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CT What plot changes would you make to the OT?

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by MrFantastic74, Oct 12, 2012.

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  1. MrFantastic74

    MrFantastic74 Jedi Knight star 4

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    Oct 4, 2010
    If you could go back in time, and had the "pull" to offer Lucas and his creative team suggestions for plot changes, what would you suggest?

    One that I would suggest in based on rumours of Lando's death scene in the original ROTJ script:

    I think the bittersweet loss of Lando and the Falcon during the destruction of the Death Star could have been a terrific plot element had they included the concept in the film. However, rather than just have Lando fail to escape the DS blast in time, I think a greater emotional impact would have resulted from Lando literally sacrificing himself in order to free a path for Wedge to make the Death Star kill shot. It could have gone something like this:

    (while navigating the various tunnels and conduits of the partially constructed Death Star)
    Wedge: "TIE squadron approaching from the east conduit! They'll cut us off!"
    Lando: (pauses, with a brief expression of dread, before resolve and determination set in) "I'll handle them, Wedge. Here's where we separate."
    Wedge: "But that's suicide! You can't possibly take them head on-"
    Lando: "You and your wings stay on course for the main reactor! That's an order. May the Force be with you."
    (Lando splits off from Wedge's group and veers into a narrow tunnel, directly into the advancing TIE squadron, literally ramming himself into the first fighters and causing mayhem amongst the rest of the squadron who are now sealed off. This clears a path for Wedge to make a beeline for the main reactor, and BOOM)
    Lando = completely redeemed hero.

    I have also read some really interesting ideas surrounding Boba Fett, and his fate. The best I've seen involves Fett being seen blasting his way out of the sarlaac, and appearing later in the film on Endor after having tracked the rebels to the bunker. Fett would be the one to lead the capture of the rebels, and also the one to shoot and injure Leia. He would die at the hands of Han Solo during the ground battle in a kick-ass hand to hand combat scene.
    Han Solo and Boba Fett = both confirmed bad ass warriors.
     
  2. Mnhay27

    Mnhay27 Jedi Knight star 2

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    Sep 4, 2012
    I would change ROTJ. All of it.

    Luke's rescue of Han is kind of a mess and doesn't feel like it was planned by a Jedi. I would have Luke roll into the palace like a proper Jedi, use the force to push the guards away and mind trick Bib Fortuna like he does but then he would tell Jabba, "I'll pay Han's debt and then I'm taking him - over your fat dead body if necessary" Jabba of course would refuse, try to drop Luke into the dungeon with the Rancor, but Luke would actually use the force, see it coming, leap out of the way, pull out his lightsaber and start swinging. He would have an advantage in those close quarters because Jabba's goons wouldn't be able to use their blasters too well without killing each other. So he'd kick some ass, take Solo, and walk out. That way we would actually establish that Luke was powerful enough Jedi to confront Vader again.

    After that he would go to Dagobah and find out that he had a sister - but it wouldn't be Leia because I always thought that was just Lucas being too lazy to create a new character. Obi Wan would tell him who she was and where she could be found and Luke would go and find her. She would already be intuitively strong in the force and he would complete her training, then together they wound confront Vader and turn him back to the good side. Then the three of them would take on the Emperor and Anakin would sacrifice his life to save his children.

    Or something like that.
     
  3. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    We do have Leia sensing Luke's call in ESB, as potential foreshadowing of their connection.
     
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  4. Mnhay27

    Mnhay27 Jedi Knight star 2

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    Sep 4, 2012
    Yeah I guess. But that could simply be seen as a Jedi's ability to reach out to others. She wouldn't necessarily have had to be force sensitive.
     
  5. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Boba Fett would have a bigger role. Maybe make it ambiguous if Lando got out of the Death Star and not reveal it until the final scenes. Change the Ewoks. Beyond that I'm good. Maybe have Leia cope with Alderaan's destruction and the fact Vader is her father.
     
  6. Jordan1Kenobi

    Jordan1Kenobi SWC Jedi Draft Champion star 6 VIP - Game Winner

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    Sep 30, 2012
    Well I definitely would have wanted Lando to die in the 2nd Death Star explosion.

    I really wish Boba Fett had a bigger role and a longer fight scene in ROTJ, maybe he could have fired a few shots, flew up in tw air while firing at Luke, idk, something like that, but it would have been cool to see him really fight.

    It would have also been quite cool to see another Bounty Hunter have a more major role, like IG-88 or Bossk, maybe trying to get to Cloud City before Boba Fett, maybe a little scene where one of the Bounty Hunters is firing at Boba Fett's ship just before he jumps to hyperspace.
     
  7. CaptainHamYoyo

    CaptainHamYoyo Jedi Master star 2

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    Aug 18, 2011
    I would've stuck with Lucas' original idea of having Wookies instead of Ewoks. In 1983, they may not have been quite as technology-capable as they were shown in 2005, but it would've been more believable for the Empire to have been defeated by a bunch of 8 foot tall walking carpets, who pulls arms out of sockets when losing. :)
     
  8. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    ANH

    - Maybe trim a tad bit off the Death Star section. Make up the lost time back on Tatooine by restoring the Luke and friends slice of life on Tatooine scenes.

    ESB:

    - Have Leia stand on her own more. Seem a bit jarring when right off the bat the capable woman from ANH needs two men to handle the specifics about escorting her to a ship.

    - Cut a lot of the flirty bickering dynamic between Han and Leia. Either play down the romance by a fair margin or explore it in a more meaningful manner than Harrison Ford gets the girl because that's how it is. To start I'd suggest a scene that mirrors the picnic scene from AOTC, except replace the beautiful backdrop with the cargo hold of the Falcon and some rations. Have the two characters actually talk about their past here.

    - Yoda and Luke do some saber training/sparring on Dagobah.

    - Carbon freeze is permanent.

    ROTJ

    - Film opens on Dagobah with Luke visiting Yoda for final time. Surprise, he's brought the other with him as well. Camera pans over to Leia. Yoda gives Leia a lightsaber, laments that he doesn't have time to begin her training in earnest. Leia says thanks, but I'm not a Jedi. Yoda says you will be. They ask about their father. Yoda confirms and dies.

    - Lando, Wedge, and Chewie lead the surface infiltration on Coruscant that involves attacking or reclaiming something.

    - Luke and Leia confront Vader in Palpatine's palace. Vader can't choose between his "father" and his children until the last second, where he finally makes up his mind, picks up Palps, and throws him down a conveniently placed giant chasm. Luke and Leia wonder what to do with him. Vader walks out onto the balcony, pops off his mask, and for a final time looks at the Coruscant twilight.

    - big party in the city streets at night. Chewie is getting drunk with a gungan. Wedge and Lando are reenacting their exploits that saved the day. Luke and Leia look down on a lower level, where a crowd takes down a Palpatine statue. Camera pans up to a ship ascending towards the stars.
     
  9. sinkie

    sinkie Jedi Padawan star 1

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    May 27, 2004
    The only main one for me: Leia as Other.

    Either she shouldn't have been the Other, and not Luke's sister (this bugged me even as a kid seeing ROTJ in 1983) or she should have been more crucial to the plot by awakening and using the Force perhaps to save Han on Endor....something....anything! I don't think I'd want her to go right up to the battle with Vader but hey, maybe, if she wasn't the ligthweight she was after she throttled Jabba.
     
  10. Andrelious

    Andrelious Jedi Knight

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    Sep 26, 2012
    More Rebel deaths in RotJ. Maybe even enough to make Endor a phyrric victory.

    The way all the 'heroes' survive is too much.
     
  11. ObiAlKenobi

    ObiAlKenobi Jedi Knight star 3

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    Mar 10, 2012
    I think any changes I would make would be to ROTJ

    1. Wookies instead of Ewoks (a more primitive species than Chewie would work too)
    2. The attack on the second Death Star changed to an attack on the Imperial City or a series of battle stations, destroyers, etc. (just so not to repeat the New Hope Death Star theme).
    3. A bit of trimming to the beginning with the Jabba scenes to make them flow better/quicker.
    4. Replacing that awful Jedi rocks with the original scene from 1983 ;)
    5. Boba Fett surviving the Sarlaac and attacking Solo later in the movie
    6. More scenes showing the Rebels fighting on Endor, more rebel deaths, possibly the death of a major/minor character
    7. I like the idea of Luke walking off alone into the sunset theme instead of the big celebration at the end.
     
  12. Andrelious

    Andrelious Jedi Knight

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    Sep 26, 2012
    Maybe just scrap the first half of the film. I've always found the Jabba scenes to be quite boring in comparison to the rest of the movie, and I was dismayed to learn that the Infinities for ROTJ had, instead of looking at an Imperial victory at Endor, had focused on that part of the film instead.
     
  13. MrFantastic74

    MrFantastic74 Jedi Knight star 4

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    Oct 4, 2010
    I couldn't disagree more. The flirty bickering banter between Leia and Han was a very important element of the saga for me. To include a romantic scene similar to the one in AOTC would diminish from Han and Leia's respective characterizations. IMO
    Plus, I didn't like the Naboo picnic scene at all. :p

    By "permanent' I assume you mean the freezing process doesn't work as Vader had hoped, and Han dies. Although it's an interesting emotional plot point, I don't think Han's death at that moment in the saga would have served his character or the story. I like much better the idea of his scoundrel character being redeemed and getting the girl in the end.
     
  14. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Maybe Han becomes blind from the carbon freeze? In the ROTJ Infinities the carbonite slab was shot at the control thing and Han was blind through most of the comic
     
  15. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Show more of the Leia-Vader/Anakin father daughter connection. "Luke I am your father", had a signifcant effect on the story, but why not, "leia i am your father", having that much of an effect on the story? Show a scene with them fighting together. Give Leia a lightsaber, to show she has the force, make her a jedi. Explain the ending more, like Luke is now a jedi master and there is a new jedi order in the new republic. Have Han solo find out that Vader is luke and leia's father, and see his reaction.

    Include Padme's ghost in episode 6, on the newer editions. Luke and Leia never met their mother except for that one time they were babies. In the celebration of the defeat of the empire, show padme's ghost as the 4th one, alongside anakin, obi wan, and yoda. Maybe even put qui gon there, or some other jedi, like mace windu, maybe.

    Explain why Darth Vader died. The movies were confusing and never explained that.

    Give anakin skywalker a true redemption, like have him turn against the emperor because he realized he was evil to the galaxy, not just because he wanted to save a relative. But still, include that scene where anakin throws the emperor down the reactor shaft. It was very epic and dramatic. Maybe put the theme of "across the stars" from the prequels at that part. That would be perfect.

    Show signs that r2d2 remembers the events of the prequels.

    Call the Emperor Darth Sidious. Show that darth is just a sith name, not a real name. Darth vader was just anakin skywalker's title. That guy in the scary helmet and costume and voice is anakin skywalker. Vader is his ceremonial title. Or just say that his name was Palpatine. In the prequels, he had a name, not just a title as ruler of the galaxy.

    Mention padme, even indirectly.
     
  16. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    But most of all, show Darth vader having flashbacks of his past, as anakin skywalker, with padme, his mother, his friendship and apprenticeship with obi wan, him being a jedi, turning to the darkside, being tempted by the emperor, the clone wars, losing shmi and padme, being on Mustafar, losing his humanity and becoming a cyborg in the lava, and most of all, the scene with mace windu, and when when he told luke he was his father on Bespin. Maybe for some scenes, add clips of the prequels and show them on screen for the flashback, for other flashbacks, have them be in the background.

    Have all that happen when the Emperor tortures Luke, and Vader has flashbacks of his past (show them on screen-it helps the viewer to connect the stories of originals and prequels, it's very dramatic and tragic and sad, emotional), and how couldn't save people, like mace windu, his mom, or padme, but, then, he turns against the emperor in that dramatic scene, fulfills the prophecy of the chosen one, and did what he wanted to do all his life-save someone. Flashbacks would have made that much better.
     
  17. DRush76

    DRush76 Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 25, 2008

    I would have never watched ROTJ again, if Lucas had killed off Lando. Forget that.
     
  18. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Make the goals of the Empire more clear-what they want as a regime.
     
  19. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Lando should have lived. Because, remember Lando's deal with Vader and them talking to each other? Remember how Vader died, and turned against the Emperor? Now, anakin skywalker is a good guy and a ghost. His ghost was his younger self. Lando in the same scene with the Anakin from the prequels is cool, awesome!. We see anakin (the way he looked in revenge of the sith), seeing his son, daughter, son-in law (han solo), and lando!
     
  20. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Include flashbacks. Have some major characters die. Show han and leia getting married and having jedi twins. Put across the stars in it. Put wierd aliens on cloud city, like the original plan. Explain why Vader doesn't sense his daughter's force powers and recognize his offspring right away? Put padme's ghost. Have anakin (hayden christensen)'s ghost talk to Luke skywalker. Put more moral ambiguity in it. Make Lando a clone. Have chewie fight a wampa.
     
  21. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    I would've put jar jar in them:cool:
     
  22. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

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    Sep 2, 2012
    I would have Vader capture the Falcon at the end of ESB and have a galaxy wide broadcast saying he captured Luke and Leia and take them to Coruscant and then the Rebellion launches an attack on Coruscant itself.
     
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  23. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    Vader's castle in TESB.
     
  24. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Is my idea too dark? Perhaps since Luke, Leia and the others escaping Cloud City was the lightest point of the move with the exception of Luke's training. But a ROTJ with the Rebellion heading off to Coruscant to rescue them would be amazing. We could also get the conclusion to Leia and Vader's arc. Maybe an alternate version of the ANH Infinities but for ROTJ?
     
  25. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Take ideas from the EU
    Include Coruscant
    Have galaxy news, kind of like news today, but in space, a futuristic version of it
    What's Vader's castle? I never heard of that. Space castles would sound kind of cool though, especially since Vader has a black suit of armor and is a jedi KNIGHT.
    Include a scene, where Vader is in his breathing pod, show his face, and show him thinking about something sad in his past. Like this photo. Padme Amidala.

    [​IMG]

    Show more of the Vader/Leia father daughter relationship.
    Mention Padme, maybe. It might ruin the mystery of her character, so Idk.
     
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