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The History and Cultural Impact of Star Wars, Quarter 4

Welcome to the final quarter of The History and Cultural Impact of Star Wars! Do you need to go back to Quarter 1? Quarter 2? Quarter 3?

Day 136

1. Watch the video about Star Wars Battlefront 2’s loot box controversy.
2. Read about the fallout from that controversy.

Day 137

1. Watch 10 Things they Don’t Tell You about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
2. If you have this game, you can play some.

Day 138

1. Watch this Star Wars: Squadrons review.
2. Watch the “cinematic movie” of the Star Wars: Squadrons trailers.

Day 139

1. Today play some Star Wars: Squadrons!

Day 140

1. Read the article about EA losing their exclusive license to make Star Wars games. Be sure you make it all the way to the bottom of the page.
2. Watch the video about rumored and confirmed Star Wars game releases from 2021-2024.

Day 141

1. Watch the Final Preview of the Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga.
2. Play some Skywalker Saga!

Day 142

1. Although there is now a massive amount of official Star Wars content spanning decades, it is impossible to study Star Wars without acknowledging that a huge part of what people love about it is the ability to make it their own. Whether these projects are serious, parody, or just for fun, they have become a huge part of the culture of Star Wars.
2. Possibly the first Star Wars fan film, Hardware Wars was released in 1977 and is said to be George Lucas’s favorite. Watch Hardware Wars and read the video description for more in-depth information.

Day 143

1. “Spaceballs” (1987) is a slapstick parody of not only “Star Wars” but also other sci-fi properties like “Planet of the Apes” and “Star Trek.”
2. Watch the trailer for Spaceballs.
3. Watch the following clips from Spaceballs.

Day 144

1. The Dark Redemption (1999) features Mara Jade, a famous character from the Expanded Universe. She is portrayed as a rebel trying to deliver the Death Star plans to other rebels while being held by the Empire on the planet Kessel. Watch Star Wars: The Dark Redemption.

Day 145

1. Broken Allegiance is an ambitious Australian-made STAR WARS fan film, set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Two Sith apprentices, Ruan & Calis, escape the Empire by fleeing the planet Coruscant in a stolen transport. They must fight for their freedom when Darth Vader sends a vicious bounty hunter, Korbain Thor, to track them down. Watch Star Wars: Broken Allegiance (2002).

Day 146

1. Next up is a fan film that created a story taking place between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope,” focusing on explaining why the Jedy were not in the original trilogy. This film includes references and homages to the Star Wars canon. Watch
Star Wars: Revelations (2005).

strong>Day 147

1. Chad Vader is Darth Vader’s lesser known lame brother. He currently struggles to run Empire Market, a grocery store where chaos never seems to stop. Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda were awarded the George Lucas Selects award for The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards in 2007, presented at Star Wars Celebration IV, for their work on Chad Vader. George Lucas personally selected the short movie as the best fan movie of the year. Three seasons of this sitcom style show were produced.
2. Today watch Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager (2006)
3. If you want to watch more, here is a link to all the episodes.

Day 148

1. The animated short film Tie Fighter was a massive passion project for its creator, Star Wars fan Paul Johnson, and took nearly four years for him to make. The anime-inspired film follows the pilots of the titular starfighters – which prove the deciding factor in a fight between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It packs a nostalgic 80s vibe complete with a rock soundtrack and some impressive hand-drawn visuals. It looks great and you can definitely tell a lot of effort went into it. Watch Star Wars: Tie Fighter (2015).

Day 149

1. The eighteen-minute fan short Darth Maul: Apprentice, produced on a $25,000 budget, follows the titular villain as he trains to become a Sith under the most universally evil character in the entirety of Star Wars, Darth Sidious himself. Watch Darth Maul: Apprentice (2016).

Day 150

1. This short film follows a blind Jedi as she works to become one with the Force and craft her lightsaber. Watch Hoshino (2016).

Day 151

1. The fan film “Rebel Scum” follows the adventures of a rebel trapped on Hoth during the events of The Empire Strikes Back. The filmmakers chose to use sophisticated stop-motion animation and scale models to create the film’s visuals, rather than the CGI effects most low-budget fan productions use. The result is an amazing tribute to the Star Wars saga featuring beautiful landscapes, some great inside jokes, and a sleek, professional feel. Watch Rebel Scum (2016).

Day 152

1. TK-436: A Stormtrooper Story focuses on the life of a single stormtrooper. This award-winning film has some twists on traditional fan-film tropes that may come as a surprise. Watch TK-436: A Stormtrooper Story (2016).

Day 153

1. Dark Legacy takes place on a barren, forgotten planet in the corner of the Star Wars universe. Our protagonist, Kia, trains under a Sith Master after being abducted. Her only hope for survival is her skill and the Kyber crystal forged after her brother was killed by the Master. Watch Dark Legacy (2017).

Day 154

1. Star Wars: Destroyer billed as a fan production that feels very true to the originals. The plot revolves around an Imperial Star Destroyer that’s been completely decimated by the Rebel Alliance as it barrels towards a nearby planet, becoming a dangerous projectile.
The Rebel Alliance’s X-Wing fighters, despite having just defeated the Empire, only enjoy a brief victory as they are forced to find a way to take down the runaway wreck. Watch Star Wars: Destroyer.

Day 155

1. A character study of Darth Vader, Shards of the Past is set a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith. Watch Shards of the Past (2018).

Day 156

1. At only five minutes, this fan film may be short, but is touted as one of the best – effects and all – that fans have ever made. Watch Dark Jedi (2019).

Day 157

1. This fan film was made before the Disney+ series and includes James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan across many animated shows and games, playing an Imperial villain. It is set on Tatooine between Episodes III and IV. Watch Kenobi – A Star Wars Fan Film (2019).

Day 158

1. Described as Star Wars meets Indiana Jones, Star Wars: Origins is set during World War II and rewrites our world history as we know it. Ellie and Walter, two archaeologists, discover artifacts from the Star Wars universe – lightsabers, stormtrooper helmets, and Jedi texts. This catapults them into danger, running from those that have been searching for these artifacts for years. Mark Hamill himself has applauded this fan film, calling it a fantastic piece. Watch Star Wars: Origins (2019)

Day 159

1. Hand of the Empire is set six years before the Battle of Yavin. We see Captain Quarrie and his Stormtrooper unit on a search and capture mission from Emperor Palpatine. Accompanying their unit is a Mandalorian named Loto Tane. On the other side of the mission is an unnamed girl who was rescued by Kanan Jarrus. Watch half of Star Wars: Hand of the Empire (2019). You will finish this tomorrow.

Day 160

1. Finish watching Hand of the Empire.

Day 161

1. Instead of a full fan film, today’s clip is a reimagining of the iconic fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi in “A New Hope,” attempting to bring it more in line with the choreography and style of more modern light saber fights.
2. Watch the original version of the light saber battle.
3. Then watch SC 38 Reimagined.

Day 161

1. Heavily inspired by 1987’s Predator, Bossk: Scorekeeper features a group of elite Rebels venturing through a forest being stalked by the Trandoshan bounty hunter. The cinematography is surprisingly beautiful which helps in showing off how well done the costume design is; specifically for the titular villain who looks like he could be straight out of a Lucasfilm production. Watch Bossk: Scorekeeper (2020).

Day 162

1. Shadow of the Republic is notable because it was filmed with motion capture technology and is an homage to the game Star Wars: Republic Commando. Watch Shadow of the Republic (2020).

Day 163

1. We’re skipping back in time slightly: The Last Padawan was published in 2016, but it has a sequel that came out in 2021 which we are also going to watch. The Last Padawan follows a Jedi Padawan on a search for Kyber crystals to craft their lightsaber. It’s set about four years after the fall of the Republic and Jedi Order.
2. Watch The Last Padawan (2016).

Day 164

1. Watch the first half of The Last Padawan 2 (2021).

Day 165

2. Finish watching The Last Padawan 2 (2021).

Day 166

1. This film follows the Havoc Squad and the Old Republic. Watch Star Wars: Crossfire (2020).

Day 167

1. Watch three entries from the shortlist for the Star Wars: Fan Film Contest.

Day 168

1. Choose three more entries from the shortlist for the Star Wars: Fan Film Contest and watch them.

Day 169

1. Choose three more entries from the shortlist for the Star Wars: Fan Film Contest and watch them.

Day 170

1. For your final project in this class, you are going to write a two-page persuasive essay. For a persuasive essay, you need to choose an opinion-based position and then support it. This can be over anything that we covered in this class, and may align with your personal opinion – or not! Suggestions include:

  • The Star Wars sequel trilogy was ruined due to inconsistent direction.
  • The Clone Wars (TV series) had the best characters in the Star Wars canon.
  • Fan contributions to Star Wars culture are more significant than official ones.
  • The move to live action series instead of movies is an improvement in the way Star Wars is created.
  • CG effects are inferior to the practical effects used in the original trilogy.
  • Jar-Jar Binks was clearly intended to be a Sith Lord.

2. Today, choose your topic.

Day 171

1. You will need at least three supporting arguments for your essay, specific examples that support your position. Choose your supporting arguments and begin gathering sources.

Day 172

1. Today begin gathering sources for your essay. (Don’t forget that quotes from movies or episodes can count.) Be sure to save any links and references that you use.

Day 173

1. Continue gathering sources today. You should have at least three different sources for this essay.

Day 174

1. Today write the introduction for your essay.

Day 175

1. Begin writing the body of your essay.

Day 176

1. Continue writing your essay today.

Day 177

1. Continue writing your essay today. You should have most of the body finished by the end of today.

Day 178

1. Write the conclusion of your essay.

Day 179

1. Go over your essay. Is there anything else you could add, anything that needs to be changed or improved?
2. Use the guidelines here to format your essay. Remember that your essay should be two pages long.

Day 180

1. Finish and present your essay.

Congratulations! You are finished!