PRESENTS

This fan-edited Star Wars saga story includes 11 films and a streaming series in a 3-hour and 50-minute film called:

LORDS OF THE EMPIRE

This is edited for people who do not want to watch over 30 hours of Star Wars, but want to know what the story with al the spoilers included. 

FILE LOCATED IN DROPBOX
File Size: 2.21 GB / 3 Hours and 50 Minutes

Why did The Movie Ninja create this fan-made version of Star Wars?

Most people have seen some of the Star Wars films but not all of them, and there are other people who want to know the story and don't care about everything that happens in the Star Wars universe. There are so many characters and battles and many of them had to be removed from this edit to tell the story. 

The Movie Ninja stresses that this is not to replace or anger any Star Wars fans. Technically, this is not made for them but are welcomed to watch this. The Movie Ninja would love to get your thought on this.

This edit is a loving tribute to the Star Wars Saga. All intellectual property, including character names, settings and media content is the exclusive property of LucasFilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company. The Movie Ninja and Murnieks Services receive no financial compensation for this edit, and it is intended solely for the enjoyment of the fan community. 

How do you know what movie you are watching and how many films are there?

This fan-made film has chapter markers so you know what part of the movie you are in. There might be a slight overlap of scenes, but it will tell you where you are in the franchise. It is important to note that some segments have been shuffled around the overall timeline to tell the linear story as well as have seamless transitions from one movie to the next.

This is the order of the films and streaming series that contribute to the main story of Palpatine (The Emperor) directly, or indirectly.

The "Chapter" Number:(CH):
Marks the general separation of where the previous one ends and the next one begins. It may not be exact, but it is really close to the end/beginning.

The "Episode" Number:
Is the official episode number order of the films in the Star Wars saga story.

CH 1     Episode 1:  The Phantom Menace

CH 2     Episode 2:  The Clone Wars

CH 3     Episode 3:  Revenge of the Sith 

CH 4     Episode   :  Obi-Wan Kenobi

CH 5     Episode   :  Solo

CH 6     Episode   :  Rogue One

CH 7     Episode 4:  A New Hope

CH 8     Episode 5:  The Empire Strikes Back

CH 9     Episode 6:  Return of the Jedi

CH 10   Episode 7:  The Force Awakens

CH 11   Episode 8:  The Last Jedi

CH 12   Episode 9:  The Rise of Skywalker

It is important to note that Obi-Wan Kenobi, Solo, and Rogue One were created to fill the storyline gaps to complete the saga story, which is why they do not have an "Episode" number attached to the saga storyline. All 12 of these films start with "A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away..." but have no opening 3D title crawl because there is no backstory needed. These are considered a continuation story from Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith or set the backstory for Episode 4: A New Hope.

Obi-Wan Kenobi:
a streaming multi-episode series on Disney+, does start with "A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away..." but no opening 3D title crawl because it is intended as a continuation “of sorts” to conclude the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker, and begins the relationship between Ben Kenobi (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) as it starts in Episode 4: A New Hope.

Solo:
A stand-alone film that told the backstory and relationship between Han Solo and Lando Calrissian.

Rogue One:
Tells the story of how the Rebellion gets the plans to the Death Star in Episode 4: A New Hope.

How did you start this monumental task of creating this fan-made edit? And how long did it take?

In order to tell the entire saga story, The Movie Ninja focused one consistent character that is directly or indirectly in every movie and series. That is Palpatine. The Emperor. Then it went through five phases:

• Phase 1:
  The Movie Ninja had to find the one consistent character that is directly or indirectly in every movie and series. That is Palpatine. The Emperor. All the segments where he is mentioned or appears were taken and put into one timeline. In order to tell the entire saga story, Doing this first dramatically reduced the story to about 8 to 9 hours of footage,
  
• Phase 2:
  With the 9 hours of footage, The Movie Ninja started condensing scenes that would relate to the overall story.
  
• Phase 3:
  In TV shows or streaming shows, there is a part that reveals what happened in the previous episode or will happen in future episodes. The Movie Ninja took this concept and integrated it into a style combined with a movie trailer, then stripped the scene to the core elements that explained the specific portion of the scene.
  
• Phase 4:
  With the core elements, The Movie Ninja started stitching each section together like a puzzle, seeing what worked together and what did not, rearranging segments to see what fit best.
  The Movie Ninja went through every frame where each cut began and ended to make sure there were no weird cuts or blips through the fan-made edit.
  
• Phase 5:
  The final process was distinguishing between a flashback, the effect of the Force, and depicting long periods of time and memory fades.

The Movie Ninja grew up with the original trilogy, Episodes 4, 5, and 6, in the 1980s and has seen every movie and series afterward multiple times. Due to the vast knowledge of the films, The Movie Ninja was able to plan a lot of content in his head before editing them together, which made the process faster.

It took nine months to complete this project, and The Movie Ninja is very proud to share it with you!

There are edits that The Movie Ninja made that are not in the original films. Specifically at the end of this film, in the last chapter and episode The Rise of Skywalker. Can you explain these edits are and why?

Giving the heroes that lived throughout the entire saga the moment they deserved was especially important in The Rise of Skywalker. Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are, up to this point in the saga, the only characters that lived and experienced most or all of the events through the entire saga.

Episodes 7, 8, and 9 focused on the relationship between Rey, Finn, and Poe, along with Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. While these characters are the main characters, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are recognized because they have lived through nearly all the films in the saga. Due to their extensive backstory, The Movie Ninja felt homage was necessary to explain their roles through the entire saga in flashback scenes at specific moments, while Lando Calrissian’s experiences, only from Episodes 5, 6, and 9, are equally important to show in flashback scenes.

The biggest moment that The Movie Ninja edited is at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, where Rey visits Luke Skywalker’s home on the planet Tatooine. There were moments and long pauses around Luke's home. With her ability to see and feel historical moments, it felt proper to convey those emotional moments as she walks around the house. For someone who has never seen any Star Wars films, The Movie Ninja felt it was important to show the significant events that happened at Luke Skywalker’s home before, during, and after his life.

With the vast history, characters, settings, and battles, it would be impossible to tell the Star Wars story from the heroes’ side. When focusing on the Dark Side of the Force, the story is about one person, Palpatine (The Emperor), who is looking for the most powerful apprentice who would not kill him. This edit explains that story, with the Rebellions as the secondary story.

Why is the opening title different?

The opening crawl had to be rewritten to explain the backstory of Palpatine. This new opening crawl brings a clear vision of Palpatine’s ambition. It should be said that this does not exist in any of the films and is not explained in any of the films. This info was taken from websites and stories that were in books and in the Star Wars canon extended universe.

The "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." was not put at the beginning of this due to the condensed version and the feeling that some things should be special and recognized for each individual film that they appear in.

Why is this called "Lords of the Empire"?

The Movie Ninja knew that he could not name this Star Wars by itself and needed a subtitle for this fan-made synopsis. Throughout this film, there are chapter titles to show where each movie starts and ends so you know where you are in the franchise. Lords of the Empire was chosen because:

• The lack of leadership that is needed for the Empire since the questionable death of the Emperor at the end of the saga.
• Whether Rey is now officially the ruler of the new Empire, which can be questionable because it is left open to interpretation.
• And throughout the saga, there is more than one Dark Side Lord and “Darth” (which is a title given to Sith members).

This edit is a loving tribute to the Star Wars Saga. All intellectual property, including character names, settings and media content is the exclusive property of LucasFilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company. I receive no financial compensation for this edit, and it is intended solely for the enjoyment of the fan community.

Click/Tap the Murnieks Services red logo below for questions.

The Movie Ninja is created by Peter Murnieks

MurnieksServices.com