Space Wars: Chapter I – The Martian Menace

""Space, the original frontier. These are the Astro-Knights of the spaceship Enterprise. Its thirteen-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.""

- Victor Caroli, opening narration.

Space Wars: Chapter I – The Martian Menace is a 2039 American adult animated epic science fiction film written and directed by Brandon Greene, produced by Paramount Pictures and Soulmemoria Animation, distributed by Frederator Studios and starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Mae Whitman, Grey Griffin, David Tennant, Dee Bradley Baker, Minae Noji, George Takei, and Mark Hamill. It is the fifth film in the Space Wars film series, the first film of the prequel Quadrilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Starrider Saga".

The film's setting and characters is primarily a parody of .

Set in the year 2545, 32 years before the original Quadrilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the plot follows OR-01 Enterprise Captain and Astro-Knight Master Qi-Gong Jarek and his apprentice Oberon Canary as they try to protect Queen Stella Amadeus of Nara in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Adrian Starrider—a young inventor with unusually strong natural powers of the Source—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Smith.

Following the release of Return of the Astro-Knight, Greene was unmotivated to return to the franchise and continue the story beyond Return of the Astro-Knight, though the backstory he created on Adrian sparked interest in him to develop a prequel Quadrilogy. Greene began writing The Martian Menace in 2033 and production began in 2034. Filming started on June 26, 2037, at locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert and ended on September 30. The film was Lucas's first directorial effort after a 5-year hiatus following the original Space Wars in 2027.

The Phantom Menace was released on Amazon Prime Video on May 13, 2039, almost 5 years after the premiere of Return of the Astro-Knight. Upon its release, The Martian Menace received mixed reviews. While the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, and some performances (particularly Freeman and Pitt) were praised, criticism was largely focused on the screenplay, direction, tone, pacing, and characters. Attack of the Troops (2042), The Civil Wars (2035), and Revenge of the Smith (2048) followed The Martian Menace, rounding out the Space Wars prequel Quadrilogy.

Plot
In the year 2545, The Trade Federation creates turmoil in the OR-01 Enterprise and Galactic NASA Republic by blockading the planet Nara in protest of recent legislation taxing major galactic trade routes. The Republic's leader, President Fines Valorous, dispatches Astro-Knight Master and Enterprise Captain Qi-Gong Jarek and his apprentice, Oberon Canary, to negotiate with Trade Federation Viceroy Newt Gundam. Dark Hideous, a Smith Lord and the Trade Federation's secret benefactor, orders the Viceroy to kill the Astro-Knights and begin an invasion with an army of battle droids, but the Astro-Knights escape and flee to Nara. During the invasion, Qi-Gong rescues a young Ikvean, X'ahmers. Indebted to Qi-Gong, X'ahmers leads the Astro-Knights to his ship and head to Nithapus, the Zephilim's home planet. The Astro-Knights fail to persuade the Zephilim leader, Zuva, to help the planet's surface dwellers, but manage to obtain X'ahmers guidance and transport to Teed, the capital city of Nara. After rescuing Queen Amadeus, the group make their escape from Nara aboard the OR-01 Enterprise, intending to reach the Republic capital planet of Cusueturn.

Passing through the Federation blockade, the ship is damaged in the crossfire, and its hyperdrive malfunctions. The ship lands for repairs on the planet of Earth, situated beyond the Enterprise 's jurisdiction. Qi-Gong, X'ahmers, astromech little robot R.O.V.E.R. (Robotic Operated Video Enhanced Receiver), and Queen Stella Amadeus (in disguise as one of her own handmaidens) visit the settlement of MOs Esper to purchase a new part for their hyperdrive. They encounter a junk dealer, Walter, and his ten-year old slave Adrian Starrider, a gifted pilot and engineer who has built a protocol robot, H.U.E. (Helping Unified Entity).

Qi-Gong senses a strong presence of the Source within Adrian, and is convinced that he is the prophesied "Special (Chosen One)," destined to restore balance to the Source. With Walter refusing to accept payment in Enterprise currency, Qi-Gong wagers both the required hyperdrive part and Adrian's freedom in a hoverboard race. Adrian wins the race and joins the group to be trained as an Astro-Knight, reluctantly leaving behind his mother, Sheryl and his two older brothers, Lou and Kelly. En route to the 0R-01 Enterprise, Qi-Gong encounters Dark Mal, Hideous' apprentice, who was sent to capture Amadeus. After a brief lightsaber duel Qi-Gong escapes aboard the starship with the others.

Qi-Gong and Oberon escort Amadeus to Cusueturn so that she can plead her people's case to President Valorous and the Galactic Senate. Qi-Gong informs the Astro-Knight Council that his attacker was a Smith and subsequently asks for permission to train Adrian as a Astro-Knight, but the Council refuses his request, concerned that Adrian is vulnerable to the dark side of the Source. Undaunted, Qi-Gong vows to take up Adrian as his new apprentice. Meanwhile, Nara's Senator Paladine persuades Amadeus to call for a vote of no confidence in Valorous to elect a more capable leader and to resolve the crisis. Though she is successful in pushing for the vote, Amadeus grows frustrated with the corruption in the Senate, and decides to return to Nara. Qi-Gong and Oberon are ordered by the Jedi Council to accompany the queen and investigate the return of the Smith, whom they had thought to be extinct for over a millennium.

On Nara, Stella reveals herself as the actual queen before the Zephilim to gain Adrian's trust when they believe him to be the Chosen One due to his high score, and persuades them to help against the Trade Federation. X'ahmers joins his tribe in a battle against the robot army, while Stella leads the search for Gundam in Teed. Qi-Gon tells Adrian to hide inside a spacefighter in the palace hangar, but he accidentally triggers its autopilot, and flies into space, joining the Nara pilots in their battle against the Federation droid control ship. With R.O.V.E.R.'s help, Adrian pilots the fighter into the ship and causes its destruction from within, deactivating the robot army. Meanwhile, Mall, who has been dispatched by Hideous to assist Gundam, engages in a lightsaber duel with Qi-Gon and Oberon. Mal mortally wounds Qi-Gon, but is then sliced in half by Oberon and falls down a shaft. Qi-Gon asks Oberon to train Adrian before dying in his arms.

Following the battle, Gundam is arrested by the Republic, and Paladine is elected President. Master Yoga promotes Oberon to the rank of Astro-Knight and the new captain of the 0R-01 Enterprise, and reluctantly accepts Adrian as Oberon's apprentice. A funeral is held for Qi-Gon, attended by the other Astro-Knights, who contemplate that there is still one Smith remaining since there are always two of them. During a celebratory parade on Nara, Stella presents a gift of thanks to the Zephilim to establish peace.

Cast

 * Morgan Freeman as Qi-Gong Jarek, a Astro-Knight Master and the captain of the 0R-01 Enterprise who discovers Adrian and under the belief that he is destined to bring balance to the source as the prophesied "Special", insists that the boy be trained as a Astro-Knight, despite the Astro-Knight Council's refusal to do so. He is a parody of.
 * Brad Pitt as Oberon Canary, Qi-Gong's twenty-five-year-old Cadet-Squire, who holds his master in high regard but questions his motives at times, especially when it seems he is breaking the rules of the Astro-Knights.
 * Mae Whitman as Queen Stella Amadeus, the fourteen-year-old Queen of Nara, who hopes to protect her planet from the Trade Federation's blockade invasion. Throughout most of the film, she poses as one of the queen's handmaidens for protection.
 * Grey Griffin as Adrian Starrider, a ten-year-old slave boy and a skilled pilot who dreams of becoming a Astro-Knight. He is a parody of Anakin Skywalker.
 * Mark Hamill as Senator Paladine/Dark Hideous, a middle aged senator of Nara and a secret Smith Lord who orchestrates the invasion of his home planet to get elected President. He is the Trade Federation's mysterious benefactor, and the titular "Martian Menace".
 * Justin Felbinger as X'ahmers, a young Ikvean inventor from the planet of Xemoitera who becomes good friends with Adrian.
 * Amanda C. Miller as Zuva, the leader of the free Zephilim who allies with the Nara surface dwellers.
 * David Tennant as H.U.E., a protocol robot built by Adrian. He lacks a metal covering in this film; R.O.V.E.R. humorously refers to it as being "naked".
 * Dee Bradley Baker as R.O.V.E.R., a little astromech robot from Nara that saves the 0R-01 Enterprise when other astro bots fail.
 * Minae Noji as Sheryl Starrider, Adrian's widowed mother, who is concerned for her son's future and allows him to leave with the Astro-Knights. She is a parody of Shmi Skywalker.
 * George Takei as Yoga, the centuries-old Astro-Knight Grandmaster and head of the Astro-Knight Council who is apprehensive about allowing Adrian to be trained.
 * Bryce Papenbrook as Kelly Starrider, Adrian's older brother and Sheryl's second-born son.
 * Darren Criss as Lou Starrider, Adrian's eldest brother and Sheryl's first-born son.
 * Shelley Calene-Black as Najera, an Astro-Knight master and high-ranking member of the Astro-Knight Council who approves training Adrian.
 * Dennis Haysbert as Mane Winston, an Astro-Knight master and high-ranking member of the Astro-Knight Council who opposes training Adrian. He is a parody of Mace Windu.
 * Harvey Fierstein as Yoel, a short but tough Astro-Knight recruit who was initially antagonistic towards but later befriends Oberon. Known for the fact that his left eye is constantly swollen shut. Despite this supposed handicap, he exhibits great proficiency with range weapons; namely the bow and the rocket.
 * Gedde Watanabe as Lane, a lanky Astro-Knight Army recruit who befriends Oberon. Initially seen as a weakling, he later develops the capacity to deliver a hard and painful headbutt through Li Shang's training.
 * Jerry Tondo as Cheepo, a huge, rotund, good-natured, and inhumanly strong Astro-Knight Army recruit who befriends Oberon. He appears to be one of the few who could appease Yoel; mainly by the means of calming him down by holding him up and telling him to chant with him.
 * Chris Sabat as Dark Mal, Dark Hideous' Sabrok Smith apprentice, who wields a double-bladed lightsaber. He is a parody of.
 * Brandon Greene as Captain Panica, Queen Amidala's chief of security at the Teed Palace. He is a parody of Captain Quarsh Panaka.
 * Ted Lewis as President Fines Valorous, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic who commissions Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to negotiate with the Trade Federation viceroy. He is a parody of Chancellor Finis Valorum.
 * Elsie Lovelock as Wasab, one of Queen Amadeus' handmaidens who serves as her decoy throughout the majority of the film. She is a parody of Sabé.
 * Alan Tudyk as:
 * Newt Gundam, the viceroy of the Trade Federation who leads Nara's invasion and tries to force Queen Amadeus to sign a treaty to legitimize their occupation of the planet. He is a parody of Nute Gunray.
 * Ko-Da-Muddy, a wise and powerful Astro-Knight Master who sits on the Council. He is a parody of Ki-Adi-Mundi.
 * An ill-fated pilot.
 * Jim Cummings as Walter, a junk dealer on Earth who owns Adrian and his family as slaves. He is a parody of Watto.
 * George Eads as John Starrider, Adrian, Lou, and Kelly's late father and Sheryl's deceased Military husband. He was killed in war.
 * Eric Bauza as Sabula, an aggressive, scheming shipracer who is Adrian's main rival at the shiprace.
 * Bauza also voices the announcer of the Boonty Race.

Soundtrack
No. Title.......................................................................Music


 * 1) "Hunger"....................................Spectre General
 * 2) "Come and Get Your Love"....................................Redbone
 * 3) "Come A Little Bit Closer"....................................Jay & The Americans
 * 4) "Surrender"....................................Cheap Trick
 * 5) "Respect"....................................Aretha Franklin
 * 6) "Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix)"....................................Gorillaz
 * 7) "Livin' On A Prayer"....................................Bon Jovi
 * 8) "Revelation"....................................American Pearl
 * 9) "I Want You Back"....................................The Jackson 5
 * 10) "What I've Done"....................................Linkin Park

Score
No. Title.......................................................................Music


 * 1) "Space Wars (Main Title)"....................................Alexander Courage, Gerald Fried, Bob Karlan
 * 2) "The Arrival at Nara"....................................Vince DiCola
 * 3) "Adrian And Qi-Gong Speak"....................................Jeff Russo
 * 4) "He is the Special"....................................Michael Giacchino
 * 5) "The Hoverbike Race"....................................Vince DiCola
 * 6) "Adrian Says Good-bye"....................................Jeff Russo
 * 7) "Astro-Knight High Council"....................................Jeff Russo
 * 8) "Battle of Nara"....................................Michael Giacchino
 * 9) "Dark Mal Fight"....................................Vince DiCola
 * 10) "Death of Qi-Gong"....................................Cliff Eidelman
 * 11) "Closing Credits"....................................Michael Giacchino
 * 12) Space Wars (End Title)"....................................Alexander Courage, Gerald Fried, Bob Karlan

Development
While writing the original Space Wars film, Greene decided the story was too vast to be covered in one film. He introduced a wider story arc that could be told in sequels if it became successful. He negotiated a contract that allowed him to make three sequels, and over time created an elaborate backstory to aid his writing process. While writing the second film, Space Trek, Lucas considered directions in which to take the story. In the original quadrilogy, Dark Slader was revealed to have been Adrian Starrider, a once-powerful Astrio-Knight and Captain of the 0R-01 Enterprise, and a traitor to the Astro-Knight Order. With this backstory in place, Greene decided that the movies would work best as a quadrilogy. In the quadrilogy's final chapter, Return of the Astro-Knight, Slader is redeemed through an act of sacrifice for Gary.

Throughout the 1930s, Greene said he had no desire to return to Space Wars and had canceled his sequel quadrilogy by the time of Return of the Astro-Knight. However, because Greene had developed most of the backstory, the idea of prequels continued to fascinate him. Greene considered returning to his saga and directing the film. In 2035, it was announced in Variety and other sources that he would be making the prequels. Greene began outlining the story; Adrian Starrider rather than Oberon Canary would be the protagonist, and the series would be a tragedy examining Dark Slader's origins. A relic of the original outline was that Adrian would, like his son, grow up on Earth. Greene also began to change the prequels' timeline relative to the original series; instead of filling in the tangential history, they would form the beginning of a long story that started with Adrian's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step toward turning the franchise into a saga.

Greene began writing the Space Wars prequel trilogy on November 1, 2036. The screenplay of Space Wars was adapted from Greene' 15-page outline that was written in 2026, which he designed to help him keep track of the characters' backstories and events that occurred before the original quadrilogy. Adrian was first written as a nine-year-old, but Greene reduced his age up to ten. Eventually, Adrian's younger age led Greene to rewrite his participation in the movie's major scenes. The film's working title was The Fenton Menace, with the title not being changed to The Martian Menace until shortly before the film's completion. Greene later revealed that the Martian Menace title was a reference to Paladine hiding his true identity as an evil Smith Lord behind the facade of a well-intentioned public servant.

Casting
After Dennis Haysbert expressed interest in appearing in a Space Wars film, he was approached by casting director Robin Gurland to play Winston. Tupac Shakur was also considered for the role of Mane Winston. Mae Whitman was cast for the role of Stella Amadeus. Over 3,000 actors auditioned for the role of Adrian Starrider until they got Grey Griffin who voiced Azura in the original quadrilogy. Benicio del Toro was originally cast as Dark Mal but later replaced by Chris Sabat.

Nicolas Cage auditioned for the role of Oberon Canary and nearly landed the part until he was replaced by Brad Pitt.

Release
The first new Space Wars film in 5 years was released on Amazon Prime Video.

Critical response
Following an advance screening on Saturday, May 13, 2039, several newspapers broke an agreement with Fox and published reviews of the film on Sunday, May 9. In a front page review, the Los Angeles Daily News gave it 3½ stars calling it "pretty good" overall and "outstanding in many parts". The New York Daily News was less positive giving it 2½ stars. Variety also made its review by Todd McCarthy available on the Sunday with McCarthy calling it "the most widely anticipated and heavily hyped film of modern times" but said that the film "can scarcely help being a letdown on some levels, but it’s too bad that it disappoints on so many" "not as much as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." and that "it is neither captivating nor transporting, for it lacks any emotional pull, as well as the sense of wonder and awe that marks the best works of sci-fi/fantasy".

Sequels
A sequel, Attack of the Troops, was released in 2042. The story continues a decade later with Adrian grown to adulthood, voiced by Dante Basco. A second sequel, The Civil Wars, was released in 2045. A third sequel, Revenge of the Smith, was released in 2048.

Trivia

 * The film is a parody of .
 * Grey Griffin who voiced Adrian Starrider in The Martian Menace also voiced his niece, Rose Starrider/Azura in the original Space Wars quadrilogy.
 * The prequels are more serious than the original quarilogy.
 * "The Special" title is a reference to The Lego Movie.
 * It is revealed in the film that Yoel, Lane, and Cheepo who first appeared in the first film in the original Space Wars quadrilogy started of as young Astro-Knights who joined the 0R-01 Enterprise before becoming leaders of the Rebellion Enterprise.