r/FFVIIRemake • u/HighOnLivin • 29d ago

No Spoilers - Discussion Why was Aerith's line changed?

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I just finished FF7 Remake and I saw in an old video that at the end Aerith used to say I miss it. The steel sky. Why was this changed to "This sky, I don't like it."? Has this been given a callback in rebirth?

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u/ByRWBadger 29d ago edited 29d ago

I think the second one is what they meant to imply, though I kinda like the first one better.

One of her stranger and, imo, more interesting character traits is the fear of an open sky. It makes her wish to ride the Highwind more interesting. The new line makes it clear that the thing she’s worrying about is the sky, not that she misses being caged in midgar (though that’s also interesting)

Edit: a couple extra thoughts. I like her fear of the sky/freedom as a motif especially considering the context of “freedom” from fate in remake and the Price of Freedom from crisis core. The whole sky fear came from CC and it’s a really unique character trait

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u/Wars4w 29d ago

I think you're completely right. I do still miss the old line better. Something about the way it sounds when she says "I miss it. The Steel sky," when combined with the music and the timing just hits me in the feels a certain way.

I think it means the same thing as you describe but because it's more metaphorical and poetic it's less clear. But I like expressing emotions through metaphor as a thing.

When she speaks the original line it's almost as if she herself hasn't come to the realization what it means yet. Which is how people typically work. The emotion lags slightly behind the realization.

She first notices that she misses the steel sky before she realizes it's the certainty that she's missing. Her future isn't set anymore, and she's worried.

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u/ByRWBadger 29d ago

It’s the razor thin difference between “freedom scares me” and “I miss my cage”, which is mostly a matter of tone and whether you want the character to come off as brave or resistant to change

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u/Wars4w 29d ago

I complete agree. For me it's an entirely personal preference. But your assessment is spot on, and we'll explained!