Re imagining the Last Jedi
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I didn't hate the movie as much as most, but it's definitely got problems, so we're basically going to try to turn it into something more watchable, but, to be honest, I don't hate many of the ideas of the narrative, I just feel it was very clumsily told.
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Let's start with the entire opening battle. Instead of a really long winded exchange between Poe and Hux, instead we get this exchange
"I'm here for the terms of surrender"
"The Resistance will lay down it's arms, submit to the first order and kneel before our might as our glory is spread across the galaxy!"
"Wait, you think I'm offering to surrender?" *checks gauge and sees the booster is charged* "Nuts!" *Engages booster*
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Seriously, a 1 minute exchange tops with a brief punchline and get on with our lives. The battle in the movie focuses way too much on Poe and how great of a pilot he is, but to be honest, most of these scenes just feel recycled or generic. How about instead of several minutes worth of Poe gunning down every last turret when we all know he's going to do it anyways, we flash the camera to a very anxious bomber crew as the captain calls out Poe's success and the gunner's scan the stars for contacts. In this version, Poe and the entire Resistance fleet isn't going against orders, this is their mission. Instead of more dogfighting, we take this opportunity to get back to the franchise's roots and use WW2 era footage of German fighters attacking allied bombers, making shallow passes and following the gunners as they try desperately to track incoming targets. As casualties mount, Leia gives the order to call the bombers back, but Poe beckons 1 of the bombers saying, they gotta do this now! The bomber wades through enemy fighters as a handful of escorts try to keep them at bay, but is so critically wounded that it can't deliver it's payload. Everybody looks dejected, but the captain of the bomber nods to his crew and noses in on the dreadnought. Poe tries to call them off of the suicide run, but it's too late. It disappears into the hull of the dreadnought in a massive ball of fire.
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The Resistance fleet safely jumps to hyperspace, but shortly after they jump, the first order is hot on their heels. They're being tracked, but without knowing how it's too risky to jump again. The massive first order fleet can't quite catch the Resistance ships, but start sending waves of TIE's on bombing runs as they bombard the flagship. At first the resistance pilots score easy successes, but soon it becomes apparent this won't be enough. Again more, WW2 inspiration, the Battle of Britain. A small number of pilots are all that stands between the last light of hope against fascism in the galaxy. Almost as soon as pilots lay their heads down for a nap, the siren sounds again and they have to scramble for another sortie. After a few days, the remaining pilots are ragged and exhausted. The flight crews are scavenging parts from wherever they can to keep ships running, even going so far as to cannibalize non-critical ship systems. It's painfully apparent to everyone that the resistance is teetering on the edge of oblivion.
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It's here that Poe concots a plan to send out a small team led by Finn to Canto Bight to find a slicer that can potentially send a team through the shield of the First Order's super vessel. On Canto Bight, they find the slicer, but he immediately balks at this plan. What they propose is simply suicide. He won't agree to go a long, but he puts them in touch with a local smuggling ring that's sympathetic to the Resistance ever since First Order crackdowns in the area. They offer their services to move what supplies they can to the Resistance fleet.
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More WW2 inspired plot points, the evacuation at Dunkirk. The Resistance stumble across the old Resistance base of Crait, a stopoff on the route they took to elude the first order. It's decided that the fleet can't reach a refueling point to escape and their best chance is to flee to the old base. The crews of the ships are slowly evacuated, waiting in line for their turns. It doesn't look like they'll be able to complete the evacuation in time until the smuggling ships jump out of hyperspace. After a breif exchange, the heavily modified freighters dump their cargo and use their souped up engines to move personnel planteside. All the while, the last few fighter pilots are staving off absolute exhaustion to continue flying sortees to protect the fleet and transports, but suffering increasing losses as the TIEs enjoy more and more freedom to harass the evacuation ships.
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Finally, as the last crews are evacuated, a select few draw straws. The last capitol ships have to buy time. A few tense scenes of individual crew members manning empty decks to prepare for a rearguard action. The Raddus and her escorts turn into the first order fleet, guns blazing, running full speed into the First Order formations firing in all directions. When the Raddus hereself has suffered critical damage, the captain gives the order, they set the self destruct and lay in a course for the First Order Flagship.
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In Crait, a bright explosion in the sky elicits cheers from the Resistance on the ground, but then the realization sets in. It wasn't enough, none of it was. They grimly set to their duties of preparing the defenses on what most have accepted will be their graves...on to Episode 9