It’s May the 4th, otherwise known unoficially amongst fans all over the world as Star Wars Day – so it seemed like the perfect moment to bring your attention to a new Star Wars fan production called Rogue Seven.

In Rogue Seven, a young thief must save a small squadron of Rebel fighter pilots from both an Imperial armada and an overconfident, overzealous bounty hunter.

We get a lot of submissions from the producers of Star Wars fan films, and they all have a love of Star Wars in common. In every case, the delight of the fans who make them at being involved in something that brings them closer to that galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars is one of those things that is popular because people who see it in its various forms identify with the characters in it, and it’s so immersive that fans really want to experience it for themselves. A lucky few become professional filmmakers, craftspeople or performers and become part of the ongoing legend – but in every case, it begins with working on a fan project of some kind, like Rogue Seven.

Rogue Seven has a little of everything we like to see in Star Wars fan films. The producers Jessica Bikales and James Martinez have put together a short film that includes not only good character scenes, but great fight sequences and a great space battle. Limitations of budget force some very creative solutions for set designs, costuming and practical effects.

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Sometimes you can tell that they didn’t necessarily have much of a budget to pull any of this off, but this is very much in keeping with the original challenges faced by George Lucas himself when he filmed the original motion picture from 1977. The way we see it, these aren’t production failings – they’re successes, and a testament to the ingenuity of the filmmakers, that they were able to pull off so many of these difficult effects without distracting from the all important story line. Despite the limitations, it all works. It still feels like Star Wars.

The film feels like a piece of a larger film, and while it has a few awkward timing issues in the dialog editing, overall Rogue Seven is a tour de force fan film. It brings you into the moment, and hits that sweet spot that every fan film strives to reach. For a few breathtaking minutes, Star Wars lives again.

SCIFI.radio loves Rogue Seven, and we think you will too.

Well done, everyone. May the Force Be With You.

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Directed by: James Martinez

Produced by: Jessica Bikales and James Martinez

Cast:

• Zav Kassim – James Ham
• Kaiden Verso – Brittany Faith Rosoff
• Liam Arklight – Dillon Wrich
• Bilal – Michael William Hunter
• Mal Korrado – David Zuckerman
• Reave – Rob Wight Kurtz – Wilsa Derro
• Doctor – Travis Hall
• Rogue Three – Jared Payne