Battle Beyond The Stars - Plot

Plot

The farmers of the peaceful planet Akir (named in honor of director Akira Kurosawa) are threatened by the space tyrant Sador and his army of mutants, the Malmori. Sador's huge ship carries a weapon called a "Stellar Converter", which literally turns planets into small suns. He threatens to use the Converter unless the planet submits to him when he returns in several days. Zed, the last Akira warrior, the "Star Corsairs", is old and nearly blind. He suggests they hire mercenaries to protect the planet. Lacking valuable resources, they can only offer food and shelter in payment. Unable to go himself, Zed offers his ship, which has an artificial Intelligence navigation and tactical computer named Nell, for the job if they can find a pilot. The ship is fast and well-armed but cannot defeat Sador alone. Shad, a young man who has piloted the ship and is well known to "Nell", volunteers for the recruiting mission. Shad takes off, unaware Sador left a fighter behind to watch over the planet. The mutants Kalo and Tembo pursue Shad, but he is able to outrun them and they return to Akir to continue watching.

Shad's first stop is the Hephaestus space station, which repairs androids. Expecting to find potential allies, Shad instead finds only two humans among the androids, Doctor Hephaestus (portrayed by Sam Jaffe) kept on life support and his beautiful daughter Nanelia. The doctor attempts to force Shad to mate with his daughter. He doesn't want to abandon his people, so Shad escapes, with Nanelia following in her own ship. Although she has no weapons, her computer systems are highly advanced and might be useful. The two split up to look for more mercenaries.

Shad comes across Space Cowboy, portrayed by George Peppard, from Earth. He is a spacegoing truck driver, who wears a Stetson hat, plays the harmonica and has a fondness for western films. Shad saves Cowboy and his ship, an armed star freighter, from several hijackers. Shad learns that Cowboy is late delivering a shipment of laserguns to a planet which, as they watch, Sador destroys with his weapon. Lacking the fuel to carry the weapons home, Cowboy offers to deliver them to Akir. Shad talks him into teaching the Akira to use the guns.

Shad then meets a set of five alien clones who share a group consciousness named Nestor. They admit their life is incredibly dull, since their whole race shares one mind. In order to be entertained, they have sent five members to join Shad's cause. Nestor does not need payment, saying they are completely self sufficient.

Back orbiting Akir, Kalo and Tembo observe a wedding ceremony being conducted by Shad's sister Mol. Their ship swoops down and beams Mol aboard before they return to orbit. Meanwhile, Shad stops at a planet known for its criminal activity. He discovers a nearly abandoned world being used as a hideout by Gelt (Robert Vaughn), a wealthy assassin who is so well known he can't show his face on any civilized planet. Gelt gladly offers his services in trade for the ability to live peacefully hiding among the Akira. Gelt's space ship is highly maneuverable and well armed.

Shad is then approached by Saint-Exmin, of the Valkyrie warriors. She is a pushy young girl looking to prove herself in battle. She pilots a small, barely armed, but extremely fast star ship. Shad finds her annoying and wishes she would go away, but she tags along.

While waiting for Shad's return, Nanelia had been captured by a reptilian slaver named Cayman. Cayman possesses a powerful old ship with an eclectic crew of aliens. She quickly recruits Cayman to their cause when he learns that they are looking for mercenaries to fight Sador. The only payment Cayman wants is Sador's head, since Sador's forces had destroyed Cayman's home world.

The fleet of seven ships return to Akir. In the orbiting Malmori fighter, Tembo is raping Mol when Kalo detects the approaching mercenaries. They try to escape, but their ship is destroyed by the pursuing Gelt. Shad takes the mercenaries down to the surface, but they are greeted with caution by the natives, who are not used to violent species. Eventually, Sador returns, but his fleet of fighters is intercepted by Shad and his new friends. In the opening battle, despite skillfully destroying several of Sador's ships, Gelt's ship is badly damaged by enemy fire. He is mortally wounded when his ship crashes. After Gelt dies, Shad orders the people to make a feast for Gelt and bury him in a place of honor. When the Akira ask why Shad explains that his agreement for Gelt's services was food and a home on Akir. Meanwhile, Cowboy and the Akiran natives, armed with his laser guns, fight off Sador's invading ground forces.

Sador survives an assassination attempt by one of the captured Nestors and launches all of his ships in retaliation against the planet. The Akira ground troops, lead by Cowboy, defeat Sador's army, but Zed is killed in the fighting. There is another huge space battle and the mercenaries' ships are being destroyed one by one. Cowboy, piloting his armed star freighter, leads a strafing run on Sador's flagship. Cowboy's ship is severely damaged and he quietly sits on the bridge playing his harmonica as his damaged ship tumbles into deep space.

However, the mercenaries are successful in destroying all of Sador's star fighers and the Stellar Converter, leaving only Sador's flagship. Shad and Nanelia, flying in Zed's Corsair, are captured by the flagship in a tractor beam. The pair escape in a lifepod after Shad orders Nell to activate the crippled Corsair's self-destruct program. The Corsair blows up, destroying Sador's ship. As Shad and Nanelia return to Akir, Nanelia despairs over the deaths of their friends. Shad tells her that the Akira believe that no one is truly dead when they are remembered and beloved by the living. The Akira will remember the sacrifices made by the mercenaries and honor them forever.