Dave Bundtzen’s vision of George Lucas’ "Star Wars" universe is played out in the film "Star Wars: Rogue". Inspired only slightly by Dave Wolverton’s novel The Courtship of Princess Leia and the video game Rogue Leader, Bundtzen and writer James DeRuvo carefully craft a unique and charming Star Wars fan film in the flavour of the old style spaghetti western.

It isn’t stated outright when this story takes place within the context of the "Star Wars" franchise, but based on the mentioned destruction of Alderon and the indication that Darth Vader is still in power, it suggests that it fits within the space of Episode IV and Episode V. The internet movie database also implies this time frame as well.

In the opening stages of the film, a sprawling title card in the tradition of all other "Star Wars" films, introduces us to the situation at hand;

Imperial atrocities have compelled Commander Jake Dinn to go rogue and renounce his loyalty to the Empire. A career military officer, Dinn had devoted his life to defending the Empire until the destruction of the Alderaan by the Death Star caused him to have a change of heart. His defection has sent shock waves throughout the Empire. Intent on preventing one of their most knowledgeable officers from falling into the hands of the Rebellion, Imperal forces are ruthlessly pursuing Dinn, intent on bringing him to justice.

When the film opens, Commander Jake Dinn, played by Karl Granehed, has been relieved of his position by Lord Vader himself. He is fleeing in a white Old Republic TIE fighter, with two grey TIE Interceptors in hot pursuit. After dispatching the two Interceptors during a thrilling explosive dogfight, Dinn finds his own craft locking up on him and before long he’s crash landing into the Nosfera surface down below. His hard impact in the woods is observed by a storm trooper, who quickly notifies base command.

Following the accident, Dinn awakens to find himself in the company of two villagers, Minerva, played by Victoria J. Coulson, and oupost leader Derran, played by Steve Myers. While Minerva seems like a gentle soul, her friend Derran seems motivated by something much darker. Where other films might slow down after such an explosive opening sequence, Rogue only picks up momentum. During an interesting sequence, Dinn greets his Imperial welcoming committee with a couple of well placed head shots. Anxious to flee the planet, Dinn takes Minerva’s advice and sets off to find an old wise witch who resides in a cave to the north.

Sparing any references to "The Wizard of Oz", the witch is actually a Jedi Knight Amade, played Bonnie MacBird, who, along with her young apprentice, Tayla, played by Wendy Gough, have hidden away in the caves of Nosfera, avoiding all contact with people—and the Empire, that might very well be searching for them. Any association the two females Jedis might have with the Rebellion is only hinted at in passing.

Imperial Lieutenant Bora, played by Gregory Lee Kenyon, is dispatched by Admiral Keily, Osman Soykut, to seek out Dinn on the fairly isolated forest planet. It is Kenyon’s work as the cold and impersonal Bora that provides the greatest moments in the movie. Bora is cool, calculating and ruthless, and will stop at nothing to get what he seeks even if it means poking out an eye with a hot laser. Kenyon seems to be enjoying himself immensely here. During his scene with his superior, Keily, we witness an obedient, somewhat unctuous man, while later, during his scene with Minerva and Derran, his obedient posturing quickly changes to one of arrogance, condescension and disgust. Reminds me of the great performance given by Peter Cushing in the original Star Wars film.

Following a tense interrogation scene, Bora takes advantage of Derran’s intense greed to find out where Dinn might be, even smirking at the notion that the Empire should reward the outpost leader for his traitorous ways. Indeed, the information helps Bora locate Dinn, and his his two Jedi companions—complete with a Mexican style stand-off. The defining moment of "Rogue" occurs in these final minutes, as a violent battle ensues pitting good against evil. In a visual style reminiscent of an old Leone spaghetti western, there’s even a unique twist on the stand-off, involving, of course, a light saber and a blaster. And in a sequence that can only be called heart-stopping, Dinn uses his knowledge of the Imperial Navy to narrowly avoid total obliteration.

The production values of "Star Wars: Rogue" are top notch, and definitely on par with any of the three classic Star Wars films. That’s quite an achievment when you consider the fact that this whole production probably cost less than what George Lucas now pays to cater any one of his last three films. The visual effects by Eric Johnson are absolutely stunning, and in keeping with the tradition of the film series. In some of the sequences, I found myself amazed by how much detail went into making the costumes, the ships, and their interiors, look so authentic. Even hardened Star Wars fans will embrace these FX.

What also gives the film a major boost of credibility is the inclusion of mainstream Hollywood actors Gregory Lee Kenyon (2004's "Ghost Lake") and Osman Soykut (2002's "The Hot Chick"). Both Kenyon and Soykut have appeared in some very big budget films and their decision to appear in Rogue lended a certain air of credibility to the production - something that is usually missing from most fan films. The biggest name in the cast however is probably Bonnie MacBird, well known to sci-fi movie fans as the writer of 1982’s "Tron".

Despite having staged a Star Wars fan film competition in Australia back in 2001, George Lucas has only shown a passive interest in these kinds of films. It is sad when you consider the great work that Dave Bundtzen and James DeRuvo put into "Star Wars: Rogue". It is the kind of production that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as George Lucas’ more well-known epics. By combining Peter Mether’s "The Dark Redemption", Kantz’s "Contract of Evil", Nick Hallam’s "Broken Allegiance", Joe Monroe’s "Knight Quest' with Bundtzen’s "Rogue" and Shane Felux’s "Revelations", a Star Wars fanatic could easily create one great ‘feature length’ Star Wars anthology movie. These six films stand as an example of Star Wars fan films at their absolute finest.