With the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special coming to Disney+ just in time for yuletide festivities, it is the perfect time to revisit another holiday tale within the world of Star Wars: Ted Bracewell's fan made 3D animation short How the Sith Stole Christmas. A parody on Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the short film was made way back in 2002, the same year that Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released in theaters. The film was a viral hit at the time, making its rounds on many a Star Wars message board, and was a pioneering fan film that inspired other fans to create their own.
Although the film ends on a cliffhanger that has never been resolved, the pastiche is infectiously charming, and it's worth revisiting and introducing the short to a generation of fans who may not have even heard of it.
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The film chronicles Emperor Palpatine's Grinch-like efforts to ruin the Ewoks' Christmas, brooding over the moon of Endor in the Death Star II just as the Grinch did over Whoville. Palpatine tasks Darth Vader with stealing the Ewoks' presents and Darth Maul with capturing Santa Claus. The rest of the short follows the two Sith as they go on their missions. In the Darth Vader portion, there are some really fun callbacks to Grinch, including Vader stealing wind-up toys of droids and walkers and using a lightsaber instead of a saw to cut a hole around a Christmas tree (although we never see him in a Santa suit and that's a HUGE missed opportunity). Maul meanwhile engages Santa and his workers in battle, with elves using candy cane planes and Christmas lights to take out AT-ATs.
Unfortunately, fans don't get to see a conclusion to the story, as the short was supposed to be the first in a trilogy. It would've been followed by "Silent Night, Jedi Knight" and "A Very Vader Christmas." There was a trailer teasing the sequels, but they have not yet been released. While it's a bummer that fans won't see Vader's heart grow three sizes, the short is entertaining in and of itself and makes for a entertaining watch, regardless of the ominous "To Be Continued."
Despite its open ending and early-2000s production value, How the Sith Stole Christmas is an essential Star Wars fan film to watch. The concept is outlandish and surprisingly earnest, but that's the charm of it!
Some debate the ethics and artistic merit of creating fan films, but in the end, the act is the ultimate love letter. In an interview with the film's creator Ted Bracewell, he perfectly summed up the appeal of making fan films within Star Wars.
"People make fan films because it gives them a chance to be a part of George Lucas' universe. Everybody played "Star Wars" when they were kids and fan films let them do it for real. It's the closest you can get to actually being a Jedi."