* "Quentin Tarantino's 'Star Wars' "--A short film in the style of the neo-noir director featuring vintage Kenner action figures and a slow-motion scene called "Reservoir Droids."
* "Trooper Clerks"--A black-and-white parody of Kevin Smith's "Clerks," complete with storm troopers as clerks.
* "The Odd 'Star Wars' Couple"--A humorous takeoff on the Neil Simon play featuring Darth Vader and Chewbacca in the roles of Oscar and Felix.
"What's beginning to happen with fans who put their films on the Internet is that the learning curve is much faster," noted Harry Knowles, 27. Knowles runs the Ain't It Cool News site, which supplies insider news and gossip about movies.
"Because they can digitize it, they can get instant reaction. People send you e-mails immediately. It's not like that with feature films, where it takes a long time to get feedback."
The initial wave of fan-made films was inspired by the re-release of the "Star Wars" trilogy in 1997. According to some estimates, there are now hundreds of "Star Wars" spoofs in circulation in cyberspace, made by everyone from high school students to Hollywood special-effects wizards.
In a few cases, these parodies have given their creators a leg up in the industry. Such was the case with "Troops" creators Kevin Rubio, 31; Shant Jordan, 31; and Patrick Perez, 29, who have parlayed their success on the Internet into a development deal with USA Network for a futuristic cops show.
At Lucasfilm in Northern California, where there have been lunchtime screenings of "Troops" and other parodies, the reaction to these fan films has been relaxed--even amused.
"We just realized very early on that these are the guys," said Jeanne Cole, a spokeswoman for Lucasfilm. "They're our fans, where would we be without them? This is why we are where we are, and why 'Star Wars' has lasted over 20 years."
Besides, she noted, Lucasfilm puts up its trailer on its official "Star Wars" Web site for anyone to download. "There it is, frozen in time and it isn't exclusive anymore."
Parodies are protected from copyright laws in most cases, and Lucasfilm has taken a lax attitude toward fan-made films, as long as the filmmakers aren't making any money from them. At the Mos Eisley Multiplex site--which takes its name from the desert town on the planet Tatooine where Luke and Ben meet up with Han Solo and Chewbacca in "Star Wars"--viewers can find information, stories and links to more than 30 short "Star Wars" parodies and fan-made films. Many of them are impressively professional--especially given that they're often made for almost no money.
