I remember posting something about this before. At the time, it was just a trailer.
Now the film is finished, and it's safe to say that “TIE Fighter” is fantastic, one of the best fan films I've ever seen.
I can't get over just how slick this thing is, and how exciting it is to see this familiar iconography interpreted this way. There were manga versions of “Star Wars” produced for all three of the original trilogy films, and I love seing something we know so well pass through a completely different filter.
This is that sort of thing, but done in a way that is almost impossible to believe. Animation isn't cheap or easy, and doing something this finished and this technically accomplished by yourself is a tremendous accomplishment. I would not be shocked to see Paul Johnson at the helm of some major animated project in the next couple of years.
Here's the full-length short film:
And here's the poster for it.
Spectacular, all the way around.