Thoughts on Duel of the Fates
Sept 7, 2022 2:04:15 GMT
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Post by CrepedCrusader on Sept 7, 2022 2:04:15 GMT
I finally got around to reading the entire Duel of the Fates script (i.e. Colin Trevorrow's unfilmed Episode IX script).
Things I liked:
* Both Finn and Rose were given more to do. They were both sort of sidelined in tRoS, especially Rose.
* We had a moment where Threepio acknowledges how much he loves Artoo after Artoo is grievously injured.
* The Battle of Coruscant would've been badass on the screen.
* The truth of Rey's parentage is less messy than the "Palpatine's granddaughter" reveal.
* More "force ghost" Luke.
* No confusing "force dyad" stuff.
Things I wasn't crazy about:
* Retconning the identity of Darth Plagueis's master from the Plagueis novel.
* I thought Kylo's death was more anti-climactic than in tRoS.
There's also something I could've seen being a problem for production: Whereas J.J. wrote around Carrie Fisher's absence and with the knowledge of exactly what footage from the TFA shoot they'd be able to use, this script would've been unfilmable without either recasting Leia or using a CGI Leia, either of which would've led to outcry from a portion of the fandom. IIRC, one of the bones of contention between Trevorrow and Lucasfilm was that he didn't want to rewrite the script to account for Fisher's loss.
Some surprising similarities between this and tRoS: Rey and Kylo travel to a mysterious planet in the Unknown Regions, where Kylo sacrifices himself for Rey; the theme of stormtroopers going against their programming like Finn did (Jannah and her crew in tRoS, the stormtroopers on Coruscant in DotF); the Resistance being on the edge of defeat when an armada led by Lando shows up to help save the day.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good script. Hard to say if it would have been better, though. Certainly less messy and confusing in spots, but there were a lot of things I liked in tRoS that I would've missed.
Things I liked:
* Both Finn and Rose were given more to do. They were both sort of sidelined in tRoS, especially Rose.
* We had a moment where Threepio acknowledges how much he loves Artoo after Artoo is grievously injured.
* The Battle of Coruscant would've been badass on the screen.
* The truth of Rey's parentage is less messy than the "Palpatine's granddaughter" reveal.
* More "force ghost" Luke.
* No confusing "force dyad" stuff.
Things I wasn't crazy about:
* Retconning the identity of Darth Plagueis's master from the Plagueis novel.
* I thought Kylo's death was more anti-climactic than in tRoS.
There's also something I could've seen being a problem for production: Whereas J.J. wrote around Carrie Fisher's absence and with the knowledge of exactly what footage from the TFA shoot they'd be able to use, this script would've been unfilmable without either recasting Leia or using a CGI Leia, either of which would've led to outcry from a portion of the fandom. IIRC, one of the bones of contention between Trevorrow and Lucasfilm was that he didn't want to rewrite the script to account for Fisher's loss.
Some surprising similarities between this and tRoS: Rey and Kylo travel to a mysterious planet in the Unknown Regions, where Kylo sacrifices himself for Rey; the theme of stormtroopers going against their programming like Finn did (Jannah and her crew in tRoS, the stormtroopers on Coruscant in DotF); the Resistance being on the edge of defeat when an armada led by Lando shows up to help save the day.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good script. Hard to say if it would have been better, though. Certainly less messy and confusing in spots, but there were a lot of things I liked in tRoS that I would've missed.
