VOTD: 'Star Wars: Origins' Finds Ancient Artifacts From A Galaxy Actually Not So Far, Far Away

As every single Star Wars movie has told us since 1977, the space opera adventure takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." But what if that galaxy wasn't so far, far away? What if the adventures of Star Wars actually happened in proximity to Earth? Or what if, at the very least, these stories made their way to our galaxy along with some interesting artifacts from the past? That's what the new short film Star Wars: Origins (which we teased awhile back) presupposes, and we gotta say, this is an impressive and imaginative project that fans will enjoy.

Aside from the obvious pieces of Star Wars lore that are used in the story, there are also plenty of fun Easter eggs and references to be found as well. On top of the appearance of a certain lightsaber (the correct version too) and Imperial vehicle, you'll want to keep an eye out for things like Han Solo's golden dice hanging on the rearview mirror of an army Jeep, as well as the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which clearly has an influence on this short as well) just lying around.

The concept of Star Wars: Origins is a fun one, and the production value here is off the charts. From the cinematography to the visual effects and production design, this short was made with a lot of passion and love for Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Honestly, I hope there's a full making of featurette that shows how they pulled some of this stuff off.

Having said that, some of the lines that reference the original Star Wars are more than a little cheesy, and a certain tender moment that calls back to J.J. Abrams' opening to the reboot of Star Trek feels even more ham-fisted. And if we're nitpicking, certain details don't make sense, like the presence of a certain Sith lord's helmet where it appears. But even so, this is a labor of love, and it shows in every frame of this project, so we can't help but commend it.

This project was written and directed by Phil Hawkins, a former contestant on the 2007 filmmaking reality competition series On The Lot (executive produced by Steven Spielberg) who's gone on to direct small films like Being Sold and Four Warriors.