Of all of the really poor fan films, this is one of the better ones, which isn't saying much. The plot is a wonderful idea, but the script is poor. The acting doesn't help to clean it up much either. There is very little character development and the story seems rushed. I can see this evolving into a series of films that follow the empire's pursuit of Ruan and Calis. If it does, I hope the character development is given a little more attention. The writing needs something, maybe some literary help from an English professor or teacher. The opening story synopsis that is presented in the traditional Star Wars fashion (tilted and fading away) says it all. The opening synopsis switches tenses from past to present which is a no-no in literature and reeks of mediocrity.
The only thing that saves this film from being a complete disaster (besides Niobe Dean, looking the way she does) is the wonderful cinematography. The camera work was very smooth and professional. The director took the time to set up every shot to avoid the scene looking like someone holding a handycam. They also tried to stay away from static tripod shots which other fan films have bored us with. Someone on the crew has clearly taken or is taking film making education.
Even though the special effects are somewhat cartoonish (as can be expected with their limited budget), they tried to focus on building actual sets rather than relying solely on computer models like other fan films have done. This gives the picture a more mature and believable look. I loved the use of actual pyro in this. Most fan films rely on cg pyro which is garbage and cheapens the film.
I hate to close it out this way but again, it seems as though a group of people wanted to make a fan film and utilize the available computer tools for effects rendering and so forth. This seems to be a plague among fan films. Concentrate on making a good picture, then spice it up. Don't build a picture around your effects. This film would be so much better if the writing was refined and the characters were more developed. This is a step in the right direction for a fan film, but it can do so much better.