1: End of Jedi, this dream I had one time where I was a Jedi, Rogue One

Level 3.8: Clones, Rebels, Clone Wars

Level 4.42: parts of Phantom Menace not in the trailer, the old Intellivision ESB game

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I got my that too:

 

Level 1: My own personal fantasy Special Edition

Level 2: Disney's canon extension, including this latest SE where TPM Yoda is cgi and Hayden is in ROTJ

Level 3: OT original theatrical release with zero changes and no new trilogies, to include SW storybook that had Lukes extended intro and Biggs. (Because that is my true intro to SW as a child)

Level 4: 1997 Special Edition with PT ( I hate this combo just as much as everyone else)

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There's a part of me that wants an Obi-Wan trilogy with each film taking place between existing prequel films to serve as the REAL PT... but it's pipe dreaming... plus, these actors aren't getting any younger.

One of the reasons I'd love to reshoot the PT with the same cast. We'd get actors closer in age to what we thought they should be in the OT, particularly McGregor being closer to Guinness.

 

Another change I'd make to the OT is add Hera to the Battle of Endor. In the latest episode of Rebels she leads the attack on Lothal in an X-wing fighter. She could easily be added in one of the fighters in ROTJ. I'd say she could also be in the Battle of Yavin, but most of the pilots go down in that one. Wedge, Luke and a Y-wing make it out of there. She could be the Y-wing pilot.

 

Sidenote, these movies reflect the times in which they were made, so in every battle of the saga we've had female pilots, from Naboo to Rebels to Starkiller Base. All except Yavin, Hoth and Endor. Would it be too much to CGI female pilots into the OT?

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My film/television canon (bold denotes top-level canon, with the others being of a lower status):

 

Doesn't it get exhausting to keep track of all the various levels of canon? How can there even be different levels of canon? Did Ewoks: Caravan of Courage happen or not?

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Not at all; it's a lot of fun!

 

And yes, that film happened according to the pre-Disney buyout. Everything in canon happened, though some of it may be coming from second- or third-hand sources and are not 100% accurate, and therefore does not need to be adhered to strictly. Examples of this include the old Marvel Comics series.

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Okay, I have a question: Let's say I had enough money to burn on fancy things. Would it be illegal for me to hire an individual, or several individuals,with film editing and animation talent to produce my own custom versions of the Star Wars films, and pay them to do so as long as the product was never actually sold? Or would it be illegal to even do that?

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I think the idea of adding Hera or stuff from Rebels is terrible. Here is why: there are going to be more cartoons, hopefully they will be good and will have well liked characters like Hera. Are we going to edit in these characters every time a new cartoon comes out?

 

At some point the movies need to be the movies. No more fiddling. At all. When you get into changes no one is ever going to agree on exactly what changes should be made. Certainly there would be some near total agreement, Jedi Rocks sucks, Han shooting first sucks. Overall though you would never have wide spread happiness with the OT movies.

 

Having said that the best solution would be to just go back to the original versions with normal restoration. And this isn't from someone who hates the SE. I just feel, liek I said, that at some point we need a final version. Picking and choosing what changes to keep, what to get rid, what new changes to make will only result in widespread anger. Just go to the original movies.

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Okay, I have a question: Let's say I had enough money to burn on fancy things. Would it be illegal for me to hire an individual, or several individuals,with film editing and animation talent to produce my own custom versions of the Star Wars films, and pay them to do so as long as the product was never actually sold? Or would it be illegal to even do that?

You can do it. Adywan and the despecialized versions are basically this.

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There's a part of me that wants an Obi-Wan trilogy with each film taking place between existing prequel films to serve as the REAL PT... but it's pipe dreaming... plus, these actors aren't getting any younger.

One of the reasons I'd love to reshoot the PT with the same cast. We'd get actors closer in age to what we thought they should be in the OT, particularly McGregor being closer to Guinness.

 

Another change I'd make to the OT is add Hera to the Battle of Endor. In the latest episode of Rebels she leads the attack on Lothal in an X-wing fighter. She could easily be added in one of the fighters in ROTJ. I'd say she could also be in the Battle of Yavin, but most of the pilots go down in that one. Wedge, Luke and a Y-wing make it out of there. She could be the Y-wing pilot.

 

Sidenote, these movies reflect the times in which they were made, so in every battle of the saga we've had female pilots, from Naboo to Rebels to Starkiller Base. All except Yavin, Hoth and Endor. Would it be too much to CGI female pilots into the OT?

 

*puts on nerd hat*

 

They've already retconned the surviving Y-wing pilot as Evaan Verlaine from the Princess Leia comics. (In Legends, it was Keyan Farlander.)

 

I don't think Hera was present at Yavin, and if she was, she probably would have been in the Ghost like she was at Scarif. I don't think there's been any definitive answer to what happened to Hera after the Rebel fleet scattered at Scarif, but I'm assuming she didn't make it back to Base One in time for the battle.

 

*takes off nerd hat*

 

I really want a novel about Hera that spans the Original Trilogy. IMO she is definitely at Endor in the Ghost. She is one of my favorite new canon characters. I'm all for retconning more female pilots during the OT (and most of the new media has done that), but not actually changing the movies.

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Disney made it canon with their Forces of Destiny shorts. One episode had Hera at Endor where she makes Han say "the Ghost is better than the Falcon."

 

This is why I am for adding her to the Battle of Endor. Since it's canon that she was on Endor around the Battle of Endor timeframe, it'd be a nice addition just because she was there for the "spark of Rebellion." Now she's there to see its conclusion.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest El Chalupacabra

 

 

Yeah, internet memes aside, there really is nothing sexual about that kiss in the recovery scene.

 

Dude. I love you, but come on. Look at Luke's reaction. His face clearly says OH MAN THAT WAS SO AWESOME! If that kiss is not sexual, kiss your mom or sister that way and see how it goes. ;)

 

 

Fair enough and good point, and I can see how you see that. I suppose it is open to interpretation. After years of seeing ROTJ, I guess I have "self-retconned" it as Luke just shining Han on, and its hard for me to see it as Luke actually being into it.

 

And I like most of your ideas for the changes, if one were to do a special, special edition (though my preference is still keep the OT original, except for digital and blooper clean up). Here are some points you made I'd like to comment on...

 

 

ANH

 

 

add the Imperial March to Vader's first appearance

I love that theme, and it really makes sense to do that. It would work really well. But I think at this point, I would miss the original sound track for that scene. I've seen ANH too many times for this not to be a change that would take me out of the moment. But for a first time viewer, excellent idea.

 

 

 

• insert a PT flashback when Ben talks about Anakin and the Clone Wars

As long as it is a completely new scene. Something like Obi Wan and Anakin are surrounded by an army of enemy droids, fighting back to back to escape. Obi Wan falters somehow, Anakin saves his life, they escape, and the scene ends with the two shaking hands to demonstrate how close of friends they are...

 

 

• redo the Vader/Obi-Wan fight. It doesn't have to be all flippy and jumpy like the PT, but it could certainly be better; obviously they need to find near an open pit to make it an official SW duel

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one in the world who thinks the Vader/Obi Wan fight scene is fine EXACTLY as it is.

 

 

• add Bail Organa somewhere, not sure where, so we know his death has significance

• maybe see the senate when the Emperor dissolves it-- Palpatine should be barely seen, shrouded in shadow and doesn't speak

I like these ideas, but like you, not sure where to insert Bail. But I like the Palpatine scene.

 

 

 

• add Mon Mothma via hologram during the battle

During the briefing have her standing silently in the back ground maybe, but not sure this is a good idea.

 

 

 

• redo the Death Star battle from scratch, the SE era cg is looking tired.

Or maybe just touch up existing CG to modernize it.

 

 

• give Chewie his medal

YES!!!

TESB

 

 

• expand the Hoth battle with more Scout Walkers, better shots of the shield generator so we can get a sense of its scale, throw a bone to the fanboys by adding the Outrider and The Ghost amongst the evacuating ships

Outrider makes sense. But what is everyone's obsession with The Ghost? Rebels is fine and all, but how do we know Hera and crew are still around by that point? Kanan and Ezra should be long dead by this point. Which means so should Hera and the rest of the crew. Otherwise, what's the point of having a new hope?

 

 

 

• redo the Vader/Emperor talk. To be honest, neither version works. Both imply the Emperor didn't know Vader had half the fleet looking for Luke already; just make it about him wanting Luke dead and Vader pushing to turn him

At first, I disagreed but then I started thinking about it, and I think you are right on that.

 

 

 

 

• add the lightsaber training back in
• drop a line somewhere that makes it clear that time passes (without hyperdrive it would take them a long time to get to Bespin, and it would explain how long Luke has been training)

 

• clean up the uneven CGI work in Cloud City

YES!

 

ROTJ

 

 

 

On Dagobah is another opportunity for a PT flashback

Like ANH, a NEW scene set during the PT era.

 

 

 

maybe quick flashes of Padme when Leia mentions her mother

Maybe just a quick flash of a close up face scene of Padme with a kind but sad expression. No scenes from PT.

 

 

 

• add some Force-power attacks from Luke and Vader during the duel-- maybe the Crimson guards come running in to help and Luke takes them out

Not needed. And I believe they were told to leave, so the Emperor could focus on turning Luke.

 

 

 

• add AT-ATs to the Endor battle

Honestly, it is improbable enough that the Ewoks took out a legion of stormtroopers and AT-STs. AT-ATs make that even harder to believe, especially seeing the carnage that they cause on Hoth. Are we to believe an entire army at a rebel base can't stand up to AT-ATs, but a small band of rebel commandos and a tribe of Ewoks armed with spears, rocks, and bows can?

 

 

• just a side thought-- it always seemed odd that no part of the battle took place on Courescant. Obviously the Death Star and Emperor made the perfect combined target, but there was still the heart of the Empire to contend with. If our President was killed while touring our flagship aircraft carrier Washington DC would still be running stuff.

True, but doesn't the First Order sort of acknowledge that part of the Empire kept fighting? Maybe there was a battle in between ROTJ and TFA. All the more reason to cut out the Courescant scene that was inserted in the SE.

 

TFA

 

 

 

• make Hosnian prime clearly Courescant

I have believed this since the first time I saw TFA. Makes its destruction much more meaningful.

 

 

• drop a line or two somewhere that tells us that the First Order was made from the ashes of the Empire and controls a small part of the galaxy, and the Republic doesn't take them seriously, so Leia went off to create an insurgent movement within their space

• replace the scene of them looking up and seeing the planets explode with them watching it on a screen because space is not that small

• cut the Rathar junk

• either cut or pay off the weird creature that eyes BB8 when he takes off on his own

• make it clear the Falcon had a hidden transponder on it that alerted Han and Chewie that it was in space

• give a reason that R2 woke up when he did-- some sort of missing piece or trigger or signal

YES!

 

Rogue One

 

 

 

• restore the idea that Jen's mother was a Jedi

I never knew about that to begin with. Jyn doesn't exhibit force powers, so it doesn't add anything to her character. In fact, can't we have a badass or two that ISN'T a force user?

 

 

• Keep Leia's hood on in the end

• Fix Vader's costume and lightsaber (they are not in line with ANH)

• add Ackbar to the big briefing scene

• add Ackbar's Home 1 to the battle

Yes to all.

CGI Leia is off somehow. Looks good now, but what about in 5-10 years? It's not quite natural enough. A hood would help.

I've seen Darth Vader fan costumes that looked better than Vader's in R1! And while they are at it, they need to digitally clean up JEJ's voice. It sounds feeble.

Ackbar not being there is a glaring omission. Especially when they went to the trouble of adding another Mon Calamari.

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In regards to there being one canon I have a comment.

 

If someone were to ask me "did greedo shoot first?" I will always say "no he didnt". I don't care what the special versions say, because Han actually did that once, and then the stupidness happened and the current explanation shows Han's head twerk-dodging a blaster bolt from a bounty hunter sitting three feet away. I choose not to accept the stupid and I don't care if I am technically wrong since I WAS obviously correct for a very long time...then someone pretending to be a famous film-maker with tons of money did something really stupid and not only changed but flat-out contradicted an established piece of pop-culture and one of the most famous films in history.

 

I feel the same way about Darth Maul...sort of.

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Outrider makes sense. But what is everyone's obsession with The Ghost? Rebels is fine and all, but how do we know Hera and crew are still around by that point? Kanan and Ezra should be long dead by this point. Which means so should Hera and the rest of the crew. Otherwise, what's the point of having a new hope?

 

We know because Disney said so, for Hera at least...

 

Disney made it canon with their Forces of Destiny shorts. One episode had Hera at Endor where she makes Han say "the Ghost is better than the Falcon."

 

This is why I am for adding her to the Battle of Endor. Since it's canon that she was on Endor around the Battle of Endor timeframe, it'd be a nice addition just because she was there for the "spark of Rebellion." Now she's there to see its conclusion.

 

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As long as it is a completely new scene. Something like Obi Wan and Anakin are surrounded by an army of enemy droids, fighting back to back to escape. Obi Wan falters somehow, Anakin saves his life, they escape, and the scene ends with the two shaking hands to demonstrate how close of friends they are...

 

Sounds like this is playing like an old-timey silent film style flashback in your mind. Anyone here play the piano?

 

TBH, I agree with a lot of Tank's ideas, but I don't get the flashback additions at all.

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I've seen Darth Vader fan costumes that looked better than Vader's in R1! And while they are at it, they need to digitally clean up JEJ's voice. It sounds feeble.

Ackbar not being there is a glaring omission. Especially when they went to the trouble of adding another Mon Calamari.

 

Until this moment, I thought I was the only one who hated JEJ in R1!! The line that stands out most for me is when he says "Diarector Krennic" (sic)

 

Disagree about Ackbar. Clearly Edwards made a decision to suggest that Ackbar is not the only guy in the galaxy. The Mon Calamari are part of the Rebellion and at that time it's this other dude who happens to be there. By the time of ROTJ, it's Ackbar. What's wrong with that decision?

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