Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi rewrite

Chapter 4: Goodbye, Dear Princess

We then cut back to Ach-to where we see Luke taking Rey for a walk outside to watch the sunset as the waves crash against the rocks along with a family of porgs nesting in the cliffside, Luke using the force to pull Anakin's lightsaber from Rey's belt back into his hand to examine it. Luke tells Rey "This blade has a complicated history behind it. many years ago I lost it during my first fight with Vader on Bespin, along with my right hand. but then me and Maz went back to Cloud City to look for my father's lightsaber, only for me to find it in the hands of a mysterious red-haired woman. it was thanks to this saber I met the love of my life, Mara..." Rey is intrigued by Luke's story, saying "Mara?" Luke tells Rey "Mara Jade Skywalker, my wife. much like me she was very gifted in the force, the two of us became teachers at my old Jedi academy together along with other jedi who survived the purge such as Tano, Bridger, and Kestis, and we eventually had a young daughter, her name was Kira". Rey then force-pulls the Lightsaber from Luke's hand back into hers, saying "when I touched the lightsaber, I saw a woman with red hair holding her newborn daughter, she said the child's name was Kira". Luke tells Rey that what she saw was one of his memories, followed by Rey asking "what happened to your wife, and Kira?" Luke then tells her "Ben happened. when Snoke turned my nephew over to the dark side, he commanded him to massacre the Jedi. that is when Ben burned down my Jedi temple, and slaughtered my other students. he also killed Mara, and our daughter too". Rey looks at the lightsaber and says "I'm sorry to hear that". Luke tells her "don't be, kid. It's in the past, If redeeming my father Darth Vader taught me anything it's to forgive your enemies". Rey looks at Luke with confusion, followed by Luke patting Rey on the back telling her "come on kid, let's get back to your Jedi training. trust me, this is where the fun begins". Luke and Rey then enter the temple library, with Rey putting down her backpack and taking her books out to start reading about the history of the Jedi order, only for Luke to hand her a broom. we then cut to a montage of Luke training Rey by making her do chores around the Jedi temple: making her sweep the temple floors, having her carry heavy rocks in her backpack up a steep hill, having her try to dodge blasts from Chewie's bowcaster while blindfolded, making her tend to the temple gardens, have the two go spearfishing together in a boat, making her do a headstand with a porg standing on her foot, and having her scrub R2-D2's chassis clean all the while Luke's line from the end of my Force Awakens rewrite plays in the background: "The force is strong in my family. my father had it, my sister has it, I have it... and with the proper training and a lot of hard work, you can have that power too". we then cut to Rey and Luke standing atop a rocky cliff looking down at a Thala-siren laying about on the beach. Rey looks at Luke and asks "you want ME to milk that thing? gross!" followed by Luke giving Rey "the look". Rey goes "UGH fine!" and pole-vaults over a chasm with her staff before climbing down the rocky cliff to milk the Thala-siren. Rey then manages to squeeze some of that green milk into a bottle and climbs her way back up the rocky cliff where Luke waits for her at the top. Rey then hands Luke the bottle of green milk, Luke saying "oh no no no, I'm not drinking that. Thala-Siren milk is disgusting. the blue milk that my Aunt Beru used to make back on Tatooine, now THAT'S the good stuff!" Rey is frustrated throwing the bottle of green milk onto the floor causing it to shatter saying "I don't know what I'm still doing here, you've wasted my time!" while Chewie and R2-D2 watch. Luke tells Rey "there's more to being a Jedi than the force or swinging around laser swords. It requires self discipline, responsibility, and honor above all else". Luke then is about to hit Rey with his cane but Rey blocks it with her staff. Luke then says "that's my girl" before we cut to a montage of Luke sparring with Rey in the temple cane-to-staff as Luke teaches her the different forms of Lightsaber combat while Chewie, R2, and the caretakers watch in awe with Luke narrating "in the hands of a Jedi a Lightsaber is more than just a weapon, it is an extension of one's self just like the force" before we jump cut to Rey practicing on her own with Anakin's blue lightsaber while a proud Luke watches, Rey managing to slice a rock in half with the lightsaber. We then cut to the Alderaan with Leia, Finn, C-3PO, General Ematt, Connie, Poe, Rose, Nien Nunb, Black Squadron, BB-8, Maz, and the Crimson Corsair's crew exiting from their respective ships all lucky to be alive, C-3PO saying "that was a close one! thank the maker we all made it out safely" while the Crimson Corsair says "for once we concur, droid" while General Ematt tells Leia that he finds it suspicious that the First Order managed to discover the location of Sword base after it managed to avoid their detection for so long, Leia saying "Agreed" saying that ever since they destroyed the Starkiller the First Order have been resorting to aggressive guerilla tactics followed by Maz saying "General, allow me and my pirates to give the First Order what's coming to them" followed by the Crimson Corsair's crew brandishing their weapons. Leia tells Maz "oh that won't be necessary" much to Maz's disappointment, General Ematt looking at the merry band of pirates as the walk over to the barracks telling General Leia "bunch of filthy scoundrels" followed by Leia telling Ematt "Maz is an old friend of the family, I owe a lot to her. she and her band of pirates may be scoundrels, but they're just as much a part of this crew as you are, General". our heroes all get themselves situated in the barracks, Rose slapping Poe across the face before she walks off. Finn asks Rose what her deal is, and Poe tells him that she lost her sister during their assault on the Supremacy. Leia hugs Connie and kisses her daughter on the cheek, Leia telling her how much she's happy to have her little girl make it out okay embarrassing Connie in front of Poe, Finn, and Threepio with Connie saying "mom, you're embarrassing me in front of my friends". Leia apologizes to her daughter before entering her personal quarters to look at the holoprojector containing the holographic portrait of the Solo family, smiling as she reminisces about the good old days when the family was still together. the Alderaan then exits Hyperspace only for the Supremacy to appear above them, Leia shocked to see the massive ship cast a shadow over the Alderaan through the window. Kylo Ren leads a squadron of TIE fighters to attack the cruiser, the Knights of Ren each piloting their own TIE fighters. Kylo senses his mother aboard the Alderaan through the force, and vice versa as Leia gives her son a sorrowful look. Kylo feels conflicted, hesitating to shoot his mother. the Knights of Ren's TIE fighters then all open fire on the MC85 star cruiser, blowing a massive hole in the ship with Leia caught in the blast of the resulting explosion, badly injured with Connie shouting "MOTHER!" and Poe shouting "LEIA!" as the Republic troopers arrive on the scene to carry the Injured Leia on a stretcher to the ship's med bay, Connie watching as Kylo's TIE fighter flies off her face contorting with anger towards her big brother. we then briefly cut to Ach-to where we see Luke in the temple feeling a disturbance in the force, whispering "Leia.." we then cut to Leia being hooked up to life support in the med bay by medical droids, followed by Connie, Poe, and Maz entering the room to check up on Leia. the medical droid looks at Connie and Poe as they both are on their knees, Connie holding her mother's hand. the medical droid tells the three of them "we're slowly losing her, she's... not gonna make it". tears form in Connie's eyes as Leia places the gold dice that once belonged to Han into Connie's hand. Leia delivers a heartfelt goodbye to her daughter, telling her "Don't cry, my child. be strong, like the daughter I raised you to be. Connie, promise that you will continue fighting to protect peace and democracy in the galaxy, be the next spark of hope to light the way in the New Republic after I'm gone, oh and make sure Poe stays out of trouble for me. goodbye, and may the force be with you. always..." Leia then becomes one with the force, disappearing as she leaves nothing but her clothes behind, Maz saying "goodbye, dear princess" while Poe holds Connie's hand to comfort her. we then cut to Luke collapsing on the ground feeling Leia's death through the followed by Rey, Chewie, and R2-D2 arriving on the scene to help the old Jedi back up on his feet. R2 beeps at Luke wondering what happened, followed by Luke saying "It's Leia... she's gone R2". Rey takes a step back upon hearing this news, all the while Chewie delivers a sorrowful growl before hugging Luke to comfort him. We then cut to the Supremacy where General Hux watches as the Alderaan jumps into lightspeed again and escapes. Kylo and the Knights of Ren return to the bridge to inform Hux that General Leia Organa is dead, saying that he felt it through the force. Hux smiles, saying "good... without a leader the Republic is now hopeless to stand against the First Order, and with the supreme chancellor dead as well obtaining political power in the galaxy will be ours for the taking. Supreme Leader Snoke will be much pleased" all the while the Knights of Ren look at each other with confusion, whispering to one another about Kylo hesitating to take the shot, Kuruk taunting Kylo for being a mama's boy while Cardo tells Kylo that Supreme Leader Snoke was right, he is a failure just like his grandfather causing Kylo to get angry at Cardo and choke her before sparing her life while the other Knights are intimidated by their boss. Hux taunts Kylo, telling him that he can't seem to keep his soldiers under control. Kylo snaps back at Hux, telling him that the Stormtroopers are no different. Phasma butts in to tell Kylo that she has successfully chosen the new Elite Stormtrooper unit presenting them with a helmetless Jannah, Jayelle, and Forten now wearing their black armor with the red diagonal strap across the chest along with their weapons attached to their backs before putting on their helmets and saluting their leader. Hux is impressed, while Kylo tells Phasma that he senses great doubt in the three before he and the six Knights of Ren board the Night Buzzard and take off. We then cut back to the bridge of the Alderaan where we see the ship's crew hold a memorial service for General Leia Organa, Connie delivering a heartfelt speech saying "my mother was one of the founding members of the rebellion, and she was one of my personal heroes as a child. I looked up to her, admired her beauty, confidence, and desire to help others in time of need. Princess, Senator, Genral, loving wife and mother, Leia Organa was truly an inspiration to all and she will be missed". Maz holds Poe's hand as the entire crew of the Alderaan hold their heads low in respect for their fallen leader. After the memorial is finished, we cut to the mess hall where Poe is sharing drinks with the rest of Black Squadron. Poe tells his teammates that he also looked up to Leia himself growing up. Poe says that his parents fought in the battle of Endor and gave their lives for the rebellion back in the day, he grew up on the streets as an orphan until Leia took him in when he had nothing and gave him a purpose, to become an X-wing pilot for the New Republic and fight to keep the freedom that his parents died to achieve. The X-wing pilots all have a toast to Leia's memory while BB-8 spins around and beeps happily and Connie looks at them and smiles. Poe notices Rose sitting in the other side of the table, drinking by herself to forget about her sister. Poe decides to go sit by Rose, who tells Poe to go away. Poe tells Rose that he understands what she's going through, telling her that he felt the same way as she did when she lost her sister when he lost his parents. Rose tells Poe that she and her sister were orphans too, growing up in the shipyards of kuat the two of them just had each other. Poe begins to feel sorry for her, however Connie places her hand on Poe's shoulder and tells him to give her some space, the poor girl's been through a lot already. meanwhile Maz and the Crimson Corsair's crew are drinking at another table on the other side of the mess hall with Finn, Maz asking Finn what's up with him. Finn tells Maz that he saw visions in his head when he was recovering from his wounds in the bacta tank, saying that he saw his last battle with Kylo Ren that resulted in his back getting sliced open. Maz is curious, saying that it could be the force calling to him. Finn tells Maz not to be ridiculous, asking why the force would call out to an ex-stormtrooper. Maz looks at Finn, telling him that the force works in mysterious ways. the Alderaan then exits hyperspace and arrives at the shipyards orbiting the ocean planet of Mon Cala, a New Republic officer entering the mess hall to inform our heroes that the ship is running low on fuel and still has a damaged hull from the explosion which is why they have decided it would best to take a pit stop at the Mon Cala shipyards for refueling and repairs, that and they just got a transmission from Admiral Ackbar before telling our heroes to report to the bridge immediately. Poe, Finn, Connie, Rose, Maz, and the Crimson Corsair's crew are escorted by New Republic officers (human and alien alike) to the bridge, Poe exclaims "Admiral Ackbar? as in fought of the battle of Endor Admiral Ackbar?" C-3PO looking at Poe asking him "Excuse me Master Dameron, but do you by any chance know another Admiral Ackbar?" followed by Poe saying "I was being sarcastic, threepio. I'm not stupid, do I look like a gungan to you? meesa no think so" C-3PO then tells Poe "I'm sure gungans would find that comment offensive, Master Dameron" with a gungan New Republic officer looking at Poe with angry eyes making him gulp. our heroes then arrive at the bridge where they get a transmission on the screen from Admiral Ackbar who tells our heroes "Greeting, this is Admiral Gial Ackbar. I have heard report of the tragic passing of General Leia Organa, my condolences go out to all of you. I am here to Inform you that the New Republic has officially elected me to be Leia's successor as the new leader of the Republic Navy, meaning you will all be answering to me now, I look forward to meeting you all and be serving with you". Ackbar's transmission then ends as the Alderaan docks into the Mon Calamari shipyards, our heroes watching from the window as droids are hard at work refueling the ship and making repairs to the hole blasted in the hull of the vessel. Admiral Ackbar then boards the ship along with his first Lieutenant Bek and a bunch of Mon Calamari officers, followed by General Ematt shaking hands with Ackbar, saying "Ackbar, nice to meet you. General Ematt of the New Republic Intelligence division, at your service". Ackbar tells him "It is an honor to meet you too, General". Connie then salutes the big-headed fish man, saying "Lieutenant Connie Solo reporting for duty sir, my mom told me all about how she served with you during the days of the galactic civil war". Admiral Ackbar is very critical of Connie as he looks down on the petite human girl, telling her "so you're the General's daughter she told me about, I remember seeing you at your father's funeral but didn't quite get to know you. pity, I expected something more from the spawn of two legendary war heroes, but it turns out you're just a kid. Shame your mother isn't here, she would be very disappointed". Connie clenches her fist, Poe placing his hand on her shoulder telling her to calm down. Connie tells Poe "he disrespected my mother's memory". Poe tells Connie "Ackbar's a veteran of two wars, he fought in both the clone wars and in the galactic civil war, this guy's a legend. He probably knows more about your mom than you do, given that he's known her before you were even born". Ackbar then turns his attention to Poe, saying "ah yes, commander Dameron of Black Squadron, we finally meet face-to-face. or should I say former commander, since General Leia demoted you as one of her last acts before her passing. I'm very aware of the stunt you pulled during the attack on the First Order dreadnought that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of many pilots including that of Y-wing commander Paige Tico, but rest assured it won't happen again. Such insubordination will not be tolerated under my command, do I make myself clear Dameron?" Ackbar then gets up in Poe's face, Poe saying "sir yes sir". Ackbar tells Poe "what was that? I can't hear you!" Followed by poe shouting "sir yes sir!" at the top of his lungs, with the rest of Black Squadron staring at Poe awkwardly while Rose clutches her necklace. Lieutenant Bek gives Poe the stink eye before turning his head to Ackbar, telling him "Admiral with all due respect, are you sure we can trust him?" Followed by Ackbar telling Bek "Don't worry Lieutenant, I will be keeping a very close eye on this one to make sure he stays out of trouble". Ematt then informs Ackbar that the First Order has somehow been able to predict where the Alderaan is going to lightspeed jump to next, not only that but they were also able to discover the location of Sword base on D'Qar and destroy it. Ackbar is puzzled by this, telling Ematt that he suspects there is a spy in their ranks, saying that they need to be on high alert at all times. Ackbar and Bek look at the Crimson Corsair's crew walking down the halls, Bek telling Ackbar "dirty pirates, I don't trust their kind". Ackbar tells his lieutenant "Agreed. They're all at the top of my list of potential suspects, If I didn't know any better I'd say they're probably organizing a mutiny as we speak". Maz overhears the conversation between the Mon Calamari and tells the Crimson Corsair and his crew to ignore them. things suddenly to go from bad to worse when the Supremacy appears out of hyperspace hovering above the Mon Cala shipyards. Admiral Ackbar shouts "we've been found". Poe asks Ackbar if he's got a plan, only for Bek to stop Poe in his tracks, explaining to Poe that since he's been demoted he's no longer part of Ackbar's circle of trust, much to Poe's frustration. Ackbar orders his Mon Calamari officers to ready the shields followed by General Hux shouting at an officer "Fire on that cruiser!" the Supremacy fires blasts from its cannons only for the ship's shields to absorb the damage. Poe rushes into the Alderaan's vehicle hangar, with Rose following behind saying "Poe wait!" followed by Poe tossing Rose's A-wing pilot helmet to her while Poe grabs his X-wing pilot helmet, saying "we're gonna destroy that thing once and for all" before rushing towards his X-wing only for Admiral Ackbar stop Poe in his tracks, telling him "where do you think YOU'RE going, Dameron?" A frustrated Rose tells Poe "this is why I told you to wait, kriff you're such an idiot" followed by Poe telling Ackbar "with all due respect Admiral, Rose and I need to get into our fighters so that we can take out the Supremacy" followed by Ackbar telling them "Absolutely not! you two are to stay put and follow orders, do I make myself clear?" Poe clenches his fist, saying "you're no General Leia" under his breath and walks off while Rose watches with concern. Bek informs Ackbar that the shields can't take the damage much longer and they need to get out of here. Ackbar shouts "prepare for lightspeed!" followed by the MC-85 star cruiser jumping back into hyperspace. We then cut back to Ach-to the following night where we see Luke, Rey, Chewie, and R2 in the Caretaker village just outside the Jedi temple holding a candlelight vigil for Leia, Luke delivering a traditional Jedi eulogy: "When a soul has departed from this world and rejoins that from which we all come; may she be wrapped in the arms of peace as she has become one with the Force", Rey wiping a tear from her eye while Luke comforts her, Luke telling Rey "Leia would be proud of you, to see how far you've come". Rey tells Luke that's comforting to think about. Luke asks her "got any family?" Rey tells Luke "not really. my parents abandoned me when I was a child; they left me behind on Jakku and never came back, I don't even remember their names. for the longest time I never felt what it was like to have a family, growing up all alone and forced to fend for myself to survive on that wretched garbage heap. but then I met Finn, and Poe, and eventually Han and Leia. they were the closest thing to a family I've ever had". meanwhile in a moment of levity to cheer the audience up after such a somber moment Chewie sits down and tries to eat a roast porg until a porg looks at chewie with puppy-dog eyes making the wookie feel guilty. meanwhile a Caretaker gives Rey her necklace, Rey thanking her while R2-D2 also gets a necklace and beeps at the caretaker. Rey then enters the Jedi temple and sits down in the temple library to pull out the Jedi books from her bag and starts reading them, fascinated by the tales of the Jedi: the great Jedi-Sith war during the days of the old republic, the Jedi's escapades during the clone wars, order 66 and the extermination of the Jedi order, and the resurrection of the Jedi order under Luke Skywalker. Rey is captivated by these stories, Luke entering the library to observe Rey reading sacred the Jedi texts, telling her that he's glad to see her so invested in her studies as a Jedi Padawan, Rey telling Luke that she's been fascinated by these old stories ever since she was a child. Luke tells Rey that during the meditation session, he sensed raw strength. he believes that she may be one of the most powerful force users in the galaxy since Darth Vader. Lukes believes that when Kylo Ren rose to power as the champion of the Dark Side, the force chose Rey to be the champion of the Light. Rey tells Luke that it scares her, the thought of possessing so much power that she is unfit to wield. Luke places his cybernetic hand on Rey and assures her that with his guidance, she will be worthy of wielding that power and training under a living legend such as himself. Rey asks Luke if he plans on training any more students after her, and Luke tells her "no, last time I tried to resurrect the Jedi order it led to tragedy. after you complete your training I won't be taking on any more padawans, not after what happened to Ben. It's time for the Jedi to end". Luke then pats Rey on the back, telling her "come on kid, time to get some shut-eye. don't want you falling asleep on your second day of training, you got a big day tomorrow". Rey then enters the temple sleeping quarters and gets into bed before dozing off to sleep. Luke then sneaks into Rey's bed at night, Chewie growling at Luke wondering what's gotten into his old friend. Luke tells Chewie "shhh... keep it down Chewie, don't wake her up. I need to find out if it's really her".