Solo: A Star Wars Story didn't quite get the reception Disney might have been hoping for, which effectively dashed all hope of a possible continuation. But a group of fans refused to let the plucky prequel story die, so they let an A.I. compose a new chapter in the story of Solo. Then they sat down to read it on stream for the world to enjoy, or at the very least, marvel at with morbid curiosity.
Blue Bantha Milk Co., who recently made headlines with their A.I.-created script for a follow up to Star Wars: Episode IX, is at it yet again with another shot at artificially generated glory. This time, their sights were set firmly on Han Solo's adventures in backstory land, as a new tale is spun with Han and Chewbacca getting into more of their trademark antics. After the artificial intelligence did its thing, the table read team got back together for another adventure, and it's exactly as enjoyably absurd as expected. The story begins with Han and Chewie trapped in an Imperial prison, and Lando on his way to conduct a daring rescue.
Highlights range from some surprisingly charming and well-written banter between Han and Chewie to one performer going all in with a green screen to truly capture the essence of Jabba the Hutt (and not the cute baby version). That's not to mention a few surprise appearances such as the goofy pirate Hondo from the Clone Wars series playing with rubber ducks and even Maul himself making his triumphant return. It's worth mentioning that this first video is only part 1 of a series, so for as wacky as the experience gets, it's only bound to ramp up as the story continues.
A few choice performances deserve special attention due to their actors going absolutely hog wild with them. Chris Ryons (from the Star Wars podcast-focused BROAXIUM YouTube channel) pulls off a flawless and leading-man-worthy Lando Calrissian as well as a surprisingly faithful take on Hondo. Meanwhile, Clare Stribling of The Imperial Senate Podcast blesses Chewbacca with a much-needed voice, giving the character the perfect amount of deadpan snark one would expect from someone who spends all their time dealing with Han Solo. Dan Miller, also of BROAXIUM, rounds things out with an entertainingly energetic portrayal of new character and giant monkey Rotta (not to be confused with Rotta the Hutt, who appeared in The Clone Wars.)
Naturally, every performer deserves praise in this. It's clear they're all having a great time and their enthusiasm translates into their performances, giving off the air of just hanging out with a group of friends enjoying one big inside joke. It's a great feeling, and since the viewer is in on the joke, it adds that extra bit of comfort that everyone seems to need here in this age of isolation. Of course, the near-constant laughs help quite a bit as well. There's something about Star Wars that lends itself well to comedy.
Once again, this was only the first part of a series, and there's sure to be a ton more outrageous antics on the way. With part 2 set to stream roughly 2 weeks following the first, fans have plenty of time to wrap their heads around what they just saw before diving into the rest of the story.
Source: Blue Bantha Milk Co.|YouTube