Your powers are weak, old man.
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Will you marry me?
—Young Anakin Skywalker to Padmé Amidala after their first meeting.
The Fanon Menace was a fan made Star Wars spoof created by Seth Hoover and Joshua McGraw, better known as Tesh Vohore and Ryluk Shouja. The Fanon Menace started off as a small project for the two to pass time over the summer. Over time, however, it blossomed into a full series. For the first season, new episodes were released every Tuesday throughout the year, each about five to seven minutes long. For the next seasons, episodes were released on Fridays to make scheduling easier for them. It was planned to air from 2007 to 2013, carrying a full six seasons, each season being broken up into three parts. The show, however, was cancelled after the second season, in 2009. The two companies continued only to release the mini-series 25, almost a year later, before completely shutting down the project.
The Fanon Menace was loosely based off Star Wars canon, with its own twists. The Fanon Menace was also known for the creative liberties they took when writing the script, switching up character’s lines and giving them obscure personalities. It followed the storyline of Anakin Skywalker and his family as they are rumored to bring peace and justice back to the Galaxy. However, it also focuses on more minor characters, such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Palpatine and their roles in the story, and even introduced new characters to the saga.
The central idea throughout the creation of The Fanon Menace was that two Culprits had entered the Galaxy and started messing with the facts of canon. No one could figure this out, except for two Jedi, who made it their mission to find the culprits and set the entire series straight. The two Jedi traveled the Galaxy trying to set things straight one by one, until they figured it would be best to wait for the Culprits to reveal themselves. In doing so, they discovered a plot that was bigger than they had expected and were forced to think outside the box in order to bring the facts of canon back into place.
Season 1[]
Qui-Gon Jinn, the benevolent Jedi Master, you will not defeat me because, well, you’re benevolent
—Darth Maul confronting Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
The first season of The Fanon Menace was an introductory season. It introduced some of the main characters along with the problem. It opened on Naboo with the signing of a peace treaty between the Naboo and the Battle Droids. But the peace treaty was ruined when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi jumped in and sliced up the treaty. They then "rescued" Padmé from the droids and took her to the planet of Tatooine to hide her.[1]
On the planet, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan met young Anakin Skywalker. They haggled with Watto to take him, and journeyed back to Naboo where they battled for the planet. [2][3] Jar Jar Binks, with the aid of The Cleaner Guy, took out the droid army while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan confronted Darth Maul and defeated him.[4]
As a result of the failed peace treaty, planets decided to ditch the Republic and join the System of Independent Confederates, also known as the SIC, led by Count Dooku. They ganged up against the Republic and tried to assassinate Padmé Amidala, who was trying to pass the Frank Creation Act, which would provide the Republic with an Army of its own. [5] She was forced into hiding with the protection of Anakin, while Obi-Wan investigated the assassination attempt.[6]
He traveled to Kamino and found out that Frank the Clone Trooper was the template for a Clone Army.[7] The army had been ordered by Jedi Master Syfo-Dyas with the approval of the Jedi Council, and was intended for the Republic while fighting the SIC in a possible Clone War. Obi-Wan also discovered the Frank had demanded only a couple things apart from his pay.[8] Those demands were Jango and Boba Fett.[9]
Anakin, while on in hiding with Padmé, had a revelation about his mother and had to go save her.[10] He succeeded in freeing her from the Tuskens and took her back to her husband, Cliegg Lars. He and Shmi were living out in the Dune Sea in a homestead together, with C-3PO. C-3PO joined Anakin and Padmé as they met up with Obi-Wan on Tatooine, who had traveled there by mistake.[11] Together they traveled to Geonosis, where they discovered the plans of Count Dooku and started the Clone Wars.[12]
The Clone Wars broke out and lasted three years. At the end, General Grievous swept into the capital and kidnapped the Chancellor.[13] A rescue mission had been planned, but since Obi-Wan had to go to the bathroom, he and Anakin missed their chance and had to wait until Naboo before they could attempt the rescue. They rescued the Chancellor and traveled back down to Naboo where Anakin found out that Padmé was pregnant.[14]
Shortly thereafter, Anakin was appointed to the Council and made a Jedi Master.[15] The Chancellor had other plans, however. Anakin, who knew that Palpatine was Darth Sidious told the council, which at the time was only Mace Windu. They confronted Palpatine and Anakin joined the dark side. The alliance was only temporary, however; Anakin was going to leave Sidious when Padmé gave birth. Anakin was assigned to end the war on Mustafar and Order 66 was issued.[16]
Obi-Wan, who was assigned to Utapau to confront Grievous and had subdued him, had to fight off the clones after the order was given. Obi-Wan escaped in a SIC bomber to Mustafar.[17] Master Yoda, too, had to flee and escaped in a pod.[18] Padmé traveled to Mustafar to meet up with Anakin, where they both found Obi-Wan. Anakin and Obi-Wan fought for practice, however; Obi-Wan accidentally sliced Anakin up.[19] Obi-Wan returned to Padmé, who was about to give birth to twins, to help him put Anakin back together. He became side-tracked and took one of the children to Tatooine. Anakin was left on Mustafar for Sidious to save him and transform him into Darth Vader.[20]
The Fanon Menace: A Day in the Life of a Stormtrooper[]
TK-22: “Better than the detention cell.”
TK-421: “ Yeah, it is, isn’t it!”
TK-22: “I was being sarcastic.”
―TK-421 and TK-422 after being stationed at the Millennium Falcon
The Fanon Menace: A Day in the Life of a Stormtrooper was the first spin-off miniseries from the YouTube series The Fanon Menace. It depicted the life of stormtroopers TK-421 and TK-422 as they transited from being a Republic clone trooper to being a Domain stormtrooper aboard the Death Star. The day started out with both stormtroopers receiving their new armor and weapons.[21]
They were sent to the firing range to practice with the new equipment, when TK-422 learned that it was easier without the helmet. However, the two were caught by Darth Vader and sent to solitary confinement.[21] Once there, the two started an in-depth discussion on the origins of life when Vader arrived with Princess Leia. He reassigned the two stormtroopers to guard a new freighter that had arrived and placed Leia in the cell in their place.[22]
They remained at their station until a disturbance was heard aboard the Falcon after the scanning crew had entered. TK-421 and TK-422 decided to investigate and noticed that the Falcon was completely empty. TK-421 reported in, but there was a bad transmitter and he could not get through. TK-422 suspected that George had been put on duty.[23] It is unclear what George had done, but he allegedly had a reputation for messing around in the control room.
The two decided to investigate the reason behind the transmitter and called on two more stormtroopers for help.[24] Together, the four of them tracked fugitives to the detention level, where they were able to hold them until the fugitives escaped through the garbage chute.[25] The four followed them back to the hangar where the Falcon was and tried to hold them off there. However, the fugitives escaped, and TK-421 was shot in the process. TK-421 sustained no injuries, but his helmet was knocked off. It ended with TK-422 looking at TK-421 and saying, “Now you’re in for it”.[26]
Season 2[]
A dark day in Star Wars history just got darker…
—tagline for The Fanon Menace: Season 2
The second season of The Fanon Menace continued the twisted trail through the Star Wars continuum. The opening scenes found the galaxy nineteen years later inside the old Naboo ship, the Tantive IIVI, where Princess Leia Organa had been apprehended by the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. The Alderaanian princess hid the Death Star plans inside two droids, which escaped to the planet of Tatooine.[27]
The droids found themselves in the hands of Luke Skywalker who, with the help of the now elderly Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, and the daring Han Solo, with his Wookiee partner Chewbacca return the droids to Princess Leia, who was trapped on the Death Star outside an asteroid belt near Alderaan.[28][29][30] The twisted Republic, now the Galactic Domain, under control of Darth Sidious tracked the rescuers to their base on Yavin IV and attempted to destroy the planet, thereby attempting to break the cardinal rule of The Fanon Menace and tried to kill people.[31]
After his plan was thwarted by a proton torpedo, Sidious was set back in his plan for galactic domination.[32] While production of the second Death Star had begun, the Domain launched a counterattack on the Rebel's relocated base on Hoth.[33] After the AT-ATs lost themselves in the vast whiteness of the ice planet, the Rebels made their daring escape to their next backup base while Luke left for Dagobah to continue his Jedi training at the hands of Master Yoda.[34][35]
After being forced to leave his training to rescue his friends, who had been captured by Vader on Bespin, Luke confronted Vader, in which he lost his hand and his lightsaber.[36][37] Leia, Lando Calrissian, Lobot, and Chewie accidentally picked Luke up in the Millennium Falcon and return to the rendezvous point with the rest of the Rebel fleet.[37]
Once Luke finally got his hand-eye coordination back, which was lost in the surgery to replace his hand, the group traveled back to Tatooine where Han had been stolen by Jabba the Hutt, and locked behind a carbonite slab of himself. Through many plots, Leia managed to free Han and got the entire group (with the exception of Lando and Lobot) captured[38]. Through more plots, the group of heroes managed to free themselves, escaped the clutches of Jabba, and returned to the Rebel fleet and Yoda[39].
After having a brief reunion with John, Luke spoke with Yoda and discovered the last trial he must face before becoming a Jedi: duel Darth Vader[40]. After accepting this responsibility, he returned to the Rebels, who were in the midst of planning an assault on the new Death Star II. After final confirmation of the mission, a small strike force left for the Forest Moon of Endor while the main fleet waited for the appointed time to strike[41].
After arriving on the moon and tricking the garrison into looking for champagne, the strike team blew the bunker apart and made a quick getaway, leaving Luke to turn himself in so he could duel Vader and become a true Jedi[42][43]. Meanwhile, on the Rebel Fleet, which had yet to come out of hyperspace because they were still in the briefing room, listening to General Dodonna give a morale-boosting speech[42]. Once they finally got around to dropping out of hyperspace and attacked the Death Star II, they discovered that the flaw they took advantage of with the previous Death Star had been corrected, and the only gaping hole in the side was in the incomplete fuselage. After a heated battle both inside the Death Star II and out, Sidious was thrown from the throne room by his trusted servant, Darth Vader, who was redeemed to the Light Side, and the artificial gravity of the Death Star II was disabled, rendering it once again useless[43][44].
The Fanon Menace: 25[]
The Fanon Menace: 25 was the second spin-off miniseries from the YouTube series, The Fanon Menace. It was also considered a spoof of the real-world television series, 24. It was first released after the completion of the second season. The miniseries was six episodes depicting six days in Jack Buaer's, a Corsec field agent, career as he battled clan terrorism on Coronet.
The first episode in 25 started off with Jack Buaer first joining Corsec. After the former governor of Coronet was accused of receiving a bribe from one of the terrorist clans, Jack had to learn to use his wits and arrest the governor. Jack made one mistake, which led to the governor escaping and plotting against the entire planet to gain his seat back in office. The rest followed Jack’s growth as a field agent through the various tasks and missions he had to complete to stop the governor from regaining his seat in office.
25 attempted to tie in two more characters to the series, Bob and Joe, who were introduced in The Fanon Menace: A Day in the Life of a Stormtrooper, as well as fill the gap between Season 2 and a possible upcoming Season 3. 25 was also the start of director/producer Seth Hoover withdrawing from the acting scene and focusing more on production. It was released through College Kids Productions and The League of Extraordinary Jedi, making it their fourth project together.
Opening Crawl[]
One of the defining characteristics of The Fanon Menace was the way each opening crawl was conducted for every part. There would be something wrong with nearly all the opening crawls.
Season 1[]
The opening crawl for Part I started off like most, however; after series title passed, there was a long pause where nothing was seen until the words "We have nothing to say..." appeared. This happened one more time before it read: "Now we have something to say...", followed by a short pause, and then followed into the opening crawl. Part Two had something completely different.
Part II started off with the title spinning into the screen. Suddenly, underneath, subtitles popped up stating that they didn't like that title. The subtitles were the director and screenwriter's voice without anything audible. They tried a different title, but found it too similar to their stunt double title. In the end, they stuck to the classic one for Part Two, but it went to show the randomness and diversity the creators put into their movie.
Part III's opening crawl was a fusion of the two previous ones. In it, the two creators attempt a different crawl. Seth attempted it first, but was distressed when he "accidentally" misspelled Sith as Bith. Joshua then tried after him, but he too misspelled Sith. Finally, they agreed to stick to the classic opening crawl "since [they] obviously could not spell". The title started up the screen to reveal, "The Fanon Menace Part III: Revenge of the Bith". Once the text disappeared, a subtitle popped up and stated, "Stupid! We still misspelled it". This was a spinoff of Mace Windu, who can't pronounce his s's and instead, pronounces them as b's.
Season 2[]
The opening crawl for Part I of Season 2 started off similar to Season 1, however; instead of looping the words, the music was looped. It would play part way in then loop, giving the appearance that the CD was skipping. A comment was written on the opening crawl from the director stating that he would have to start the player over again. He rewound the tape and had it play again, this time without skipping.
For Part II, the director decided to go a different route. He put part of the Gettysburg Address on and wrote a comment apologizing for writing the wrong thing. They had always done something with messing up the words, but never completely rewriting the opening crawl. They crawl played through, then started over, this time with the correct text for Part II.
For Part III of Season 2, the director decided to play with the idea behind the title Return of the Cheddar. In doing this, he picked out a box of Macaroni and Cheese and wrote down the instructions on the side of it for the opening crawl. He designed it after the original opening crawl, capitalizing important words such as “CHEDDAR” and “DO NOT RINSE”.
Development[]
Characters[]
A List of main/frequent characters in The Fanon Menace:
- Anakin Skywalker, the bratty kid from Tatooine
- C-3PO, bringer of bad news
- Chancellor Palpatine, Sidious with makeup
- Chewbacca, afraid of the dark
- Darth Sidious, the mastermind behind it all
- Darth Vader, dum-dum-dum-da-dum-dum-da-dum-dum
- Frank the Clone Trooper, invincible at the limbo
- Han Solo, formerly known as Indiana Jones
- Lando Calrissian, the only good looking guy around
- Leia Organa, sympathetic to Stormtroopers
- Luke Skywalker, who has yet to go through adolescence
- Maintenance Droid, The Cleaner Guy’s ever-present companion
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, who can do an amazing Jedi backflip
- Padmé Amidala, sympathetic to kind people
- Qui-Gon Jinn, the benevolent Jedi Master
- R2-D2, who has selected memory loss
- The Cleaner Guy, tired of cleaning up droids
- Yoda, the wise dyslexic Jedi Master