Star Wars is the gift that keeps on giving. Passionate fans have most likely produced more fan films than any other fictional universe. Even Star Trek, which has existed much longer (and inspired the Mos Eisley cantina scene), is not nearly as rife with new material on the regular. That could have something to do with Paramount’s treatment of fan film producers but even that does not completely explain things. Regardless of the reason, there is absolutely no shortage of new material set in the Star Wars universe to watch made by fans.
In that spirit I present three more short films, including the famous Troops, inspired by Star Wars. I hope you enjoy!
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Secura-A Star Wars Fan Film
- Directed by Jason Crossman
- May 4, 2022 (good release date)
As the Clone Wars are raging, the Jedi Secura has completed her mission on Saleucami but her next destination could be her last.
Secura-A Star Wars Fan Film is a little under seven minutes so it’s not very long at all. You can almost think of what you get as an additional scene from Revenge of the Sith because, well, that is what it amounts to. It’s a nice little moment that expands on a character who really amounted to showing up on the screen in order to die.
As narratives that wedge themselves in pre-existing material it’s pretty good. It expands gently upon the original narrative and avoids feeling forced to fit what already exists. It’s just nice and goes in and could be easily included as an additional scene in the extras section of any physical release.
The dialogue and direction are good. The unfortunate aspect of all this is that despite the quality of costumes and script is that we get nothing too special. It is nice but not bad. It is the angel food cake of short films. That is a limitation of how the story fits in elsewhere.
I won’t call Secura-A Star Wars Fan Film something you should seek out but rather if find it the short will add a little more to what you already know.
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CAD BANE ｜ Star Wars Fan-Film
- Written and Directed by Kip Farrar
- March 20, 2022
Accompanied by a Jawa, Cad Bane goes after a valuable object.
From story to acting to production values, CAD BANE: Star Wars Fan-Film is a well-done fan film focusing on the intriguing Cad Bane who is quite possibly the best bounty hunter character in Star Wars since Boba Fett.
The narrative here plays a lot like a Western but set in the Star Wars universe. It does not hurt in that respect as Bane is modeled after The Man with No Name. The final confrontation is a game of Western cat and mouse. Toss in the reveal of what they were after and its connection to the larger Star Wars universe and you have a very entertaining film that joins with a larger universe in a very easy manner.
As fan films go the production values are excellent and rank up there with anything official. From the look of Cad Bane to the general environment, everything is just excellent. Where they go wrong though is they don’t try to mimic the voice of Cad Bane which is as important to the character as his general look.
The script isn’t bad. That combined with the direction make something that feels as if it belongs right with the rest of Star Wars. This certainly does not come off as a cheap production or anything haphazard. This was clearly done by people with a genuine love for the material and not seeking to simply do something that they could show off to get work.
The pairing of Bane with a Jawa produces a fun and entertaining story. There is a lot of humor mixed with the seriousness of trying to get something valuable as well as confronting the Empire.
CAD BANE: Star Wars Fan-Film is a great short with wonderful production values and a great script and solid direction. It is as good a quality as anything currently on Disney+ and I highly recommend this one!
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Troops
- Directed by Kevin Rubio
- July 1997 (US)
‘Troops is filmed on location with the men of the Imperial forces. All suspects are guilty. Period. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be suspects, would they?’
A view of what it is like to patrol the mean sands of Tattoine.
One of the great things about YouTube is that things one only ever heard about but had no way to view are now accessible to anyone with internet access. Troops, an early fan film done in the style of the reality series COPS, is one such item. I had heard of this decades ago and came across it on the theater to the world.
Troops is not only a dead-on parody of COPS but also a loving poke at Star Wars that deftly weaves its narrative into the events of A New Hope. It is so good that Lucas himself declared it lost footage after he got a look. They even fit in references to other bits of science fiction like the great Tom Servo of MST3K fame.
The best part of all this is the clear effort put into it in 1997 to make it look good. And it still visually holds up today. The effects are about on the same level as many newer offerings on YouTube with any flaws being humorous since their now poor quality is comical.
But what is any film without a good script and good directing? This has both. Style-wise this feels just like a COPS’ episode. They present it like the show would a segment with the dialogue making you believe this is the day-to-day life of a stormtrooper on a beat. And it plays into certain older elements that long time fans take in stride.
Troops in a great Star Wars fan film from the early days that is funny. If you never had a chance to see it, then check it out. You will get a very good laugh.
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YouTube is a source for a plethora of original Star Wars content. You can find stuff with legacy characters or even original creations. And best of all it feels as if it belongs in Star Wars.
Warren Watched A Movie 