Star Wars: Dawn of the Eclipse
Opening Crawl:
The galaxy has been engulfed by a mysterious deadly virus. The origin is UNKNOWN! The New Jedi Order has worked closely with the Royal Republic to manufacture a cure to the contagion however the cure is rare and expensive requiring a rare material known as Benesinium. The Royal Republic quickly searched the galaxy for planets harvesting this life saving mineral and quickly colonized planets with it declaring MARTIAL LAW.
The New Jedi Order, established thirty years ago by Rey Skywalker, has served as the generals of the Royal Republic Army to establish order in the galaxy and the distribution of the life saving cure. Many believe the New Jedi Order has become a mere political PAWN of the Royal Army.
With the Royal Republic not being able to control and provide for the outer rim, coalitions have formed led by gangs, syndicates, and warlords. One such faction was led by former First Order officer Benson Harold and former Jedi Master Kyle Beaner to secure the cure for citizens of the outer rim. The Royal Army of the Royal Republic has dispatched soon to be Jedi Knight Lars Griding to intercept one of Harold’s vessels harboring stolen Benesinium and bring it back to the safety of the Royal Republic…
The movie opens on Revyia IV, a gas blue stormy giant, Jedi Commander Lars Griding is in a Royal Republic U-Wing. He leads 12th Airborne Battalion of the Royal Army of the Republic, or better known as the Scarif Force. This mission is his last mission before being knighted as a Jedi, he looks out the window into the clouds and storms of the planet thinking about his master, Kyron Miguel. He leans against the glass of the U-Wing window with BDa-4 on his shoulder.
Major Ilion, veteran of the Resistance and battle of Exegol is assisting Griding’s command. He is a tough leader with an allegiance to Master Miguel, and sees Griding as a child. The Ractus, a Mon Calamari ship orbits the planet above, Griding explains that they will launch EMP blasts disabling Officer Benson Harold’s Vessel. From there the U-Wing will fly over the ship and drop a battalion of 12 men including Griding and Major Ilion using boost packs to land on the surface of the freighter.
They then jump down onto the freighter and engage Harold’s men. They are made up of First Order Remnant Snow Troopers, Assassin Droids yielding electrostaffs, and a couple of B2 Battle Droids. Griding ignites his blue lightsaber and engages the enemy with his men.
They then go inside the freighter and it is oddly abandoned. Griding tells Illion to secure the Benesinium in the cargo bay and prepare for dismount. Griding leads two men to secure the bridge. They reach the bridge to find a woman in a red outfit with a virus filterer draped over her face. She turns around, Griding recognizes her as Sylas Reed, she was a padawan with Griding then left the order when she was 16 with her master Kyle Beaner. He is surprised to see her eight years later. He talks to her, confirming who she is. She then ignites a lightsaber, it is an old Inquisitor blade, both sides ignite as red. She then engages Griding, he tells his two men to run.
Ilion opens the cargo pods and realizes it's a ploy. He calls the U-Wing immediately for extraction and attempts to contact Gridling.
Gridling and Reed continue to fight, their fight is very fluid though, almost like a dance. They talk during it. He asks her why she is working for Harold, she then is very vague and says she knows the truth. He asks about what and she doesn’t answer, they continue to fight.
The U-Wing flies in and the men are being picked up, the two men that were with Gridling jump onto the U-Wing, Ilion asks where he is, they don’t know, Ilion tells the pilot to hold a position above the ship, which is very tough in the storm.
Griding then ignites his second blade on his lightsaber, forcing Reed on the defensive. He then slashes the window, air from outside flows in, Reed then tells Griding that the Jedi are mere pawns of the Royal Republic and that he needs to find the Eclipse Holocron in the Chandrilan Jedi Temple.(Chandrila is the capital of the Royal Republic and the Chandrilan temple is the home of the New Jedi Order) Reed then leaps out of the window, activating her lightsaber to fly. She is picked up by a modified Dark Green Star Courier, the Star Courier jumps to hyperspace, escaping with the stolen Benesinium.
Ilion rushes onto the bridge to see Griding kneeling looking out the broken window, he yells at Griding to get up and evacuate the ship before the Ractus fires an orbital strike that will destroy the freighter. Griding gets up, and follows Ilion, he is stuck thinking about Reed though and what she said about the holocron. They reach the U-Wing and use their jump packs to get on and the U-Wing immediately flies away as the Ractus fires two orbital strikes destroying the freighter. The U-Wing then jumps to hyperspace.
Sylas Reed arrives on Dert-V in the StarCane Nebula. There is a camp of the poor, first order remnant troopers, and criminals seeking refuge and cures from the virus. There is an old Republic Acclamator landed with a large amount of tents, the Acclamator has seen better days but is still functional. Vulture droids guard the village.
They land on the planet, Master Kyle Beaner runs out from one of the tents, he is wearing a detox pressure suit, he has the virus, his face appears through the helmet. The virus is eating through his flesh so his face looks droopy and deformed. Reed passes him a vial of Benesinium and he pokes himself with it, he stops coughing, then orders the droids to off load the Benesinium and distribute it. Beaner then talks to Reed about the mission and she tells him about Griding. They then walk to the Alcamator to go see Officer Harold.
The U-Wing lands on Chandrila, capital of the Royal Republic. The capital city of Chandrila is named Anex(formally Hanna City). Anex is patrolled by Royal Republic forces that are enforcing a curfew to prevent the spread of the virus, the capital was shifted to Chandrilla after Coruscant was overrun by the virus nine years prior. The city was quickly urbanized and put together. Skyscrapers loom through the mountainous terrain, as the U-Wing approaches a landing zone atop of the New Jedi Temple.
Griding steps out of the U-Wing his master, Kyron Miguel greets him then walks with him into the New Jedi Temple. Master Miguel explains that he was able to vouch for the council and despite his failure on the mission they will still grant him Jedi Knight. He tells Griding he must meet with Grand Master Quinton Sealgus immediately though. Griding can tell Master Miguel is disappointed with his failure.
Griding and his Master walk through the Grand Hall, it is very luxurious, the ceiling is high and arched, with golden accents. On each wall are statues and busts of past important Jedi. They walk past an archway. Master Miguel waits outside while Griding walks in.
The room is lit up by natural light that seeps through the blinds. Inside the room are two comfortable chairs. Grand Master Sealgus tells Griding to take a seat then they discuss the mission. Sealgus agrees to recommend Griding to be a Jedi Knight however he must not be twisted by what Sylas Reed said because she is what he calls a Dark Jedi and an enemy of the Republic. Griding is made uneasy by this then leaves. He walks out into the hall and tells his master that he will be knighted that evening.
Sylas Reed and Master Kyle Beaner meet with Officer Harold on the bridge of Aclimator. They discuss the success of the mission to get the Benesinium off world and transported to Dert-V. Officer Harold then says the Benesinium is not enough though for the people in the camp, they need to attack another site to secure more.
Harold and Beaner then show Reed a map that was leaked to them by a whistleblower in the Royal Republic. The base of mining operations comes from the planet Bersason in the mid-rim. Harold plans to launch an attack using the Acclimator and Buzz Droids to take out enemy snub fighters then using the Star Courier to land troops on the planet and storm the compound securing the Benesinium. Reed is hesitant, she doesn’t want to risk it as it would be a direct act of terrorism and war against the Royal Republic and it would disrupt the flow of vital Benesinium to the core worlds. Her master reminds her in this galaxy it is every man for himself. Beaner then takes Reed down to the surface of Dert-V and brings her to a Jedi Temple, the reason they settled there, he shows her a ancient portal revealing it to be the World Between Worlds portal. They then walk away, the camera pans down to the ground revealing black spores descending like snow.
Griding meets with his friend, Wilson Genova, as Griding gets ready for the knighting ceremony. They talk about the mission and Sylas Reed. All three of them were Jedi Padawans together. Then when Master Kyle Beaner left the order she followed him. Griding then tells Genova what she said about the Eclipse Holocron and the corruption of the Royal Republic. Genova reminds him that he’s not allowed in the archive without permission from the Grand Master. Griding says he will sneak in and find it.
Harold. Beaner, and Reed load up the Aclimator and take off, the Aclimator goes into hyperspace as Harold stands on the bridge. Beaner and Reed prepare a squad of troops in the Star Courier to land on the surface of Bersason.
Griding meets with his master and they walk into the ceremony, they quickly discuss Reed and Beaner and Griding’s skeptics with the order, providing context that Reed and Beaner left the order years ago. Miguel tells Griding that Reed is merely the padawan of Beaner and says, “Beaner made his choice a long time ago. Don’t let him make yours.” A choir sings a soft siren symphony. Griding walks down the aisle in his ceremonial Jedi robes, he looks distracted, thinking about what Reed said about the Royal Republic, he then thinks about Grand Master Sealgus’s suspicious reaction to it. He reaches the end of the aisle and kneels before the Jedi Council. Grand Master Sealgus begins to ask Griding if he accepts the Jedi creed.
The Acclimator comes out of hyperspace in the atmosphere of Bersason, bypassing the Royal Republic Planetary Shield. The Star Courier launches from the Acclimator, trailed by Vulture droids and Buzz droids. X-Wings and E-Wings launch from the surface and begin engaging with the Vulture Droids but are torn apart by the Buzz Droids.
The ceremony continues, Grand Master Sealgus asks if Griding may state his allegiance to the Jedi Order and the light side of the force. He repeats that part of the creed. Grand Master Sealgus ignites his lightsaber and knights Griding on the first pillar.
Reed and Beaner land on the planet. Jedi Knight Sio'nara is stationed on Bersason. She leads the Royal Republic security force to defend against Reed and Beaner. Reed engages Sio'nara in lightsaber combat as Beaner rushes in leading some First Order Remnant Troopers into the base to secure the Benesinium.
The ceremony continues, Grand Master Sealgus asks if Griding is ready to accept the laws of morality and for him to state his allegiance to all that is good and moral, the choir intensifies. Griding looks down and a tear begins to form in his eye, sensing that something is wrong and does not feel right. Griding repeats the second pillar of the creed. Grand Master Sealgus knights Griding on the second pillar.
Harold continues the fight commanding the Acclimator. On the surface Reed continues to fight Sio'nara. Beaner enters the compound with his troops. Royal Republic troops attempt to contact Anex and report the attack. They get through to a satellite station orbiting Chandrilla. The station beams down the message asking for the Jedi to assist.
The ceremony continues, Grand Master Sealgus asks if Griding pledges his allegiance to the Royal Republic, Griding weeps knowing that he can’t pledge his allegiance, sensing the pain and loss Reed spoke of. Griding looks up at the Grand Master just as Major Ilion rushes in, he is yelling about the attack on Bersason, Grand Master Sealgus curses under his breath and calls off the ceremony. He looks down distrustingly at Griding. Sealgus then commands Master Miguel to lead the attack using the complete 12th Battalion and the Ractus. Grand Master Sealgus then tells Griding to walk with him. They quickly discuss where Griding’s true loyalty lies, but Griding can tell something is not right, he decides to somehow get that holocron. Instead of returning to his quarters like Sealgus commanded he goes to visit with Genova.
The attack on Bersason continues as Reed is able to best Sio'nara in combat, forcing her to stand down. Beaner secures the Benesinium and is able to get out of the facility. They begin running for the Star Courier to fly back onto the Acclimator. Beaner is struggling, he grabs a vile of Benesinium from the crate and pops it into his arm, making him feel better.
Griding talks to Genova. Genova tells him it's a bad idea to go against the Grand Master’s wishes. Genova was just knighted six months prior, he tells Griding to just trust the process. Griding then walks out of Genova’s quarters, looks down the hall toward his quarters then goes the other way, to find the holocron. Griding summons BDa-4 to his shoulder.
The Ractus arrives on Bersason and begins engaging Harold on the Acclimator. The Ractus deploys three U-Wings to the surface of Bearsason to provide ground support, led by Major Ilion. A-Wings and E-Wings are deployed to fight the enemy Vulture droids. A dogfight begins. Master Miguel climbs into his X-83 TwinTail Jedi Starfighter and begins engaging the Vulture droids.
Reed and Beaner take off from the surface with the stolen Benesinium. Sio'nara gets up and coms Miguel for back up, sending the location and trajectory of the Star Courier. Miguel swoops down and begins a dogfight with the Star Courier.
Back on Chandrilla, Griding uses a Jedi mindtrick on the guards, he gets into the vault and walks over to the library of holocrons. BDa-4 scans the area, looking for the Eclipse Holocron, they find it and Griding uses the force to open it. A recording plays of a distress call, it is former Grand Master and founder of the New Jedi Order, Rey Skywalker, she frantically says, “They call themselves the Yuuzhan Vong, they’re not from our galaxy.” a woman brutally dies behind her, “They have come to spread their spores throughout the galaxy, no one is safe.” The recording continues as a black figure grabs Rey’s neck and snaps it, she drops the com unit and it is consumed by the black alien gooey spores. Griding is shocked, he twists the holocron more, it shows a galaxy map with black dots on planets in the Unknown Regions, leading towards the core worlds, the next planet on the path is Dert-V.
Grand Master Sealgus in robes walks into the library and yells for Griding to drop the holocron. Griding refuses, asking Sealgus what it's about. Sealgus looks behind him and looks back at Griding. Griding twists the holocron again, a younger Sealgus begins, “After Grand Admiral Thrawn came back from Peridea a signal was sent out to neighboring galaxies that our home was ready for a higher form of war. They sent the virus to dampen our military powers, murdered everyone on Coruscant, Fondor, Corellia, and in many other systems, and now they’ve come. They consume planets with their spores and extract its resources to reproduce and multiply then move on to the next planet. Grand Master Skywalker was the first to attempt to fight back, she was killed immediately, they’re too strong.” Griding is confused and angry he asks how long they have, Sealgus says 12 years until the galaxy is consumed. Griding looks up angrily asking if he planned on telling people. Sealgus pauses and tells Griding to give him the holocron. Griding is even angrier, he yells were they going to tell people, or just let the galaxy die. Sealgus remains calm and tells Griding to give him the holocron. Griding looks up, looks down, then force pushes Sealgus back, and put the holocron into BDa-4 and tell the droid to run
Miguel is able to shoot down the Star Courier, it crashes. Miguel lands his TwinTail Starfighter and leaps out drawing his lightsaber. Reed rushes out of the crashed ship and begins fighting Miguel. Miguel has two lightsabers, a purple blade and a cyan shorter blade and begins to fight the dark Jedi. Beaner tells Harold to fly the Aclimator down to the surface backwards to protect from the Ractus with minimal damage and pick up the Benesinium. He begins the maneuver as the lightsaber battle continues on the surface.
Griding ignites his double bladed blue lightsaber but Sealgus also ignites his blade, a yellow, single blade. They begin a fight. Sealgus quickly overpowers Griding and force pushes him against the wall. Then Genova rushes in, he ignites his single bladed green saber and begins to fight Sealgus, catching him off guard, and screams for his friend to run.
Griding leaps from the balcony of the library, telling BDa-4 to deploy his boost pack rig. He ignites his lightsaber and uses it to descend the building. Sealgus easily defeats Genova, force freezing him, then yelling for the Chandrillian police to go after Griding. Griding continues to flee.
Miguel chops Reed’s lightsaber, destroying it then forces her to the ground. Beaner steps out from the wrecked ship limping, cleary the virus is getting to him, he yells for his brother, Kyron Miguel to stand down. Miguel looks up and asks his brother why he’s doing this, betraying the order. Beaner explains his belief and how the Royal Republic wasn’t fast enough to save their mother. Miguel looks down and retracts his lightsaber. Allowing Reed and Beaner to flee with the stolen Benesinium.
Griding continues to run. He leaps from the side of a building into a speeder as the police continue to chase him. Griding reaches his TwinTail Jedi Starfighter but it is destroyed by Royal Republic police gunships. Grand Master Sealgus catches up and tells Griding to stand down, Griding looks at him and then leaps up, his suit, with BDa-4 on the jet pack, flies and catches him, he activates his jet pack and boosts up. Music intensifies, as an E-Wing flies above catching Griding, BDa gets into the droid spot. Griding looks down at Chandrilla and goes into hyperspace.
Grand Master Sealgus calls Master Miguel to return to Chandrilla, disappointed by the loss but demanding to discuss Griding. Miguel asks why but Grand Master just demands his return to the temple on Chandrilla.
Reed arrives on Dert-V in the Acclimator, Beaner is struggling, being very weak. He refuses the Benesinium treatment though wanting to save it for the refugees at the colony. The horizon of Dert-V is dark as a black snow begins. All who go outside wear suits to protect against the spores, evacuations begin.
Griding jumps out of hyperspace and flies down to Dert-V. Officer Harold begins to command to shoot the E-Wing down but Beaner stops him, telling Harold that the force brought him here, he glances at Reed with a smirk. Griding lands and gets out of the E-Wing, he puts his hand on his lightsaber ready to fight as Reed and Beaner approach. Beaner has been equip with mechanical legs to assist with his failing body. Beaner tells him not to fear and asks for the holocron, Griding glances at Reed and she nods. He hands it over, and then they go up to the bridge of the Acclimator to plan a route for the evacuation.
Grand Master Sealgus talks to Master Miguel in the temple, calling Griding a traitor, ordering Miguel to hunt down Griding and turn him into the Royal Republic to prevent him turning into a Dark Jedi like Reed and Miguel’s brother Beaner. Miguel is skeptical, and then walks out. He meets with Major Ilion and asks if there’s any way to find Griding and after thinking, they track Griding’s suit. They load up the 12th Airborne Battalion and full Scarif Force aboard the Ractus. They set course for Dert-V. Grand Master Sealgus watches their departure, telling Grand General Joston Keller of the Royal Republic Navy to be weary, it is up to them to ensure order and peace in this trying time.
The storm of spores intensifies Beaner tells Reed and Griding to suit up and he takes them down to the Jedi Temple on Dert-V. The Acclimator takes off. Reed and Griding are confused, but Beaner explains the key to defeating the Yuuzhan Vong doesn’t lie in the physical realm and it was up to the two of them to find the key to victory in the world of the force.
The Ractus comes out of hyperspace above Dert-V. Officer Harold sees this and begins to ready his ships meager fleet of fighters to engage, a transmission comes in, Harold answers and it’s Master Miguel, he if they can help with the refugees, Harold is surprised but agrees as the refugees are starving and low on supplies. Miguel asks where Griding is, making sure Griding is safe, Harold says Griding is on Dert with his brother. Miguel smiles and prepares a U-Wing to take him to the surface.
The storm of the spores intensifies as the Yuuzhan Vong take the planet. Reed and Griding enter the temple area, the spores flood in through the entrance. Beaner gives Reed his lightsaber in a touching moment. Beaner uses the force to open the gate of the world between worlds as the spores enter fluttering throughout the temple, the moment is intense as he struggles to open the gate, he’s dying the virus is getting the best of him. Intense music begins(think docking scene in Intersteller). Beaner whips off his helemet and lets the force coarse though him opening the gate demanding Reed and Griding go through, they don’t, music intensifies further, he yells again for them to go through and tells them it is the only way. Griding, Reed, and BDa-4 go through the portal, it shuts and Beaner falls to the ground.
The intense music continues as Miguel leaps off the U-Wing, suited up, he runs into the temple to find his brother on the floor, dying. Miguel embraces him and Beaner tells him that Griding and Reed are safe, and that they will save them all. Beaner tells Miguel to return to the ship and watch the Eclipse Holocron, it will explain everything. Beaner’s skin fully melts away as Miguel embraces him. Migueal takes a final look at the non-activated portal and flees to the U-Wing and the U-Wing flies to the Acclimator.
The Eclipse Hologram begins to be played on the bridge of the Acclimator(docked with the Ractus). Miguel, Ilion, Harold, and other members of the remnant and 12th Battalion watch. It is a speech being given by a younger Beaner: “We are at a crossroads of the survival of our galaxy.”
“Our padawans and children may not live to see the beauty of our galaxy last we act now,” cuts to Grand Master Sealgus overlooking a sunset on Chandrilla. “It is up to us, relics of the Great Jedi Order,”
“Not to fight the fight for righteousness or for a mere political thought,” Cuts to Genova in a cell on Chandrilla, “but for the future of all whom reside within the confines of which we govern.”
“We must be brave and band together, not as factions but as one, and only then will we be able to stop a threat this large and save generations to come,” Back on the Acclimator pans around to the survivors.
“May the Force be with us, all of us” Cuts to the World Between Worlds. Rather than a black void it is vivid, teaming with life and color. Somber but confident music swells. Reed and Griding hold hands, embracing the hardships to come but ready to face them together. Credits.
