Get the latest gossip

45 Years Ago, the First Star Wars Ripoff was Stupid, Cheap, and Absurdly Fun

The late '70s alone saw countless 'Star Wars' rip-offs, but the first one out the door made up for its many shortcomings by being delightfully sleazy and ridiculous.

The dialog is often both badly dubbed and illogical (“Bysunset, I’ll be the new emperor!” goes one zinger, Cozzi appearing to forget the laws of outer space), and the performances run the gamut from daytime soap opera to pure pantomime, with the super-permed former child preacher Marjoe Gortner the most wooden offender as Stella’s Jedi-like partner-in-crime, Akton. Track down both his missing son, Prince Simon (a bouffant-haired, baby-faced, and unusually restrained David Hasselhoff), and the powerful secret weapon owned by his evil nemesis, Count Zarth Arn (Joe Spinell), and they’ll regain their freedom. Cue a series of increasingly perilous adventures in which they’re joined by Elle (Judd Hamilton), a C-3PO-esque figure who for some reason has a strong hillbilly accent, and Thor (Robert Tessier), an extra-terrestrial whose green complexion, in another clear sign of financial constraints, disappears below his chin.

Get the Android app