Star Wars fan films – a lore unto themselves

Leading up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi seems like no better time to take a look at some really great Star Wars fan films.

Passion runs deep among the geek community and that passion is unmatched by those who dedicate their time, energy and enthusiasm towards the fan film. As far as fan films go, none are more passionate than the thousands of young filmmakers that have dedicated themselves to creating their own lore within the Star Wars universe.

These are but a few choice cuts. I’ll keep adding to my YouTube playlist when I find any that tickle my fancy so be sure to subscribe to my channel to be updated and you won’t miss any new additions as I curate this list.

Here’s a few examples worth checking out.

The Distant Echo

Posted earlier this month ‘The Distant Echo” see’s Rey from the Force Awakens training with Luke Skywalker with a similar scenario to the cave scene in Empire. There’s a lot of crossover between legends and canon for the hardcore fans

The Force and The Fury

A cracking good short film this one that sees a crashed rebel pilot hunted by a Sith. A powerful message about why you should keep a fresh set of batteries spare for your lightsaber.

The Lesser Evil

A Jedi and his padawan face off against a Sith Lord named Darth Zennis, with the help of a mysterious bounty hunter. Some authentic dialogue between master and padawan, a decent bad guy and a cool twist at the end.

Rebel Scum

A rebel pilot crashes his speeder on what I am assuming is Hoth. Exceptional effects and grittier than some of the others. This one is a cracking tale about soldiers left behind in the wake of what is possibly a much larger battle.

Darth Maul: Apprentice

The coolest Sith pre-Vader was a little hard done by in Episode One and this fan film kind of tries to right those wrongs. This one has some spectacular fight choreography and is really, really well put together. The Jedis are skilful in this but they look like total pussies against Maul in this epic fan film.

The Fallen Knight: A Kylo Ren origin story

Kind of like Star Wars goes to fat camp written by Stephen J Cannell at the end of a five-day cocaine binge. Credit to the fans here though, for pouring their time and $6000 of their own money into getting this made. A tad cringeworthy.

The Last Padawan

A Jedi padawan on the run from the Empire, following the collapse of the republic. This one is almost medieval until the lightsabers come out.

Hoshino

The story of a blind Jedi Master Ko Hoshino, kind of like the karate kid with a vision impairment and a lightsaber. The special effects in this one are super cool and the acting is pretty decent too, Hoshino is a Badass.

Star Wars: Destroyer

Some painstaikingly created animation here in this X-Wing cockpit based story. Great banter between the pilots. Some of the shots are a bit clunky but overall this one is really, really good.

Batman vs Darth Vader

Ok this one is ridiculous, but still a lot of fun. It’s been around for quite a while now but it is a favourite of mine, in spite of the utter stupidity. Vader has taken Superman prisoner and Batman heads off to the Death Star to save him. I won’t spoil it if you don’t want to know who won, it’s pretty obvious though.

Star Wars in Public

Not really a fan film as such, just a bunch of Aussie dickheads with some time on their hands, some money to burn and some decent after effects knowledge. This is heaps of fun.

There are literally thousands of these kind of films out there, this is merely a snapshot. Drop me a line or leave a comment if you have a favourite you want to share.