Stormtroopers on the Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July to all our US-based readers!

Following months of successfully touring film festivals and comic cons, the next chapter in the Star Wars fan film Stormtroopers is released today.



Read the official synopsis:

"An Imperial Base Station is laid siege by battleship attack & haunting PTSD within its ranks."

I want to give huge congratulations to director Micheal Fitzgerald and his team, who've worked tirelessly on their latest Star Wars fan film.

What did you think of the latest Stormtroopers instalment? Let me know in the comments below.

Stormtroopers win on Star Wars Day

Micheal Fitzgerald has sent over an update regarding the latest episode in his Stormtroopers fan film series to be released later this year, which won big on May the Fourth AKA Star Wars Day.

Guest post by Micheal Fitzgerald

Stormtroopers wins Best Irish Short Film at the May the 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival.

The May the 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival featured the best Irish & International Sci-Fi films in Portmagee, Kerry over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Stormtroopers won a number of awards including:

- Best Irish Short Film
- Best Actress - Carolyn Bracken
- Best VFX - William Beam
- Best Production Design - Micheal Fitzgerald

In the film, an Imperial Base Station is besieged by battleship attack & haunting PTSD within its ranks.

It stars Carolyn Bracken (You Are Not My Mother; Dublin Murders, Balor Hall, The Gone); Pius McGrath (Foundation, The Gates); Peter Cosgrave (Pilgrimage) & Klancy Casey Williams. It is directed by Micheal Fitzgerald (Home & Away; Game of Thrones; Dublin Murders).

Stormtroopers filmed in epic locations including hiking 792m above sea level to film in a dormant volcano in Waterford to diving 30m deep to film underwater in Tipperary while the 32m Large Antenna Array in the National Space Center in Cork doubled as the anchor location for the Imperial Base Station.

The May the 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival premiere follows up on several Stormtroopers event screenings including:

- Mitchelstown Cave Premiere 200ft underground in the chilled prehistoric caverns in March
- Exclusive Dublin Comic Con Premiere in The Convention Centre Dublin also in March
- National Space Centre Homecoming Premiere in April

For further information, please visit the official site.

Are you looking forward to the next episode of Stormtroopers? Let me know in the comments below.

Stormtroopers invade National Space Centre

The Mandalorian's third season has concluded on Disney+ with many fans (myself included) feeling bereft without a weekly fix of Mando and Grogu.

However, I was able to pre-order the Star Wars The Vintage Collection N-1 Starfighter from Hasbro Pulse and Micheal Fitzgerald has sent over an update regarding the next episode in his award-winning Star Wars fan film series, Stormtroopers, just in time for Force Friday.

Guest post by Micheal Fitzgerald

The Stormtroopers Homecoming Premiere lit up the intergalactic National Space Centre in Cork on Saturday night.

The NSC 32m Large Antenna Array features as the key location in the new Stormtroopers episode where an Imperial Base Station is besieged by battleship attack & haunting PTSD within its ranks. Stormtroopers also filmed in epic locations in Cork, Waterford & Tipperary, including hiking 792m above sea level to film in a dormant volcano in Waterford and diving 30m deep to film underwater in Tipperary.

It stars Carolyn Bracken (You Are Not My Mother, Dublin Murders, Balor Hall, The Gone); Pius McGrath (Foundation, The Gates); Peter Cosgrave (Pilgrimage) & Klancy Casey Williams. It is directed by Micheal Fitzgerald (Home & Away, Game of Thrones, Dublin Murders), Stormtroopers was made to platform the storytelling and production quality standards of the highly skilled and diverse Cork-based production crew and interesting cast and epic locations.

The Homecoming Premiere was followed by a Q&A Panel with key cast & crew with brilliant audience momentum and interaction.

The last Stormtroopers episode premiered in 2018 and it has earned over 1.3m YouTube views and a number of awards.

The Homecoming Premiere follows the Mitchelstown Cave Premiere 200ft underground in the chilled prehistoric caverns and a full house at the Dublin Comic Con Premiere in The Convention Centre Dublin in March.

The new Stormtroopers episode next makes it Film Festival Debut when it opens the May The 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival in Portmagee, County Kerry at 7pm on May 4th where it has already been nominated for Key Awards listed below.

May the 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival - Stormtroopers Nominations:

Best Irish Short Film
Best Director - Micheal Fitzgerald
Best Actress - Carolyn Bracken
Best Cinematographer - Billy Cummings
Best Editor - Billy Cummings
Best Score - Brian Lane
Best Visual Effects - William Bean
Best Production Design - Micheal Fitzgerald

For further information, please visit the official site.

Are you looking forward to the next episode of Stormtroopers? How are you celebrating Star Wars Day? Let me know in the comments below.

Stormtroopers at Dublin Comic Con

The next instalment in Stormtroopers, a Star Wars fan film filmed on location in Ireland, premieres at Dublin Comic Con (DCC) on 11th March.

I can't wait to see what Michael Fitzgerald and the talented team have put together this time. Stay tuned for further coverage.

For further information, please visit the official site.

Stormtroopers patrol Disney Springs

Disney Springs has enlisted First Order Stormtroopers to enforce social distancing as lockdown eases during the coronavirus pandemic. Ordinarily, this would be fun for Star Wars fans (myself included), and the playful banter between the troopers and crowd interaction is wholly appropriate.



However, due to current socio-political events unfolding in the US, the optics are inherently problematic and seemingly shows the House of Mouse as tone deaf. Now, there's no suggestion that this is the intention, but perhaps it would be an act of good faith to immediately change tack for the foreseeable future?

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars fan film: The Last Stand

Stormtroopers have always had a bad rep in the Star Wars saga. So, director Sekani Solomon wanted to envisage them in a more serious fashion.

"Star Wars: The Last Stand is a dynamic, gritty and somewhat over the top full CGI depiction of battle-worn storm troopers facing off against an unknown enemy."



Solomon writes on YouTube: "Stormtroopers are often portrayed as somewhat silly and incompetent, so I wanted to create a film to showcase troopers as skilled fighters, which is how I see them. Having the simple idea of showing Stormtroopers fighting, I knew the crux of the project would be to illustrate the battle in an interesting way. To do this I wanted to use dynamic camera angles, focusing on moments and scenes we don’t usually see in Star Wars films. I worked on this piece on and off for 3 years, mostly by myself."

If you have a Star Wars fan film you'd like to share, please contact me.

Stormtroopers fan film screened at IndieCork Festival

Star Wars fans were able to see fan film Stormtroopers, filmed on location in Ireland, on the big screen this week.



Stormtroopers, a big hit with fans around the world, was shown in front of a full house in Screen 1, The Gate Cinema, during IndieCork Film Festival 2018.

Director Micheal Fitzgerald (known for Home & Away & Cork Racing Drive) was delighted fans had an opportunity to see Stormtroopers on the big screen in the wake of its deserved success on YouTube.

For further information, please visit the official site

Stormtroopers panel conquers Dublin Comic Con

The Stormtroopers Star Wars fan film panel and screening, at Dublin Comic Con (DCC), was a resounding success in front of a packed audience in the Convention Centre.

Irish comedian Stephen Mullan did an outstanding job to anchor the screening, panel interviews and Q&A panel with Irish actors Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, VFX artist William Bean and writer & director Micheal Fitzgerald.



The Q&A with the cast and crew saw fans of all ages asking compelling questions, and each person was awarded a unique custom LEGO Stormtrooper commemorating the fan film.



Stormtroopers is one of the best Star Wars fan films I've seen in a while and that's saying something given the quality of films lovingly crafted by creative folks in our community.

For further information, please visit the official site.

Stormtroopers fan film panel at Dublin Comic Con

Star Wars fan film Stormtroopers, filmed on location in Ireland, has been a huge hit with fans around the world and now the cast and crew are appearing at Dublin Comic Con (DCC) this August.

The Stormtroopers panel includes lead actors Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, VFX artist William Bean from Dog Day Media (known for Ed Sheeran's Songwriter) and writer & director Micheal Fitzgerald (known for Home & Away & Cork Racing Drive).

Dublin Comic Con runs in the Convention Centre Dublin on 10th, 11th & 12th August.

The last few tickets can be sourced from Dublin Comic Con here!

Star Wars fan film: Stormtroopers

Stormtroopers is a fan film about a platoon of Stormtroopers who raid a remote Rebel Mining outpost.



Filmed on location in Ireland, Stormtroopers stars Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, Micheal Fitzgerald, Michael Stack and Melissa Ciepierski. It was written and directed by Micheal Fitzgerald and was produced by Cork Racing.

If you have a Star Wars fan film you'd like to share, please contact me.

Stormtroopers invade Canary Wharf for Rogue One

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened in UK cinemas at midnight.

To celebrate the release of the first Star Wars spin-off movie, Stormtroopers, from the 501st UK Garrison and Rebel Legion Elstree Base, descended on London's commuter hotspots including Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf is one of the locations used in the filming of Rogue One.

Incidentally, I met the Imperial Officer (pictured) at Star Wars Celebration Europe and he instructed a phalanx of Stormtroopers to salute me as they patrolled the ExCeL London last July. Happy days!

Star Wars: The Rugby Alliance

Darth Vader and a select squad of Stormtroopers will descend on the home of England Rugby with the galactic themed 2015 Marriott London Sevens on the 16th-17th May. While scrum wars will be at play on the field, the number of spectators rocketing through the gates is set to be out of this world.

Darth Vader’s appearance at Twickenham Stadium has been captured in a TV ad which airs from today and can also be viewed on YouTube. Catching several people off guard including a startled C-3PO, Darth Vader stood face-to-face with the England Rugby team who were unmoved by the notorious villain. A showdown between the forces of light and dark saw neither give an inch, ensuring the real action will be seen between the international teams on the pitch in May.



Sophie Goldschmidt, England Rugby Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer said: “We have chosen a galactic theme for the 2015 Marriott London Sevens and the famous faces from Star Wars will really help bring this to life in and around Twickenham Stadium. The atmosphere here at Twickenham is part of what makes the tournament so successful and such a big hit with fans. Last year’s event was a cracking weekend stuffed full of fantastic rugby action, some wild moves, both on and off the field, and some brilliant fancy dress efforts. 2015 promises to take fans on a ride into galaxies far, far away with a weekend of action that is bigger, better and louder!”

The 2015 Marriott London Sevens galactic theme will see many of the spectators arriving inStar Wars fancy dress so expect to see plenty of Darth Mauls, Luke ‘Try-walkers’ and ‘Jabba the Rucks’.

The fast paced conclusion to the HSBC Sevens World Series will see the players utilise more mind games than mind tricks and will see displays of superb team play and (Han) solo brilliance.

Limited edition Luke & Han Stormtrooper Flash Drives

BOSTON, MA, September 21, 2010 -- Mimoco, renowned creator of MIMOBOT® designer USB flash drives, announces limited edition and online exclusive Luke Skywalker and Han Solo Stormtrooper flash drives. Previously released, the Stormtrooper Unmasked MIMOBOT drives are sold as a blind assortment—with Han and Luke’s identity concealed until opened.

Now with this limited edition of 500 units each, fans can purchase the character of their choice exclusively at Mimoco’s online store, with the added bonus of an extra cap bundled with the MIMOBOT drive.

Click here for further details.

Star Wars Subway Car

Improv Everywhere's latest mission was to re-enact the first meeting between Princess Leia and Darth Vader aboard the Rebel blockade runner from Star Wars:

"The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship from the movie, and we thought it would be fun to see how people would react to a surprise appearance by the iconic characters. We spread out the actors along the train line, staging it so they would enter the right car at the right time."



(View it larger on YouTube)
edited by Matt Adams / music by Gustav Holst, arranged by Tyler Walker

Happy Turkey Day!

A quick, and last minute, post to wish all my US readers a very, very, Happy Thanksgiving, free from the trammels of materialism. Hope you're well-rested for Black Friday!

As with last year, the Nintendo Wii is in short supply on both sides of the Atlantic! Prices are skyrocketing and Link's Crossbow Training (inc. Wii Zapper) is being released in time for the holidays!

The Wii Zapper has Star Wars prop written all over it, and will be many gamers weapon of choice for blasting hapless Imperial Stormtroopers come Christmas!

Happy Birthday Scarlett Johansson!