In the words of C-3PO; Here we go again! Another of my "What If Scenarios"! If I was allowed to do a remake of The Last Jedi, this would be it, or close to it at least. This story will not include a boring casino, it will not include space-flying Leia, it will not include emo-Luke but Jedi-Luke ( I hope ) and it will have a fun fight at the end, hopefully. I almost forgot; Hux died in my version of Episode 7, so don't expect him in this story ( lets face it, what was the point of his character in Episode 8 anyway? ). And Snoke is named Creel instead, cos I hate the name Snoke. Oh, and R2 never appeared in my version of Episode 7. Anyways, let's dive into this, shall we! And if you like it, or just hate it, leave a comment in the review section!

A The Last Jedi rewrite

Star Wars Episode 8

The Last Jedi

The war between the First Order and the Republic rages. General Leia Organa's Resistance fighters have joined forces with the Republic in their fight against the evil armies of Supreme Leader Creel.

But the war goes badly for the Republic. The First Order is advancing on all fronts and the Republic forces are waging a desperate struggle to keep the tyranny at bay.

Their only hope is that Luke Skywalker will return and restore peace and justice in the galaxy.

Planet of Tybara:

We pan down over a brownish-green planet, Tybara, and find a small First Order fleet in its orbit. The fleet fires its cannons at the surface. On the surface, a Republic fortress is protected by a shield that gets hammered by the First Order barrage. First Order bombers flies in and drops their payload, straining the shield even further. Large cannons in the fortress returns fire and in space they hit the shields of the Star Destroyers.

Surface of Tybara:

On a balcony on the fortress stands Senator Holdo and looks up at the terrifying barrage aimed at the fortress, kept at bay by the shields. She is in a somber mood as an adjutant walks up to her.

"Senator" the adjutant says, "all is prepared for the evacuation. All ships are standing by."

"Good" Holdo says and takes her attention away from the barrage overhead. "They should be here any minute now."

Orbit of Tybara:

A Republic fleet exits hyperspace not far from Tybara and the First Order fleet. On the bridge of the Republic battlecruiser Mon Mothma, Leia looks out through the viewports and then speaks into a headset.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen" Leia says. "Target the dreadnought and take her out. We need it destroyed."

Poe Dameron leads a large group of Republic FT-6 Pike fighters, escorting SF-17 bombers, ahead of the larger ships.

"You heard the general" Poe tells them all. "The dreadnought is the target. Red, Blue and Green squadron, make sure to keep those TIE Fighters occupied. Gold squadron, rip that beast apart."

On one of the bombers, Gold Leader responds with a smile. "Roger that, Red Leader. Gold squadron, keep it tight, cover your fire-zones and let's get these babies in range."

One of the Pike-pilots spots something on his scanners. "Here they come!"

A swarm of TIE Fighters ( in my version, First Order TIE's look like TIE Phantoms ) comes straight at the Republic forces and the battle is on! The battle rages, fighters get shot down on both sides, bombers get shot down. Classic cockpit-views as pilots calls out targets and co-ordinate their efforts. In the end, three bombers make it to the dreadnought and drop their payload and the ship crumbles under the bombardment.

Poe laughs. "Yeah, take that you bastards! Fleet command, the dreadnought is destroyed. I repeat, the dreadnought is destroyed."

On the Mon Mothma, Leia smiles and nods. "Understood, Red Leader" she says and turns to her fellow officers. "Inform Senator Holdo to begin the evacuation. Move in with the fleet and keep those Star Destroyers occupied!"

While the battle rages, two dozen larger shuttles leave the planet and escapes the siege. On the bridge of one of the larger shuttlecraft, Senator Holdo speaks over the communicator.

"General Organa, this is Senator Holdo, all ships have made it safely off the planet. Please, do not put yourself at more risk than necessary. We are ready to go to lightspeed."

On her end, Leia nods as she listens. "Understood, senator. Get ready to jump on my mark." Leia then turns to Admiral Ackbar. "Ackbar, get our fighters back and turn the fleet around. We are done here."

"At once, your highness" Ackbar says and walks off.

The fighters and bombers still alive head back to the Republic fleet and the evacuated shuttlecraft. In his Pike fighter, Poe flips switches.

"Alright, BB-8, let's leave these First Order moofs to wonder what went wrong. Punch it!"

The Republic fleet and all fighters jump to hyperspace.

Planet of Ahch-To:

Rey and Luke look at each other up on the cliffs of the lonely island in the middle of the ocean. Rey hands Luke the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker. Luke takes it and studies it.

"Where did you get this?" Luke asks.

"Maz Kanata had it" Rey says, quite nervous.

"Who?"

"A friend" Rey explains. "I was sent here by your sister, to tell you that we need you to come back. We need you to fight the First Order."

Luke grins sarcastically. "Come back?" He eyes the lightsaber and then walks past Rey and away.

Rey is a bit unsure what to do. "You're not coming back?"

Rey follows Luke across the island to a small temple-area. Luke enters the temple and Rey follows. Luke walks into a small chamber where he places Anakin Skywalkers lightsaber next to Darth Vaders lightsaber on a stone table.

Luke turns and looks at Rey. "Who are you? Why did Leia send you?"

"I… I am nobody" Rey says. "My name is Rey and I volunteered to come and look for you."

"I suppose Lor San Tekka sold me out" Luke snarls, unhappy.

"I don't know who that is" Rey says, nervously.

Luke studies her. "No. No, you don't" he then says and walks past her and exits the chamber.

Rey follows him. "Your sister sent me here because the Republic desperately needs you back. The First Order has attacked the Republic and there is all-out war. We need your help."

"To fight a war?" Luke asks, walking through the temple. "I am one man. The Republic has millions of soldiers and thousands of starships. I fail to see how one man could affect the outcome of their war."

"It took only one man to destroy the Death Star" Rey says just as Luke exits the temple.

Luke stops on the stairs and turns. "Yes" he says, sourly. "It took one man. It took one man to kill more than one million men and women serving on that battle-station. I pulled the trigger and killed them all." He turns and walks away.

"Is that why you are out here?" Rey asks and follows. "Is that why you are hiding? Are you afraid of your powers?"

"Go away!" Luke calls back as he walks across the courtyard.

"I need to know" Rey persists. "I think… I think I have that power too."

Luke stops and turns. "And what if you do?"

Rey considers her options, unsure what to say. "I… I need to learn… I need to understand. There is something inside of me, it has always been there, something calling to me in my dreams. I must know what it is."

Luke studies her for a moment. "It is the Force" he then tells her. "It wants to brake free. To freely flow through you. To guide you. To do your bidding… To haunt you."

"Please… Will you teach me?"

"Teach you?" Luke says and his face twists with spite. "What can I teach you? I nearly killed my own father. I failed dozens of young boys and girls and saw them killed at the hands of my own nephew! Teach you?! How can I teach you when I do not understand the ways of the Force myself!"

Luke turns and leaves in a hurry. Rey does not know what to do, so she sits down and does nothing.

Luke enters a small hut and sits down in a bed and sighs. R2 comes to life in the corner and beeps.

"Nothing" Luke says sourly. R2 beeps and chirps. "None of your business." There is a heavy knock on the door. "Go away!" Luke calls out like a grumpy old man.

The door gets kicked in and Chewie steps inside and growls! Luke jumps out of bed.

"Chewie?!" he says with pleased surprise. Then, he realizes. "Where's Han?"

Chewie, Rey and Luke, together with R2, sit by a campfire at night. They all look into the fire.

"So the Knights of Ren have created a small empire for themselves?" Luke says. Chewie growls and snarls. "The First Order?" Luke nods, sighs and then shakes his head. "I knew Creel was ambitious. But I guess I underestimated him."

"Supreme Leader Creel" Rey says. "Who was he?"

Luke sighs. "Twelve years ago, Creel was the master of the Knights of Ren. A small order, but Creel knew the mysteries of the Force. And he had no love for the Empire. The perfect ally in our fight against what remained of the Empire. Too late did I realize that Creel had gone to great lengths to seduce my most prominent student to turn on me."

"Kylo Ren?" Rey asks.

Luke looks to her. "Is that what he calls himself these days? Jacen was my nephew. Han and Leia's boy. They trusted me to teach him. To guide him. So that he could control the power he wielded." Something grim sweeps in over Luke. "I failed. And Jacen destroyed everything and joined Creel and the Knights of Ren. And now… Han is dead, because of me."

Chewie growls, he is not agreeing.

"Chewie is right" Rey says. "Hans death is not your fault. Kylo Ren betrayed you. He joined the Knights of Ren and now their evil oppression is slowly swallowing the galaxy."

"Because I was not ready to teach" Luke says. "Because I thought I knew the Force, but I don't. I know that now. Too late, but now I know. I am not ready to return. Not yet. Not before I understand the great mysteries. Not before I can call myself a Jedi."

Luke gets on his feet and walks away into the darkness.

Republic Fleet, Hyperspace:

Hyperspace is seen outside of viewport. Leia is sitting by a table, drinking tea, deep in her own thoughts, when the ship exits hyperspace and the view beyond the viewport turns to normal stars. Leia turns serious.

Leia enters the bridge in a hurry. "What is going on?"

"Don't know, your highness" Ackbar says. "We simply were pulled out of hyperspace. The entire fleet."

Outside, the fighters are flying close to the larger ships. Poe spots something in the distance.

"Fleet command, this is Red Leader" Poe says. "First Order fleet dead ahead!"

A swarm of TIE Fighters fly in towards the Republic fleet and a battle begins!

Leia turns to a tactical-screen. "Defensive formation Raddus Two! Now! And get us back to hyperspace!"

"We can't re-activate the hyperdrive-motivator" an officer tells Leia. "We're trapped in a high-density gravity-well."

"A gravity-well?" Leia says. "They have an interdictor-cruiser?!"

Outside in the battle, Poe is flying around, killing TIE Fighters. "There, I see it!" he says. "Dead center of the First Order fleet. Four large domes on top of it. An old imperial interdictor-cruiser!"

On the bridge, Ackbar turns to Leia. "We must destroy that cruiser if we want to leave this system."

Leia shakes her head. "It is too well protected. We can't get to it. Not without losing half our fleet. No, we have speed on our side. We'll outrun them. Eventually, we will escape the gravity-well and then we'll get back to hyperspace. Get to work, people!"

Poe is in the middle of the fighting. "General Organa! Admiral Ackbar! I must object. We will take too much damage trying to outrun them. It will never work. We need to hit that cruiser with everything we've got."

"Negative, commander Dameron" Leia tells Poe over the communicator. "You will act as our rearguard as we increase velocity. Our shields will hold and we will be able to outrun them."

Poe frowns and flips some switches. "This is brass talking out of their asses. Listen up, people. I'm heading for the interdictor. If we take it out, we will save this fleet and the First Order wont be able to set up other ambushes. It is a priority target. If you think its worth the risk, then feel free to follow me in." Poe turns his fighter around and heads for the First Order fleet.

On the bridge, an officer walks up to Leia and Ackbar. "General, admiral. Twenty-six of our Pike fighters and eight of our bombers have turned around and are heading for the enemy fleet. Close to half of what we have left."

"It is Dameron" Ackbar growls. "Damn that man!"

"Commander Dameron!" Leia speaks over the communicator. "Red Leader! Turn back right now! You will have no fire-support from the fleet the way you're heading. It's a suicide mission! Abort now!"

"Sorry, general" Poe says, "but we're taking out that cruiser."

The Republic fighters and bombers going AWOL cut through the enemy fighters and then get blasted by the enemy fleet. One by one, they are shot down.

"Come on!" Poe says, seeing the interdictor. "It's not far! Keep those fighters away from our bombers!"

Only two bombers are left as they move in on the interdictor. Poe comes up behind them and guns down three TIE Fighters following them.

On the bridge of the Mon Mothma, Ackbar and Leia follow the battle.

"They can make it" Ackbar says in disbelief.

"Come on" Leia says, hopeful.

A Star Destroyer guns down one of the bombers with its turbolasers. The last bombers moves in on the target, opens the bomb-bay doors and gets ready.

"This is Gold Leader, coming up on target. I've lost all controls. I can't maneuver. Shields are failing. Closing on target. Almost there. Almost there. Lost shields. Starboard engine is on fire. Hull-breach! We've got a hull-breach! We're so close! Get ready! Almost there!"

The last bomber gets shot to pieces and explodes in space. Leia and Ackbar lowers their heads at the failed assault. In his cockpit, Poe is disheartened but quickly shakes it off.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Poe tells the others. "Head back to the fleet! Full throttle!"

A small band of twelve Pike fighters blast their way through the First Order fleet and races after the Republic fleet. They eventually catch up to the fleet and Poe flies into the hangar-bays of the Mon Mothma. As he climbs out of his shot to pieces fighter, Leia walks up to him and grabs his commander-insignia and rips it from his uniform.

"You are demoted and grounded!" Leia tells him, furious. "Whatta hell were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?!"

"It was a priority target, general" Poe defends himself. "Now give me back my rank. You know it was the right call to go after that cruiser."

"Like hell it was" Leia argues. "We lost half of our bombers and a good portion of our fighters thanks to your stupid idea. Now we are stuck in this system, chased by the First Order and we don't have any fighter-cover. You better hope we can outrun them, Dameron. Because if we can't, we don't have enough fighters to protect this fleet. We lost good men and women today thanks to you… and for no reason at all. Get out of my sight!"

To be continued…

So that is how I would open the movie. Holdo is a senator in need of rescue and we don't have any Spaceballs comedy with Poe calling Hux for Hugs and all that bullshit. We simply begin with an exciting space-battle. And then we move to Luke, because that is what we've been waiting for, isn't it? And Luke has gone into exile to study and to learn, not to die like in the movie. Luke knows he has to return at some point, but only when he considers himself an actual Jedi. At the moment, due to his failures, he feels he is missing something, that he has misunderstood the secrets of the Force. And of course, in this version, we discuss where Creel, aka Snoke, comes from, or at least give him a minor backstory. And then the space-chase begins, and not because they are out of fuel, but because we throw in some good old Star Wars canon into the mix; the Interdictor Cruiser! And now we give Poe an actual reason to disobey orders! Because the interdictor is the one thing that is keeping them from escaping, and that ship can trap other Republic fleets in the future; it is a ship that has to be destroyed! And we understand why it needs to be destroyed. And, when Poe returns to base and Leia snaps at him, it is also understandable.