After the Dark Times

If you've seen my Before the Dark Times edit, you'll know a cut list and additions is nigh impossible. And besides, it would spoil the surprise...

Rather than focus on cuts and additions, let me explain my approach instead:

One focus with this edit has been a conscious decision to actually pull the story down to a smaller scale. I've always struggled with what feels like a need to go 'bigger and bigger' as each episode rolls on. Originally, we go from a new planet killing ummmmm.....planet, to 'the biggest fleet the galaxy's ever seen' where each vessel also has a ummmm....planet killing weapon. Hmmmmm. Gone also is the convenience of the First Order being able to wipe out the Republic from so far away (to me the Republic is a system of principles not a specific planet anyway).

With all this comes a redrafting of what The First Order is. They are now implied to be an 'underground', far-right movement of sorts. They don't believe in the New Republic. They want to see the status quo upended and an 'empire' restored.

Gone is this sense that they are a massive, unstoppable force that the Resistance is losing to. To me, the First Order are more dangerous if they are a smaller but still aggressive threat to the ideals of the New Republic. They are dangerous because of their ideas, not their weapons. With this reduction in 'scale', we can then focus on the story between characters and family members much more. We also have a nice call-back to the original trilogy (OT) where the Rebels were a small rag-tag group. Now, it's the First Order who while small, are a real threat to the peace that has been established at the end of ROTJ.

Gone also is any reference to the Resistance being 'rebels'. How are they rebelling? They never are/were, even in the original cuts of these movies. That just makes no sense. If anything, the First Order are the Rebels (I think Redletter media may have said as much once). The Resistance's motivations are now much clearer. They must stop this uprising of dissidents that threatens peace.

Another focus of mine has been, what is the ST really about? What's our through line? For me, it should have been about saying goodbye to our childhood heroes. To Luke, Leia and Han.

ATDT does just that, particularly in the final chapters. Rey's new journey, allows us to do that properly as she tries to find her place in the galaxy, to reconcile the loneliness of being force sensitive and the responsibility of being the next generation of Jedi, of losing her mentors and teachers (our Luke, Leia and Han), of bringing Ren back from the dark side, defeating Snoke etc.

We begin chapter 1 focussing on what is now a simple tale of Han attempting to bring Ren back from the dark. It's a much smaller, personal mission, not one of destroying Starkiller Base (what Starkiller Base?) Ren is still conflicted, Leia thinks Han can bring him back. Simples.

From chapter 2 onwards, we're then off with Rey on her Jedi journey. Her connection (dyad) with Ren is still there which I quite like as an idea as it's one we hadn't seen before. But she is a nobody, an orphan of a war-torn galaxy, a much more interesting idea that is closer to the both the prequel trilogy (PT) and OT in that the fate of the galaxy hinges on an unsuspecting hero whose destiny was meant for greater things.

Luke is still on the island but people know he's there. Gone are all the macguffins and the 'we need this map/device' to get a character from A to B nonsense. Nowhere in the OT did a character need an object to find a planet/location important to the story (Endor, Dagobah etc). The story just got them there (they have nav computers too!) so let's do away with those shall we?

Palpatine still returns in this edit although this has been recontextualised in a much more satisfying way I feel. I was never against Palps returning but I was disappointed with how this was executed. In my edit, I've been able to tie his return back more neatly to the PT and in a clever way. He's no longer the grandfather of Rey though - that was for me, the most ridiculous part of the Rise of Skywalker (in fact, Rey's parentage was always a boring subplot). And with some clever editing, the destroyed Death Star now plays a much more pivotal role in the story. Rey is drawn there by the Force/fate (or as Ren believes, the lure of the dark side as part of their bond).

We don't meet Po and Finn until later chapters as the story isn't about them. Its clear by the end they're friends with Rey and that future adventures await.