Battle Beyond the Stars

File:Battlebeyondthestars 1919.jpg

Sador of the Malmori and his crew of Mutants roam the galaxy in a huge spaceship armed with a Steller Convertor, the most powerful weapon in the universe. When Sador claims the peaceful farming planet of Akir as a colony, young Shad volunteers to take Sapient Ship Nell and seek out mercenaries who are willing fight him. They find Gelt (a Professional Killer who just wants to live on a planet where no-one's trying to kill him), Space Trucker Cowboy of Earth, Nanelia (a Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter), Saint-Exmin of the Valkyrie (a warrior woman looking to prove herself in battle), Nestor (a Hive Mind seeking new experiences) and Caymen of the Lambda Zone, who'd like to settle accounts with Sador for destroying his species. Counting Shad that makes seven. Sound familiar?

After Star Wars became a surprise hit, studios rushed to cash in on the public's sudden hunger for 'Science Fiction' with a flood of bad Space Opera. Exploitation king Roger Corman had no intention of being left behind, but he showed more intelligence than most film executives by ripping off a good plot as well. When SFX companies presented outrageous quotes for their work, Corman took a leaf from George Lucas' book and created his own special effects (under the charge of James Cameron who got his 'big break' with this film, along with producer Gale Anne Hurd, composer James Horner and screenwriter -- later independent filmmaker -- John Sayles). Corman being Corman, he made sure to get his money's worth by recycling the Stock Footage in countless other low-budget sci-fi movies.

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The film provides examples of:

• Antagonist Title: In Germany, the film was titled Sador: Ruler of Space.
• Bittersweet Ending: Akir is saved but most of the mercenaries are killed.
• Better to Die Than Be Killed: Saint-Exmin's death.
• Casting Gag: Robert Vaughn as Gelt, the counterpart of Lee from The Magnificent Seven, played by ... Robert Vaughn.
  • The other one is George Peppard who was the first actor considered to play Vin in, you guessed it, The Magnificent Seven.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Kelvin communicate through waves of heat, while Nestor are a telepathic Hive Mind. Both abilities come in useful as weapons.
• Coming in Hot: Gelt's death.
• Cool Chair / Pirate Booty: We're introduced to Gelt sitting in a luxurious throne surrounded by overflowing chests of jewels. The irony is that he's living in poverty, as Gelt can't risk going to a civilised planet to spend his wealth.
• Cool Starship: Plenty of them, thanks to the work of James Cameron, who created a unique sound and appearance for each one.
• Deadpan Snarker: Nell, as she's none too impressed with her current wet-behind-the-ears pilot.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: The hero's space ship looks remarkably like the female reproductive system, with guns for ovaries. The production crew even referred to it as "the flying uterus." It also has breasts, in case you didn't notice.
• Earthshattering Kaboom: Averted as the Steller Convertor can turn your entire planet into a sun, but not blow it up. You're still dead though.
• Evil Hand: Sador finds out almost too late that a Nestor hand can be controlled by the Hive Mind even after it's been cut off and implanted onto his own arm. The surgeon is able to stop Sador from cutting his own throat by quickly chainsawing off the limb.
• Famous Last Words: Sador's last words as his ship blows up around him are a plaintive complaint that he wanted to live forever.
• Fan Disservice: Shad can't resist trying the Dial-A-Date service on a long abandoned planet. The screen displaying a sexy alien female rises to reveal a decaying but fully functional android.
• Fan of the Past: Cowboy enjoys watching old Western movies, and partakes of 20th century food and booze. Subverted when Nestor eats one of his 'hot dogs' and realises the meat is artificial.
• Hand Cannon: Check out the size of Gelt's laser pistol as he re-holsters it.
• Hitchhiker Heroes
• Hive Mind: Of the rare benevolent type. Nestor is an entire race that share the same consciousness.

Nestor: You see... There is only one Nestor, one consciousness. As you might imagine, this has proven very lonely and very dull. We must avoid becoming... we believe you have a phrase for it... becoming "bored to death."

• Huge Holographic Head: Sador delivering his ultimatum to Akir.
• Human Resources: Sador seeks Immortality via Serial Prostheses.

Kalo: Remember Bilko? He disobeyed orders, and now Lord Sador's wearing his foot.

• Insignificant Little Blue Planet: Cowboy proudly tells everyone he's from Earth but no one has ever heard of it.
• Kick the Dog: Sador destroys an unarmed weather satellite orbiting Akir. After delivering his ultimatum Sador orders his snipers to gun down random citizens simply to show he means business.
• Last of His Kind: Caymen.
• Love Interest: Nanelia for Shad. Cowboy hooks up with an Akiran girl too.
• Mad Scientist: Weapons manufacturer Dr. Hephaestus, though he's senile rather than evil. He does however have a beautiful daughter.
• The Magnificent Seven Samurai
• Magic Countdown: Averted by having Nell suffer battle damage which confuses her as to what part of the countdown she's at. She pulls herself together in the end though.
• Make Me Wanna Shout: The Sonic Tank, which emits a piercing tone that makes the Akiran soldiers bleed from the ears. Fortunately the Kelvin have no ears as they communicate through waves of heat.
• Mars Needs Women: Several different takes on this -- Shad finds himself being held captive by Nanelia's senile dad because he wants them to make babies. Later Caymen cheerfully admits he could sell Nanelia for a good price...but it turns out he's going to sell her as food instead. Tembo and Kalo kidnap a bride and rape her; this backfires badly when they need to concentrate on fleeing from Gelt and she runs into the control room and starts pushing buttons at random.
• Most Common Superpower: St Exmin. Just...St Exmin.
• Recycled in Space: This film is clearly based on The Magnificent Seven. Also Cowboy as a Space Trucker and Space Western cowboy.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Caymen is a slaver with no interest in noble causes, or reluctance to feed captive women to carnivorous aliens. Fortunately Nanelia happens to drop Sador's name just in time.
• Self-Destruct Mechanism: Nell performs a Heroic Sacrifice to blow up the Stellar Convertor. Unfortunately her systems have been damaged so she keeps messing up the countdown.
• Space Pirates: We're first introduced to Cowboy being attacked by jackers who are blasting his ship with laser fire to wear down the shields, whereupon they'll blast him and steal his cargo. Cowboy responds by laconically calling for help and playing a Captivity Harmonica.
• Shoot the Messenger

Yago: [carrying a small bag] Our emissary has returned from Umateal. They have replied to our ultimatum. Sador: And? ...What's this? Yago: It WAS our emissary, sir. That is their reply to our ultimatum. They've...powdered him! [Sador throws the bag in a rage. A squicked Yago quickly brushes the powder off himself.] Yago: They are a proud form! Sador: In an hour they'll be an EXTINCT one! There'll not be a trace of them left... Not even their dust.

• Shout-Out: The planet Akir is a reference to Akira Kurosawa, and the original Seven Samurai.
• The Speechless: Caymen's minions -- the Kelvin only communicate through waves of heat, and Quopeg doesn't talk either.
• Surrounded by Idiots

Sador: What's WRONG is that I have an army full of GENETIC MISTAKES! Why can't my minions be sophisticated or intelligent, like... well, like ME? Yago: You can't expect all of us to measure up to *you*, Sir. Sador: Oh, don't flatter me! Those two probably slammed their ship into an asteriod or something.

• Torture Technician

Sador: This is Frojo, my Third Officer. Frojo is expert at inflicting pain...while keeping the victim alive. Nestor 2: It's good to have skills.

• Training the Peaceful Villagers: The mercenaries and Shad/Nell do all the fighting in space, but there's some ground fighting by Cowboy-trained Akirans too.
• Those Two Guys: Tembo and Kalo are left behind in a fighter to keep an eye on Akir.
• Unusual Euphemism: Some unforgettable dialogue from Saint-Exmin on what she'd like to do to the innocent Shad.

"I could do wonders for that boy! I would recharge his capacitators, stimulate his solonoid; tingle, dingle, dangle, prangle his transistors! You know: Sex!"

• Utility Belt: Cowboy's belt dispenses a belt, e.g. Scotch, soda and ice. A practical man!
• Wedding Smashers: When Tembo and Kalo become bored with their guard duty over Akir, they disrupt a wedding to steal the bride.
• Wretched Hive: Subverted when Shad lands on a planet notorious for its Hired Guns and criminal element, only to find the local planets have raised an army and cleaned it out. As Gelt puts it: "We made them nervous."
• You Owe Me: After Shad and Nell rescue him from jackers, Cowboy has no problem with dropping off his cargo of weapons on Akir (after all, his customers have just been wiped out by Sador) but Shad plays this card to make sure Cowboy stays behind to teach the locals how to use them.