After seven long years, Star Wars returned to the big screen on Memorial Day with a movie that brings together two of Disney’s biggest modern-era characters. The Mandalorian and Grogu is, by most accounts, a fun and enjoyable experience filled with explosive set pieces and fan service. But for all its pomp and theatrics, it still, in my opinion, fundamentally lacks the soul of what makes a good Star Wars film Star Wars.
It’s easy for longtime fans to feel fatigued by the modern version of the franchise. Disney’s Star Wars has delivered genuine highs, but it often feels fragmented between the political tension of Andor, the episodic western flavor of The Mandalorian, and the dense mythology woven throughout animated projects like The Clone Wars. Each appeals to a different kind of fan, and rarely do they fully coexist in the same story.
But what if they did?
That’s exactly what makes Darth Angelus’s Star Wars: Heir to the Empire YouTube video such a revelation — though “video” is selling it short. This breathtaking, three-and-a-half-hour fan-made animated project adapts Timothy Zahn’s legendary 1991 novel of the same name. Created entirely without the assistance of generative AI, a shock in this day and age, this project doesn’t just replicate Zahn’s book but visualizes the collective imagination of an entire generation of Star Wars fans. In the process, it sets a storytelling bar that The Mandalorian and Grogu simply can’t match.
What makes the adaptation especially impressive is how naturally it synthesizes decades of Star Wars history into one cohesive narrative. The prequel trilogy didn’t even exist when Zahn wrote Heir to the Empire, yet creator Damien Valentine cleverly folds in later lore and visual continuity from across the franchise. A perfect example are the subtle nods to Zahn’s later novel Outbound Flight, including the same ship design lifted directly from the book’s cover art.
Unlike Disney’s live-action output, which often isolates different tones into separate series, Heir to the Empire balances all of them at once. If you want the political intrigue of Andor, you’ll find it in Leia Organa’s storyline as she navigates the fragile early days of the New Republic government. If you prefer the gritty underworld and smuggler dynamics of The Mandalorian, Talon Karrde, Mara Jade, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian bring that energy in full force. And if you’re chasing the mythic spirit of the original trilogy, it’s baked directly into Luke Skywalker’s journey as a wandering Jedi across the galaxy before his eventual capture by Mara Jade.
Valentine’s adaptation is nostalgia done correctly. It’s deeply satisfying to see the original trilogy cast functioning together as an actual team again. More importantly, the film avoids feeling like empty fan service by giving characters meaningful emotional and narrative weight. Leia’s Force training, in particular, is treated with the care and respect many fans felt was missing from the sequel trilogy. Her abilities develop gradually, naturally, and with genuine payoff.
Then there’s Grand Admiral Thrawn himself. While his appearances in Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka have their strengths, Valentine understands exactly what made the character so compelling in the first place. Voiced by Robert S. Benjamin, this version of Thrawn feels as cold, calculating, and terrifyingly observant as befits a seasoned commanding officer with unbridled tactical intellect. Sporting the infamous ysalamiri around his neck to ward off all Force-wielding ne’er-do-wells, the blue-skinned, red-eyed Chiss evokes the imagery fans have imagined for decades.
The film actually demonstrates Thrawn’s intelligence rather than merely talking about it. When the New Republic attempts to deceive him, Thrawn immediately deduces that C-3PO is acting as a voice-modulated decoy for Leia Organa. Earlier, he rapidly concludes that the mysterious Dark Jedi Joruus C’baoth is a clone due to his prior knowledge of the events surrounding the Outbound Flight project. This is the deeply analytical tactical predator readers fell in love with in Zahn’s novels — not simply a calm military leader with a passing interest in art history.
That’s what makes it so difficult not to compare this project to Disney’s current Star Wars film trajectory. Reports previously suggested Jon Favreau intended to use Thrawn before The Mandalorian and Grogu was reworked from the ground up. Even if the new movie did have a Thrawn cameo, watching Valentine’s adaptation makes it hard not to feel like the fan-made production already understands the anti-villain better than the franchise’s newest feature film ever could.
Of course, this is still an independent fan project, and the animation reflects that. Characters lack natural motion, lips don’t sync all that well with the dialogue, and movements are stiff and strained. Nobody should expect Pixar-level polish or even the quality of Lucasfilm’s TV animation circa 2008. Despite those limitations, the film remains mesmerizing. Space battles carry an incredible sense of scale, quieter character moments are elevated through clever framing and expressive gestures, the voice acting is utterly astounding, and there’s an infectious passion running through every frame. You can feel how much this universe matters to the people making it.
If Lucasfilm wants cinematic Star Wars to thrive again, it should spend less time chasing corporate franchise algorithms and more time studying projects like Valentine’s Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. That may require finally hiring Zahn as a consultant for the franchise, and honestly that would be delightful to see. Do yourself a favor: Set aside three hours, grab some popcorn, and experience one of the most compelling interpretations of Grand Admiral Thrawn ever put to screen.