| Troops | |
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| Directed by | Kevin Rubio |
| Written by | Kevin Rubio |
| Story by |
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| Based on | Star Wars by George Lucas Cops by John Langley and Malcolm Barbour |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Cricket Peters |
| Edited by | David Foster |
| Distributed by | TheForce.Net |
Release date |
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Running time | 10 minutes |
| Language | English |
Troops is a 1997 short mockumentary film directed by Kevin Rubio that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con on July 18, 1997 and was subsequently distributed via the internet. The film is a parody of COPS, set in the Star Wars universe. In the film, Imperial stormtroopers from the infamous Black Sheep Squadron patrolling the Dune Sea on the planet Tatooine run into some very familiar characters while being filmed for the hit Imperial TV show Troops. In a Reddit AMA in January 2018, Rubio stated that Troops is acknowledged by George Lucas as a canonical installment in the Star Wars franchise.[1]
The film jump-started the modern fan film movement, as it was one of the first short films to bring fan films into the digital age, taking advantage of internet distribution and affordable production and special effects equipment, as well as fans with movie-quality costumes. Rubio shot the film on location on the El Mirage Dry Lake.
Rubio finished the film while working at the Fox Kids Network, and was able to use well-known voice talent in his cast, including Jess Harnell, Cam Clarke, and announcer Bill Farmer.