My jaw is on the floor. This is a fan-made Star Wars anime fan film, unlike any I have ever seen. Based on the novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timoth Zahn, it’s the first of a planned six part series, and the result of about five months work by creator JarJarJargon on Youtube.
All your favorite characters are there. Mon Mothma, Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia, C3PO, Han Solo, Chewbacca, they’re all there. The animation is a bit stilted, but what does move moves well. The voice acting is just delightful, especially the voice actors playing Han Solo and C3PO. The lip sync is slightly off, but it’s more or less what you’d expect from an English language dub of a Japanese anime.
There’s also a clone of Mace Windu is a Jedi Master, who confronts the Grand Master Thrawn, planning some dire scheme, and plenty of action and intrigue. Luke is being suckered into some kind of an ambush, having seen a Force vision of Mara Jade.
This feels like Star Wars. The attention to detail. The writing is actually pretty darn solid. There’s no fluff. It’s pretty tight stuff. The creator, This is produced primarily with the generative video service Kling.AI, with lore accurate designs and backgrounds created by human artists.
This film is a remarkable example of how artificial intelligence can amplify the work of a small team of creatives to make something much larger than would otherwise have been possible, though it also shows the limitations of A.I. The things left to the A.I. to figure out are clearly discernible from the human created elements. -ed
And then at the end, the end theme song is in a mix of Japanese and English, and the whole thing just gives me goosebumps. Well done indeed!
From the filmmaker:
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire is one of, if not the most popular story from the Star Wars EU. Brought to us by author Timothy Zahn, I and others have long dreamed of seeing this story, and others from the EU, adapted into a visual medium.
This is first episode of Heir to the Empire, brought to you in a 90’s animation / anime style. This ~18min cut is what I originally intended to be the first episode. The 7min cut has now been retitled as a teaser.
If you have followed my channel at all, you would know that I consistently campaign for Lucasfilm animating the legends timeline in 2D. For a fraction of the cost of even The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm could deliver the story of the Skywalker’s and Solo’s from the EU to our screens.
A Special Thank You to everyone who lent their talents to this project and helped bring it to life! None of this could be done without you!
Direction: ?@jarjarjargon?
Music: ?John Williams and Kevin Kiner
Voice Actors:
Luke Skywalker: Aaron Schulman https://aschulman.carrd.co/
Ben Kenobi: De’Lante Capers (GenRhysDallows)
C-3PO: Ben Huttler
Dravis: ?@jarjarjargon?
Han Solo: Sebastian Andersen – Instagram @sebastianhandersen
Mara Jade: Kristina Roxy (Fiverr)
Talon Karrde: ?@CantinaTalkSW?
Aves: ?@jarjarjargon?
Captain Pellaeon: ?@StarWarsGazer? https://linktr.ee/StarWarsGazer
Grand Admiral Thrawn: Sebastian Andersen – Instagram @sebastianhandersen
Mace Winduu: Anbe Sa (Fiverr)
Mon Mothma: Sofia Puritz – Instagram and TikTok ?@VoiceOfWaifu?
Leia Organa Solo: Abby Lyn – Instagram ?@mantellmixwith_omega?
Admiral Ackbar: Clark Brown Wozich – https://x.com/coachclarkw
Borsk Fey’lya: Ben Huttler
Emperor Palpatine: ?@StarWarsTheory?
Animation:
Touch-up: ?@starwars.legends.illustrated?
3D Vehicle Scenes & Hand-Drawn Sequences: Kage Productions
KlingAI and Hailou Minimax
Sound Design/Mixing: ?@jarjarjargon?
Credits Song: Rising Shadows by C-110 Studios
This is a NOT FOR PROFIT, un-official fan film that is not intended for commercial use. It was made solely for fun. Characters are owned by Lucasfilm/Disney and this fan-film is not connected in any way to said companies.
“Star Wars” was created by George Lucas, an American filmmaker and entrepreneur. The saga began with the release of “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” in 1977. Set in a distant galaxy “a long time ago,” the story follows the battle between the evil Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. The narrative revolves around characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Darth Vader, exploring themes of heroism, redemption, and the struggle between good and evil. The franchise includes multiple films, TV series, novels, comics, and merchandise, making it one of the most significant and enduring cultural phenomena in modern entertainment history.
These six films collectively tell the epic tale of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, the emergence of Luke Skywalker as a hero, and the overarching battle between good and evil in a galaxy far, far away.
