Updated OP for information regarding the recently finished V3. Versions 1 and 2 took a very restrained approach, addressing only the core 'Starkiller restructuring' idea, with a few tiny exceptions. I wanted to keep TFA intact aside from the elegant concept of moving the Starkiller plot around.
Given that I ended up doing a full-on fan edit of The Last Jedi, I thought it only fair to revisit TFA one more time and allow myself to prune it a bit further. Therefore, some viewers may prefer to stick with version 2.1.
New changes for V3:
- As Finn mans the TIE fighter with Poe, trimmed firing upon fellow stormtroopers so soon after planning to escape. Now, he causes peripheral damage to prevent them from firing at him and takes aim at the command center. (Slightly shifted the placement of the film’s trademark Wilhelm scream in order to retain it.)
- Removed Kylo Ren identifying Finn’s stormtrooper ID from memory.
- Removed Rey saving Finn from the rathtars, cutting from Finn’s line, “They look like that,” to Han and Chewie arriving at the door to the Falcon.
- Removed Finn’s comedic line about almost being killed several times by Chewie while tending to him on the Falcon (Mimicked DigModiFicaTion’s approach).
- Removed Han shooting a stormtrooper while facing the other way.
- Throughout the battle at Maz’s castle, applied a slight sunset color correction to harmonize the sunset lighting present before and afterward.
- Cleaned up the smoke and debris around the Starkiller weapon exhaust when the X-Wings approach. (FX by NeverarGreat)
- Removed Finn’s comedic moment of misunderstanding Han’s head nod while searching for Rey (Mimicked DigModiFicaTion’s approach).
- Kylo's scar has been shifted for two shots to match its placement in The Last Jedi. (FX by Sir Ridley)
- Chewie has been cropped out of a shot of him walking past Leia. (Crop and image enhancement by Sir Ridley)
- Color corrected Ach-to to bring it a little closer to the corresponding scene’s lighting and weather conditions in The Last Jedi.