Synopsis:

This edit makes The Last Jedi a respectful sequel to The Force Awakens as best as possible while also including some elements from The Rise of Skywalker. The terrible humor, unnecessary characters, and pointless side plots have been removed. Characters feel closer to how they were before. The result is a more serious and engaging movie that fits better with its predecessor.

Intentions:

Before I saw The Last Jedi, I was really looking forward to see how the movie could expand what The Force Awakens was setting up. But instead of a sequel to The Force Awakens, what I got was a Rian Johnson movie. Focusing on subverting expectations rather than continuing what was started. This edit was made to correct that.

Change List:

Color correction has been applied to TLJ and TROS footage to resemble how TFA looked. The opening title crawl music is replaced with the one from TROS. The title crawl has been remade to establish the First Order recovering from the destruction of Starkiller Base, Rey’s desperation to bring Luke out of hiding, and Kylo Ren traveling to the Mustafar system. (Blender title crawl resources by DigModiFicaTion.) Used the opening shot of Mustafar from TROS to introduce Kylo. Removed Snoke quoting General Hux's "Tied on a string" line. Removed Snoke asking Kylo about his wound. Kylo removes his mask after Snoke expresses his fear that he was mistaken. Removed Kylo protesting to Snoke that he didn’t hesitate killing Han. Removed Snoke’s guards withdrawing their weapons twice. Included a brief flashback to the TFA bridge scene with Han before Kylo destroys his helmet to make it clear he’s mad that he killed his father for nothing. Replaced the entire scene of Rey giving Luke the lightsaber and him throwing it off the cliff by inserting two shots of Ahch-to island. One from the documentary and one from the film. This was done to maintain Luke and Rey’s emotional reactions at the end of TFA and keep the continuity of the scene intact. Shots of the island that seemed to look more yellow than green have been re-colored. Removed all of the Porg appearances with the exception of one shot during Rey’s training with Luke. Rey calls out to Luke only once when she approaches his hut. Inserted the deleted scene of Luke sitting in his hut after he changes robes to, again, maintain his emotional reaction at the end of TFA. Removed Luke telling Rey to go away. Removed Rey telling Luke about Kylo becoming stronger and the First Order controlling the major systems within weeks. Removed Luke's routine. Rey answers why she is on the island the first time Luke asks the question. Removed Luke saying that he came to the island to die and that it’s time for the Jedi to end. Removed all of Captain Canady’s scenes. The entire Resistance counter-attack is reworked. There’s no bombing run. Leia and Poe do not argue. Poe's goal is to engage the dreadnought, distracting the First Order to focus on him instead of the Resistance fleet, ensuring the safety of the evacuation. This validates Poe telling Finn that he was busy saving the entire fleet in the following deleted scene. Hux doesn’t display any nervous reactions when Poe attacks the dreadnought. Poe's weapon systems don’t get damaged. Snoke doesn’t contact Hux after the Resistance escapes. Replaced the awkward moments of Finn waking up and reuniting with Poe with the deleted scene where Poe catches Finn up to speed on what he missed. Removed the gold dice. Luke doesn’t tell R2 nothing will change his mind. When Luke wakes up Rey, he tells her that he will train her in the ways of the Jedi, but doesn't say anything about why they need to end. Removed Leia slapping and lecturing Poe after the Resistance fleet jumps out of hyperspace. Rey’s blaster has the correct sound effect when she shoots Kylo. The Caretakers do not appear after the first force conversation between Rey and Kylo ends. (FX by Snooker.) Removed Luke saying: "Let's get started." Used an establishing shot of the island that carries over to Rey's training. All other Caretaker scenes are also removed. Combined Rey using the staff/lightsaber and her training with Luke. Removed the touching leaf gag. Luke doesn’t tell Rey to reach out with her feelings. Removed Luke talking about the vanity related to the light and the Jedi. Removed Rey figuring out that Luke closed himself off from the force. The Canto Blight and Hyperspace Tracker mission side plots have been cut. This removes any side characters involved in those plots such as Rose and Holdo. Inserted the deleted scene of BB-8 showing Finn the recording of Rey saying they will see each other again after the Resistance briefing. Removed BB-8 spinning and making noise to get Finn's attention. Removed Rey asking Chewie about reaching the Resistance and touching the water falling from the Falcon. Removed Luke lecturing about the Jedi during the days of the Republic and Rey talking about Luke redeeming Vader to keep the focus on his exile and guilt. Inserted TFA footage showing Kylo and the Knights of Ren from the lightsaber vision to conclude the flashback and imply that the knights are the remaining students that were taken. When Rey looks at Kylo during the third force conversation, she doesn’t ask if he could put a cowl on. Kylo doesn’t tell Rey to let the past die. This is the same person who values his grandfather’s possessions. Rey has a quick glimpse of her sitting on the Exogel throne before she is thrown into the cave. (FX eye replacement by NeverarGreat.) All Exogel scenes are re-colored from blue to grey. (LUT by Skenera.) Inserted TROS footage of Rey’s parents saying their last words to her on Jakku after she touches the wall. Removed Rey telling Kylo she was wrong to believe she would find answers. Rey sees Kylo fighting Snoke's guards and Kylo sees Rey reaching her hand out after the two of them make physical contact. Rey and Luke do not fight after she demands him to tell the truth. The flashback shows Luke quickly turning on his lightsaber out of fear after seeing Ben’s dark future and hearing Vader and Snoke. This is also meant to connect with Palpatine's "I have been every voice you have ever heard inside your head." line to Kylo. Removed Luke telling Yoda he's going to burn the tree down. Removed the "page turners" gag. Removed Yoda poking Luke. Rey doesn't say anything about feeling Kylo's conflict when inside the elevator. Removed Kylo telling Rey he saw her parents. Removed Snoke’s comment on Rey’s strength and the darkness rising with light to meet it, as part of that line was repurposed for Luke’s flashback. Removed Snoke saying he bridged Rey and Kylo's minds. Snoke is killed by Kylo when he searches through Rey's mind to make his death much more surprising. Snoke's eyes flash orange and lose their color when he dies to foreshadow his connection to Palpatine. (FX by Poppasketti.) The gap between the throne room fight is covered with the Resistance transports leaving the cruiser. Rey doesn’t get caught in a hold against the guard, eliminating the vanishing weapon error and making her victory against her opponent more believable. Replaced Rey telling Kylo to call off the fleet with a shot of Snoke. Replaced Kylo saying it’s time to let old things die with a shot of Rey. Removed Kylo telling Rey that her parents were junk traders that sold her for drinking money who died on Jakku. Kylo doesn’t say “Please.” to Rey when he waits for her. Added a windy sound effect when Rey and Kylo struggle to get the saber. Removed the Kylo/Hux dispute. Removed Leia’s line about the First Order arriving and giving the order to shut the blast door. Removed the rest of the Resistance scenes inside the base after Poe tells Connix to transmit the distress signal. Inserted the shot showing the First Order cannon when the Resistance is in the trenches. Removed Finn struggling to use the speeder. Inserted the Wilhelm Scream when the trenches come under attack. Removed Rey yelling in excitement when shooting the Ties. Removed Hux saying “All fighters!” after Kylo gives the order to blow the Falcon out of the sky.. Removed Kylo and Hux both giving the order to focus all firepower on the speeders. Finn thinks of Rey before being shot down by one of the walkers after objecting to Poe’s retreat order. He runs back towards the base as the cannon fires. Removed Luke saying he can’t save Ben and no one's ever really gone. Kylo doesn’t give the order to fire on Luke. Kylo and Luke stay silent before they face each other. Removed Poe quoting Holdo. Removed Poe telling Threepio to shut up. There are no rocks blocking the exit to the base. Because of this, I had to remove Luke saying that the rebellion is reborn today and the war is just beginning. Removed the slow motion moments during the confrontation between Luke and Kylo. Swapped the reaction shots of Finn and Rey when they hug. Removed Kylo turning around and yelling after Luke cancels his force projection. Removed Poe hugging the fish dude. Inserted TROS footage of Kylo interacting with Vader’s mask. He discovers Palpatine is still alive and the existence of Exogel and the Sith Wayfinder. Palpatine calls out to him during the scene. Added a shot of the Tie fighters over Mustafar before the scene cuts to Kylo fighting the guards. (Palpatine line and establishing shot FX by Poppasketti.) Vader's castle is visible when Kylo grabs the Wayfinder. (FX by Movies Remastered.) Extended the music when Palpatine speaks to Kylo. Recolored the clone vat from yellow to red. Replaced two of the Snoke clones with Palpatine clones. (FX by Poppasketti.) Palpatine's hands don’t spark when he raises them. (FX by Poppasketti.) The movie ends with the Final Order fleet rising from the ground. Credited Artisdead, Wraith, INIGHTMARES, bbghost, and lantern51 for their efforts to help approve this edit. An additional credit is given to INIGHTMARES for dedicating much of his time to upscale this edit.

Additional Notes:

This edit has been upscaled by INIGHTMARES. His assistance is greatly appreciated.

Other Sources:

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. The Last Jedi Director's Documentary. The Last Jedi Complete Soundtrack. The Rise of Skywalker Expanded Soundtrack.

Special Thanks:

ArtisDead, INIGHTMARES, Wraith, bbghost, lantern51 for their time and support to help get this edit approved. INIGHTMARES for putting in considerable time and effort to upscale this edit. His efforts are truly appreciated and I am very grateful for the work he put into improving the quality. DigModiFicaTion, Poppasketti, NeverarGreat, Skenera, Snooker, and Movies Remastered for their fan editing resources.