CT Rewriting the originals

Yes, that is weird. I never realized that until you mentioned it.

 

Well, in a way it's kind of a fulfillment of the promise that Lando might become the new Han Solo, what with the way he flies off in the Falcon wearing Han's clothes at the end of the last movie. Lucas, Kasdan,and Kazanjian talk in the story conferences about how they feel Billy Dee kind of deserved to do something big even though Han ended up coming back. Giving him the Falcon and a Death Star kill seemed sufficient.

 

Perhaps we'll get to see his little manoeuvre at the battle of Tanaab

 

"Much anger in him...like his father. Why did you convince him to come here? In danger for my life I am with him here!"

 

After they rescue Han from Jabba and leave Tatooine. I think it was him who was driving.

 

The destruction of Alderaan would need more love in a rewrite.

It's the the greatest act of bastardry in the entire CT.

Politically, emotionally and militarily it should have hands down driven the story more - at least in ROTJ.

As it was, the tone of the series meant we all just moved on.

 

I was one of the few who read the novelization before the film was released, and it made a bigger impact on the page than onscreen, for me, anyway.

 

If, knowing then what I know now, I could go back to 1975 in a time machine and do Star Wars from scratch, I wouldn't change the OT too much. The biggest change would be eliminating the Luke and Leia brother / sister angle, so Vader would only be Luke's father. Of course, this would drastically change the ST. The Prequels would get the biggest revisions.

 

Nope, nope, nope, nope and nope and this same word for the rest of time. No re-writing the original trilogy, no re-writing the prequels and no re-writing the sequels; or any other Star Wars movie, etc. To wipe the slate clean on the EU before Disney is one thing, to re-write everything. No way ! Even with all of the respective flaws (well what I think of as flaws) in each trilogy, they are all fantastic as they are and don't need changing. Heck, I'm even okay with George's "re-doings" in the OT in the mid to late 90's.

They all stand as they are now.

 

A New Hope
-R2 and Threepio don't get separated. They're captured by the Jawas in the sand dunes, in like the first shot.
-Luke accepts Obi-Wan's request for help, and he leaves a note for Owen and Beru, telling them he's leaving to go rescue this girl and become a Jedi. Owen and Beru don't die.
-No need to have Luke getting grabbed by that creature in the garbage chute. They're in there way too long.
-After Obi-Wan's death, Luke has a scene where he talks to Leia about Obi-Wan's death, and it's where Leia also opens up about the death of her parents, and everyone she loved. Leia tells Luke to go home to his parents, but Luke says he has to do the right thing and join the Rebellion.
-Luke brings up Ben when Han is leaving before the attack.

The Empire Strikes Back
-Luke's face is covered in the first scene. The Wampa strikes his face, knocking off his mask and badly damaging his face.
-Leia doesn't kiss Luke.

Return of the Jedi
-After rescuing Han, Luke visits Owen and Beru. They're proud to see the man he's become. Luke says he wants to ask them something, but decides not to bring up Vader, in case they don't know the truth either.

 

I’d swap Wookiee for Ewoks, outside of that nothing else I would change.

 

If GL was going to go with Ewoks instead of Wookies, maybe make them a little more dangerous? Like a group of pirhanas?

 

So Chewie would be an ewok?

 

In my head cannon version of what I would change I approached this with the knowledge that people might watch the films either in the order they were made (which is best) or chronologically. If the latter then you lose some of the really powerful reveals (I am your father) which lessens the impact. So the OT needs to still work along with the PT (there are plenty of changes needed there so will go find the relevant discussion in that forum).

STAR WARS EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE

Changes made to script/story:
1. Ben Kenobi on being told R2D2 claims he belongs to him just says "Does he now, interesting!"
2. Luke is only told that his surname is Skywalker by Ben Kenobi as before that he used the name Lars (Owen and Baru Lars his adoptive parents - who are not related to Anakin in PT and Anakin is NOT from Tatooine as it would have been simple madness to hide Luke there otherwise, hence the name change too!)
3. Kenobi tells Luke that he was forbidden from training him in the ways of the Force when he was a boy as the Force Awakening in him would have been sensed by the Emperor (and his father Anakin/Darth but Obi Wan doesn't tell him that) but that now they can wait no longer!
4. Luke shows more grief over Owen and Baru (always bugged me he was more upset over Obi Wan who he knew for what, a few days, compared to his aunt and uncle who raised him).
5. Darth Vader is not answerable to Grand Moff Tarkin! When Vader is force choking one of the generals Tarkin politely requests that Vader stops.
6. Han Solo shoots Greedo first as per original film!
7. No hanger scene with Jabba (not needed so go back to original).
8. After the destruction of Alderaan there is a scene showing Coruscant and then inside the Emperor's palace where he is receiving a holographic message from Darth Vader who tells him that Leia is still resisting but that Alderaan has been destroyed. The Emperor is pleased "Good good, for too long Alderaan has been a thorn in my side. Utter terror of our ultimate power will dissuade any other systems from sympathising with the Rebellion!"
9. Leia shows more grief over Alderaan.
10. Ackbar and Mon Mothma at Rebel base (or joining by hologram if in another theatre of war?)
11. Chewie gets a medal!


STAR WARS EPISODE V - EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (special edition)

Changes to script/story:
1. At the end of the scene where Vader is speaking with the Emperor via hologram it cuts back to Palpatine in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant where once Vader's image fades he says to one of his advisors "It is troubling that I did not sense the offspring of Skywalker!" The Emperor then walks over to a window and beckons one of his courtiers over "Summon my concubines" he orders. As the courtier retreats from the throne room Palpatine broods in thought looking at the Coruscant vista. Courtiers/advisors same as PT.
2. Ackbar and Mon Mothma at Rebel base (or joining by hologram if in another theatre of war?)


STAR WARS EPISODE VI - RETURN OF THE JEDI (special edition)

(Changed crawl)
The GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly
begun construction on a new armored
space station even more powerful than
the first dreaded Death Star.

When completed, this ultimate weapon
will spell certain doom for the small band
of rebels struggling to restore freedom
to the galaxy.

Luke Skywalker has returned to his home
planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue
his friend Han Solo from the clutches of
the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt...

changes made to script/story:
1. Revert to original "song" in Jabba palace instead of muppets!
2. No Ewoks!!!!
3. Endor is a planet of enslaved Wookies (or multiple Alien races gathered together as slaves). Show some scenes setting up how badly they are treated and being worked to mine resources/minerals/ore so when the Rebels free them they are ready to fight!
4. Also as per point re Tatooine not being Anakin's home world then Endor could serve that purpose for some symmetry with Vader exacting some revenge against those who enslaved his mother in PT by enslaving the whole planet though that wouldn't be known until someone watches PT?
5. The battle on Endor is more desperate and a slaughter of the Wookies/alien slaves who are close to defeat and only really acting as a distraction for Han etc
6. No Chewie Tarzan noise!
7. Leia does not remember her mother!
8. Lando dies during the space battle (though Falcon survives it is badly damaged)
9. Palpatine counsellors same as in PT.
10. Palpatine's death at the hands of Vader needs to be even more dramatic and show the power Palpatine wields.
11. More celebrations across the Galaxy as this is a really big deal!!!

 

Hahaha...no. Darn my fingers. I would have used Wookiees instead of Ewoks as was the original. Still play up the cute and work into the story.

 

• Wookies instead of Ewoks
• There was that bit where Vader was able to sense Luke but Palpatine couldn't, should have built on that more
• Come up with a plausible way for the Rebels to win the space battle
• If possible, ditch the Luke/Leia brother-sister thing
• Make the Jabba's palace scenes less goofy

 

"Be silent, R2! Reveal me, you must not!"

 

No, his eyes were probably still bad from hibernation sickness.

 

Remove the droid torture room. Kill off Lando in the climactic fight. Give the Stormtroopers better aim.

 

When people say give the Stormtroopers better aim.... how much better do you want them to aim?

Do you want them to hit Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, Lando and Luke instead of missing? That would make it a short trilogy.

Or do you just want them to almost hit their targets?

 

Just make them less laughably bad at aiming.

 

And who would we know that their aim is better? By missing a little bit better?

 

I would cut the revelation that Leia is Luke's sister (that or completely change how their relationship was sold in the first two movies with more hints leaning to a familiar connection) and have had Luke's twin sister introduced sometime in Empire Strikes Back with the proper setup and preparation for a grand reveal in Return of the Jedi. I'd also cut Endor and probably give Han and Leia something meatier to do - the tension between Luke and Vader, as well as the battle above Endor, is incredible and the entire scenario on Endor is lacking the gravitas to measure up to those moments. Everything else is pretty much still perfect.

 

Pretty much. Also by not writing in scenes like the one with Han Solo in the hallway being shot at. That was awful.

 

Come to think of it, what if the ending to ROTJ were made quite a bit darker? Luke should still redeem Vader, the Emperor still dies, and the Death Star still gets destroyed...however there's a cost. The Rebels in space and on the ground get mostly wiped out by the Empire...maybe even have Han, Leia and Lando die. It always bugged me how the Emperor was all taunting Luke with "muahaha, your friends are all fighting and dying and it will have been in vain" in order to goad him to the dark side, only for that to outcome to never materialize. But if it turns out that the Empire does destroy the Rebel fleet, then 1) it makes more sense than a magical Rebel victory and 2) it makes Luke's rejection of the dark side more meaningful.