Before ending credits started to roll on director Rian Johnson's divisive STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII – THE LAST JEDI, the BRICK filmmaker introduced fans to Broom Boy, who as it turns out is force sensitive. Acting as a harbinger of things to come, Broom Boy served as a clear indicator that the last Jedi won't end with Luke Skywalker or Rey. There are indeed … others.
With that promise firmly secured in your mind's eye, we invite you to check out SKYWALKER'S APPRENTICE, a 2019 Star Wars fan film from Banana-Dragon Productions. Directed by Chandler Macocha, who co-wrote the script with Tomasz Drezek and J.J. Pardo, the short picks up after the events of The Last Jedi, and focuses on the Jedi warriors of tomorrow as well as the wizened Jedi masters that are still littered throughout the galaxy.
Here's the official synopsis for SKYWALKER'S APPRENTICE:
In the wake of the destruction of Starkiller Base, a young Jedi knight, one of the few surviving pupils of Master Luke Skywalker, gathers his own Padawans for a learning lesson in the ways of the Force. However, this simple exercise soon turns dangerous when a sinister visitor, a Knight of Ren, comes looking for the Jedi’s legendary teacher.
While I consider myself to be a casual Star Wars fan, I must admit that, once the short picks up speed (around the six-minute mark), there's plenty to enjoy about this fanciful tale of Jedi's in training. Moreover, I think the costuming and effects are quite impressive, seeing as fan films are often like a box of chocolates … you never know what you're going to get. Okay, yes. You can look underneath the tray to study the Chocolate Legend, but I'm trying to make a FORREST GUMP reference over here, people. This is a movie website after all.
Why not check out the short for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments section below?
Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams' STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will arrive in theaters on December 20th.