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Being an Imperial Stormtrooper is pretty much the worst job in any universe. Not only are you nothing but a faceless grunt, but your general ineffectiveness has made you and your fellow troopers into the laughingstocks of the Galactic Civil War. Plus, there’s the fact that you work for people who are very clearly the bad guys, so you can’t even tell yourself that you’re sacrificing your life for some greater good.

Filmmaker Benjamin Eck isn’t quite so dismissive of the ol’ bucket-heads, though, as he has written and directed a new short film that focuses on the actual human beings who wear that white armor. Titled Jakku: First Wave, the short centers on three Stormtroopers in an Imperial Walker who are about to be deployed into battle—specifically the Battle Of Jakku, a.k.a. the reason Rey has all of those crashed Star Destroyers...

One of the things that has made Star Wars Rebels such an interesting part of the franchise is that it often delivers a slice of the day-to-day around the galaxy, and while Star Wars fan films are legion, there’s a new one that does something of the same… only with Stormtroopers.

As the reel will tell you at the outset, a lot of Stormtroopers are about to get slaughtered, and as the transport vehicle approaches its offload point, we get inside the heads of a few of the men behind the iconic helmets. What might easily be the syrup scene from any war film you’ve ever seen turns into something very different when we focus on the aim-challenged fodder from film’s most beloved franchise.

There’s something a little off-putting in the end, as you get sucked into the yarn about the brother who was excited to...

Over the years we've gotten to know more about those nameless, faceless Star Wars stormtroopers. Attack of the Clones filled us in on their predecessors, clone troopers, who we also learned more about in the animated series The Clone Wars. And well we really got to know one in The Force Awakens. But this new fan film delves deeper. At first I was like, "There's not a lot to this," but then I was like, "Ohhhh, there's a lot to this." I don't want to say much more before you give it a watch yourself. Written and directed by Benjamin Eck, costumes for the cast were provided by 501st Legion members Taylor Fiore and Rudy Contreras. Here's how the short is described: The film takes place in the rear of an Imperial Walker moments before the doors open onto the battle of Jakku. The story centers around three Stormtroopers, cramped,...

Ever since I first heard Dante and Randal talked about the Death Star contractors in Kevin Smith's Clerks, it's been tough to see the Stormtroopers as just faceless cannon fodder in Star Wars battles. The Force Awakens took this to its logical conclusion by having one of them become a deserter and a major protagonist, and now a fan's short film has come along that aims to humanize these white-clad warriors even more.

/Film points us to Jakku: First Wave, a short written and directed by Benjamin Eck that concentrates on three Stormtroopers immediately before the Battle of Jakku. It's definitely reminiscent of Band of Brothers, and does a good job of putting you into these characters' headspace minutes before they risk their lives for their cause.

"Why'd you join?" There's tons of Star Wars fan films out there, but it's nice to see something brand new that connects directly with The Force Awakens. Jakku: First Wave is a quick, 3-minute short film made by filmmaker Benjamin Eck about three Stormtroopers about to land on Jakku (the desert planet from The Force Awakens) for the Battle of Jakku. It's a simple concept and was made on a very small budget, but it's an engaging and effective little short that provides yet another unique perspective from the Star Wars universe. The dialogue is what stands out the most, with a tiny bit of levity and a lot of emotion. Take a look. Description from YouTube: "Jakku: First Wave is a Star Wars fan film centered around three Imperial Stormtroopers right before the battle of Jakku." The short is both written and directed by young filmmaker Benjamin Eck (follow...