"TLJ Reimagined," a storyboard edit based on "Luke killed Rey's parents"

The Idea
After The Last Jedi released theatrically in December 2017, I shared an analysis on Reddit which blew up. I had made my account specifically to talk with fans about Episode VIII, so this was the first thing I posted to Reddit. It also turned out to be the first time something I had written gained so much traction. Having received several comments asking how I would have changed the script issues I pointed out (some of these comments were in good faith and some were in bad faith), I got to work on a new challenge. How could I turn The Last Jedi into an even more compelling and satisfying story? Was there a way to please so many of those who complained about a lack of an origin story for Snoke, or a sense of challenge for Rey?
Specifically, how could Rey face a conflict of interest that she would have to overcome? How could Snoke's past be explained? How could Ben's past be explored? Was there a way for each of these questions to intersect with Luke?
You can read more on these questions and how I answer them in the article I wrote, "Reimagining The Last Jedi: Luke killed Rey's parents." Here is a short excerpt...

If we’re going to see a burdened Luke Skywalker, we also need to see a properly disheartened Rey. Since she is persistently hopeful, she needs to hear something that will flip the way she sees the universe. She needs a new hurdle to overcome. This can be accomplished through a plot twist on par with the reveal that Vader is Luke’s father in The Empire Strikes Back.
In this rewrite, Kylo Ren realizes he once knew Rey’s parents. During a Force Skype session between her and Kylo Ren, he alludes to Rey that Luke knows something about what happened to her family. Soon, Luke reveals that her parents were among his Jedi students who had been slain. In recurring flashbacks, this story is expanded upon a few times. Instead of just hearing about these events, we see parts of them take place.
Rey is sad to learn that her parents died violently that night, and is told that Luke fulfilled their last wishes by dropping her off on Jakku for her own safety as the First Order would be searching for him.
But Luke isn’t telling Rey the full story. In a final Force communication between her and Kylo Ren, he reveals that Luke Skywalker killed her parents. They were among the students who Snoke had turned to the dark side with Ben Solo. After her parents initiated a fight against Luke and the rest of the Academy, he had no choice but to defend himself and the other students by defeating the couple.​

After I posted these ideas to Medium, I started talking with a storyboard artist who was intrigued by the thought of a fan edit. While there have been countless edits, none have altered the film to such an extent that the narrative takes on a new life. I genuinely believe we have successfully re-contextualized The Last Jedi as a whole, and further more, the sequel trilogy. Instead of making The Force Awakens a weaker film, our Reimagined edit adds to the story it established while giving it a heart. The Last Jedi felt hollow from an emotional standpoint, but I think we've done something special with it.
The Edit
This Saturday, September 14, I will be releasing The Last Jedi Reimagined and I will be happy to share a link with whoever is interested. I spent about a year and half in total on this project, and I am so satisfied with how it's turned out.
I have done the obvious edits, and have removed sequences (Canto and Holdo) which trim the film down to 1 hour and 42 minutes, including the new storyboarded scenes described in my article, and a brief deleted scene with Poe and Finn. New scenes are scored, with sound effects, and subtitles. My edit also features a brand new crawl. There's even a Wilhelm scream. Of course, I have cut jokes that just didn't work. If you can think of something that I might have cut, it's a safe bet to assume I did.
It takes a lot to please me as an audience member, especially with fan edits, and I think all of these edits made are extremely smooth. I saw a lot of editors rush to release their own versions after TLJ came out, and because of that, nearly all of them had some mistakes.
Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to sharing The Last Jedi Reimagined with you.

 

At the beginning of the week, I shared with a few subreddits about my feature length edit, "The Last Jedi Reimagined" being released on Saturday, September 14. Well, after a long week of struggling to export and upload online, even my expectations have been subverted, because it's up a day early! I hope you can read Aurebesh.

https://reimaginedjedi.wixsite.com/watch

The trailer:

Both options are 1080. If you would prefer 720 for a smaller file size, let me know and I can send you a link.
The Idea

After The Last Jedi released theatrically in December 2017, I shared an analysis on Reddit which blew up on r/truefilm. I had made my account specifically to talk with Star Wars fans about Episode VIII, so this was the first thing I posted to Reddit. It also turned out to be the first time something I had written gained so much traction. (This post is pinned on my profile if you would like to check it out.) Having received several comments asking how I would have changed the script issues I pointed out (some of these comments were in good faith and some were in bad faith), I got to work on a new challenge. How could I turn The Last Jedi into a more compelling and satisfying story?

How could Rey face a conflict of interest that she would have to overcome? How could Snoke's past be explained? How could Ben's past be explored? Was there a way for each of these questions to intersect with Luke?

You can read more on these questions and how I answer them in the article I wrote which has been shared here a few times by various people, "Reimagining The Last Jedi: Luke killed Rey's parents." Here is a short excerpt...

"If we’re going to see a burdened Luke Skywalker, we also need to see a properly disheartened Rey. Since she is persistently hopeful, she needs to hear something that will flip the way she sees the universe. She needs a new hurdle to overcome. This can be accomplished through a plot twist on par with the reveal that Vader is Luke’s father in The Empire Strikes Back.

In this rewrite, Kylo Ren realizes he once knew Rey’s parents. During a Force Skype session between her and Kylo Ren, he alludes to Rey that Luke knows something about what happened to her family. Soon, Luke reveals that her parents were among his Jedi students who had been slain. In recurring flashbacks, this story is expanded upon a few times. Instead of just hearing about these events, we see parts of them take place.

Rey is sad to learn that her parents died violently that night, and is told that Luke fulfilled their last wishes by dropping her off on Jakku for her own safety as the First Order would be searching for him.

But Luke isn’t telling Rey the full story. In a final Force communication between her and Kylo Ren, he reveals that Luke Skywalker killed her parents. They were among the students who Snoke had turned to the dark side with Ben Solo. After her parents initiated a fight against Luke and the rest of the Academy, he had no choice but to defend himself and the other students by defeating the couple."

After I posted these ideas to Medium, I started talking with a storyboard artist who was intrigued by the thought of a fan edit. While there have been countless edits, none have altered the film to such an extent that the narrative takes on a new life. I genuinely believe we have successfully re-contextualized The Last Jedi as a whole, and further more, the sequel trilogy. Instead of making The Force Awakens a weaker film, our Reimagined edit adds to the story it established while giving it a heart. The Last Jedi felt hollow from an emotional standpoint, but I think we've done something special with it.

The Edit

I have been working on this project for the total of nearly 2 years. It had essentially been finished 6 months ago, but even over the course of the past few weeks, I have been adding the finishing touches. I now have a sense of closure over this stage of our edit. After the film’s digital release, many edits were posted online, and while I think we can agree they improved the movie by cutting out large chunks and awkward humor, several attempts felt rushed. I didn’t work on this project solely as a fan as I think many editors have (and that is perfectly alright), but as a creative person. I wanted to give myself a challenge. I am a very hard audience member to please, specifically in terms of fan projects, but I can honestly tell you I am satisfied with this current edition.

I should mention this is actually a draft version which I am releasing. The two new storyboarded scenes are not complete. The artist will only be completing the boards after the new year. Since that’s a while away, and I wanted to post this prior to Episode IX’s release, I am releasing it in its current state. I am very happy with how it’s turned out, but keep in mind there will be an even more elaborate version later on, with new storyboarded versions of the scenes I have written.

Aside from the boards, I have done the obvious edits, and have removed sequences (Canto and Holdo) which trim the film down to 1 hour and 42 minutes, including new storyboarded scenes described above, and a brief deleted scene with Poe and Finn. New scenes are scored, with sound effects, and subtitles. My edit also features a brand new crawl. There's even a Wilhelm scream. Of course, I have cut jokes that just didn't work. If you can think of something that I might have cut, it's a safe bet to assume I did. Sometimes, editors will have long lists of alterations, but I don't want you to get caught up in those changes. It's easy to read a list and go, "Oh, I get what this is doing. I don't even need to watch it." Trust me, this isn't that kind of edit.

I hope you find some enjoyment in what we’ve created.

 

It's hard to watch those scenes knowing what happens. Trying to take them in a new context is tough.

SB