The Last Starfighter FAQ
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THE LAST STARFIGHTER: THE MOVIE 1.0) MAIN FILM
CREDITS
- Cast (complete As Far As I Know)
- Written by
- Cinematography by
- Music by
- Production Design by
- Costume Design by
- Film Editing by
- Produced by
- Other crew
1.1) PLOT SUMMARY
He's got one extraordinary chance at the dream of
a lifetime.
Alex Rogan is a small-town teenager with big-time
dreams. He's just like everyone else, except Alex
has a very special talent...
Tonight, a mysterious stranger will call on Alex.
He comes from a galaxy that's under attack by an
alien force. And Alex's unique ability is their
last hope.
Transcribed from the cover of the novelization,
written by Alan Dean Foster
Can a teenager from a trailer park in the
sticks find happiness as an intergalactic warrior?
That's the premise of THE LAST STARFIGHTER, a magical
adventure starring Robert Preston, Dan O'Herlihy, and
two of today's most exciting young stars, Lance Guest
and Catherine Mary Stewart.
It's the story of an alien scalawag (Robert Preston)
who recruits a whiz kid at the video game, Starfighter,
to fight outer space wars to save the universe.
Besides appealing characters and an intriguing plot,
THE LAST STARFIGHTER features production design by Ron
Cobb of ALIEN, STAR WARS and CONAN THE BARBARIAN fame,
plus computer generated special effects that go far
beyond anything ever seen on film.
Transcribed from the back of the video box.
1.2) MAIN FILMOGRAPHY or ``WHAT ELSE HAS XXXXX DONE?''
1.20) Lance Guest's filmography (unabridged)
PROGRAM DATE CHARACTER
Hart to Hart Returns (1993) (TV) .... Peter McDowell
``Favorite Son'' (1988) (mini) TV Series .... Ross
Wizard of Loneliness, The (1988) .... John T.
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) .... Michael
Confessions of a Married Man (1984) (TV)
Just the Way You Are (1984) .... Jack
Last Starfighter, The (1984) .... Alex Rogan
Roommate, The (1984) (TV) .... Orson Ziegler
I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982) .... Gordon
Halloween II (1981) .... Jimmy
``Knots Landing'' (1979) TV Series .... Steve Brewer (1990-)
``Lou Grant'' (1977) TV Series .... Lance (1981-82)
1.21) Dan O'Herlihy's filmography (abridged)
PROGRAM DATE CHARACTER
Web TV Comercial Magnavox (1996) .... N/A
Love, Cheat & Steal (1993) (TV) .... Hamilton Fisk
``Twin Peaks'' (1990) TV Series.... Andrew Packard
Robocop 2 (1990) .... Old Man
Robocop (1987) (as Daniel O'Herlihy) .... The Old Man (Head OCP)
Last Starfighter, The (1984) .... Grig
``Whiz Kids'' (1983) TV Series .... Carson Marsh (1984)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1983) .... Conal Cochran
MacArthur (1977) .... President Franklin D. Roosevelt
100 Rifles (1969) .... Grimes
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1952) .... Robinson Crusoe
Kidnapped (1948)
Macbeth (1948) .... Macduff
1.22) Catherine Mary Stewart's filmography (abridged)
PROGRAM DATE CHARACTER
Number One Fan (1995) .... Holly Newman
Out of Annie's Past (1995) (TV) .... Annie
Samurai Cowboy (1993) (TV)
Sea Wolf, The (1993) (TV) .... Flaxen Brewster
``Hearts Are Wild'' (1992)TV Series .... Kyle Hubbard
Cafe Romeo (1992) .... Lis
Weekend at Bernie's (1989) .... Gwen Saunders
World Gone Wild (1988) .... Angie
Cherry 2000 (1987)
Nightflyers (1987) .... Miranda
Annihilator (1986) (TV) .... Angela Taylor
``Hollywood Wives'' (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Angel Hudson
Mischief (1985) .... Bunny
Last Starfighter, The (1984) .... Maggie Gordon
Night of the Comet (1984) .... Regina
Nighthawks (1981) .... Sales Girl
``Days of Our Lives'' (1965) TV Series .... Kayla Brady
1.23) Robert Preston's filmography (abridged)
PROGRAM DATE CHARACTER
Outrage! (1986) (TV) .... Dennis Riordan
Finnegan Begin Again (1985) (TV) .... Mike Finnegan
Last Starfighter, The (1984) .... Centauri
September Gun (1983) (TV)
Rehearsal for Murder (1982) (TV)
Victor/Victoria (1982) .... Toddy
S.O.B. (1981) .... Dr. Irving Finegarten
Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, The (1980) (TV) .... Mr. Stranger
``The Chisholms'' (1979) (mini)TV Series .... Hadley Chisholm
Semi-Tough (1978) .... Big Ed Bookman
My Father's House (1975) (TV)
Mame (1974) .... Beauregard
Island of Love (1963)
How the West Was Won (1962) .... Roger Morgan
Music Man, The (1962) .... Harold Hill
1.24) (Director) Nick Castle's filmography (unabridged)
Director filmography
Mr. Wrong (1996)
Major Payne (1994)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Tap (1989)
Boy Who Could Fly, The (1986)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982)
Writer filmography
Hook (1991) (story)
Tap (1989)
Boy Who Could Fly, The (1986)
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982)
Escape from New York (1981)
Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979)
1.25) (Writer) Jonathan R. Betuel's filmography (unabridged)
Writer filmography
Theodore Rex (1995) ... aka T. Rex (1995)
My Science Project (1985)
Last Starfighter, The (1984)
Director filmography
Theodore Rex (1995) ... aka T. Rex (1995)
My Science Project (1985)
1.3) Q: WHAT DOES THE GAME SPEECH SAY WHEN YOU INSERT A QUARTER?
A: From the Film ``Greetings, Starfighter!
You have been recruited by the Star League to
defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan
armada.''
1.4) Q: DID THE OTHER GUNSTARS IN THE HANGER HAVE DEATHBLOSSOM?
A: No. Alex's Gunstar was a prototype. It had...
``...greater range, more power and a slight weapons
modification... and of course she has deflector
plating so she can withstand several direct hits."
And... "...Deathblossom, a weapon of last resort!''
1.5) Q: IS ROBERT PRESTON (CENTAURI) DEAD?
A: Sadly, yes. Robert Preston passed away in 1987.
1.6) Q: WHAT VERSIONS OF THE FILM ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE?
A: The video is currently available from MCA/Universal
Home Video, for the retail price of $16.99
The English Language Laserdisk version is also
available, but only in the pan-and-scan version.
UPDATE: 1/21/97
A2: There is a Japanese import laserdisk of The
Last Starfighter that is in widescreen/Letterbox
format. It is still in English, and subtitled in
Japanese across the bottom of the black Letterboxing.
Sadly, I do not know where you can find the film.
I would suggest a company that does a lot of import
video and laserdisks such as Japanese Anime.
1.7 Q: ARE THERE ANY PLACES TO FIND SOUNDS?
A: The EARchives have disappeared and I have not located another site.
1.8 The Last Starfighter TRIVIA!!!
-- You may have recognized the actor who plays the part
of the "Hitchhiker," Marc Alaimo. He's a recurring actor in the
Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and he's
frequently seen as the Cardassian Gul Dukat on ST: DS9.
-- And yes, the Wil Wheaton listed as "Louis' Friend" in the
credits is also a ST: Next Generation alumni, Wesley Crusher.
I wonder if he didn't have a bigger part, but possibly his
scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, since his total
screen time is less than 60 seconds in the finished film.
(I know, I've timed it. :} )
-- Computer Trivia will end up here when I get around to doing it.
2) THE LAST STARFIGHTER: THE GAME
2.0) Q: WAS THERE REALLY AN ARCADE GAME?
A: Yes and No. In the spring of 1995 I called Atari
Games on an unrelated matter (trying to find an old
instruction manual for an arcade game) and asked the same
question.
The representative I talked to said that the game
was created, and test marketed in a limited fashion, but
never went into mass production, largely because of the
glut in movie related games at the time, and the fact
that Atari had lost a great deal of money paying licensing
fees for their previous movie related games (Star Wars,
TESB, Indiana Jones/Temple of Doom...).
Around this time, Atari was also losing millions
because of "The Crash" of the home gaming market,
so that may have been an additional nail in Starfighter's
coffin.
Well, Very short and to the point. I wish he'd answered some of
my other questions, but beggars can't be choosers.
Update!
The Mystery Solved!
I recently was able to contact Lyle Rains
(formerly of
Atari Games, now with Leisure Video
Research) and
Mike Albaugh (currently of Atari Games :}).
They have graciously (and for me, sadly) solved
the mystery of The Last Starfighter arcade game.
From: Mike Albaugh
Subject: Re: Last Starfighter
To: WAYLAND@VAX1.BEMIDJI.MSUS.EDU
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 16:57:23 -0800 (PST)
Our ``Postmaster'' sent this out:
>I received this mail sent to "postmaster" (as I am he).
>Anyone care to answer?
> At the end of the film, in the credits of course, it says that
> the arcade games were supplied by Atari. I, and a great many
> of the people I know, have never seen the real, "Last Starfighter"
> arcade game.
To the best of my knowledge, _nobody_ ouside Atari or the
consultant (Ted Michon, of General Magic) who designed the video
hardware, or the film company, ever saw the Last Starfighter game.
It not only was never produced, it did not make it to field-test.
> If possible, I'd like any information you could provide about the game.
> I have "spoken" via e-mail with Nolan Bushnell and his answers were quite
> brief, and only confirmed what we already knew, that the game never made
> it into mass production.
>
> 1) Was The Last Starfighter an X-Y vector game, or a
> raster game?
Raster, I believe Medium Res (512x384), but it might have
been standard-res. Color.
> 2) How many units were actually produced? 5, 10, 1000?
One prototype set of electronics. No actual cabinet. The
electronics consisted of a set of wire-wrap boards. The video was
designed by Ted Michon. The "Math box" was designed by me
and programmed by Jack Ritter.
> 3) What kind of controls did it use? A flight yoke similar to the
> Star Wars XY game? Joysticks?
Flight-yoke, originally designed for the military version of
BattleZone, later used on Star Wars.
> 4) What was the basic gameplay like? Was it a scrolling shooter,
> like Raiden, Sky Shark or 1942? Or was it a simulator style
> like the XY Star Wars?
More like the Star-Wars game, although it didn't have the
performance it needed be be so involving, and the needed enhancments
would have driven its already too-high cost _way_ too high. If the
movie had been a real block-buster, it _might_ have been worth making
a few for promotional purposes, but...
From: Mike Albaugh
Subject: Re: Last Starfighter
To: WAYLAND@VAX1.BEMIDJI.MSUS.EDU (Wayland DeGreene)
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 08:29:36 -0800 (PST)
First a correction. I wrote Ted Michon, of General Magic.
That was a brain-slip. It should have been of Technical Magic.
> Do you know if the original source code still exists
> for the game? Given the recent explosion of ``non-professional''
> arcade game emulators out there now, and with modern computer
> hardware as advanced as it is, it might be fun to see an
> emulation of The Last Starfighter.
I doubt it would be of interest, _if_ you could read it. Game
code from that time is archived on nine-track (6250 or 1600 BPI)
Magnetic tape in VMS BACKUP format.
_If_ we could find the specific tape, and _if_we could
scounge up a nine-track drive to hook to one of our current
machines and _if_ we could also scrounge software to read
the archive, then what you would get is 68000 and TMS32010
assembly code for a _very_twisty (and ill-documented, even at the
time) hardware.
_If_ you persevered anyway, you would eventually
have a very preliminary game that played much like Star Wars,
but on a raster screen with ships that looked something like those
in the movie. Oh yeah, it would be slow and a little flakey.
What killed the project was the realization that it
would take more time and money to get a playable game than we
really had.
About the only really interesting bit for _me_ would be
to find the original 3D data describing the objects in the game.
Again, I have my doubts, but maybe one of the guys who
was more involved with the game has photos. If I had the kind of
time and money it would take to actually reproduce the hardware
and software to take screen-shots today, I'd spent it on a nice
house, and my _current_house cost about $500K :-)
Mike
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 15:21:14 -0800
To: Wayland@vax1.bemidji.msus.edu
From: Lyle Rains
Subject: Last Starfighter
A few months into the project, several troubling things
happened. First,the guys who did the hardware had a falling out
with each other, and the design engineer left the subcontractor's
company. So the ability to correct the remaining design problems
and put the electronics into production was severely hampered.
Next, old Atari Inc. was coming apart. This was the time
of the huge losses incurred by Atari in the consumer and computer
businesses, which ended with Warner Communications selling almost
everything but the Coin-op Division to Jack Tramiel.
The Last Starfighter movie had already been released, and
was far from the huge commercial success aniticipated. Also, the
arcade games business was poor, with a huge amount of used equipment
on the market, and little sales of new equipment.
Finally, the Coin-op division was also on the auction block,
and Warner Communications agreed to eat certain costs in order to
make the division more attractive. One such cost was the $1 million
guarantee in Last Start Fighter royalties which old Atari Inc. had
incurred.
It was decided that since the hardware was a problem, and
would result in avery expensive product in a poor arcade market, and
since the movie had not been a huge hit, that the risks in continuing
the project (and possibly incurring the million-buck guarantee) were
imprudent.
Consequently, with little fanfare,and in an environment of fear
and loathing following several rounds of layoffs, the project was
killed. We may have designed a game cabinet for the movie (I don't
recall), but there was never an actual Last Starfighter game
completed beyond early prototypes.
After 21 years at Atari, I left 2 years ago. There are probably
only a couple of people left at Atari who would remember anything
about this game. And they probably don't know as much of the story
as I do. Almost none of the people who worked on the Last
Starfighter are still at the company.
Lyle Rains
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 09:20:11 -0800
To: Wayland DeGreene
From: Lyle Rains
Subject: RE: Last Starfighter
>Thank you for replying to my questions about the
>game, The Last Starfighter. It's nice to finally
>have some first hand recollections about the game,
>which has long been a source of speculation
>among my fellow arcade game collectors.
>Now all I have to do is find a Prototype boardset
>and I can die a happy man. :}
I happened to re-read the reply I sent you, and
I noticed that somehow, in the editing, I had deleted the
first few paragraphs of the message! Don't ask how, 'cuz
I have no idea!!
Anyway, besides a brief introduction, I had meant
to include a description of the game. It was going to be a
flat-shaded polygonal game, sort of like I, Robot (a few years
later). The game was going to start with shooting target
bouys and proceed to taking on the whole enemy armada single-handed
(just like the movie).
There was a button to push that would put you in
the berserker mode (star-blossom, or whatever it was called),
again, just as in the movie. I think we were even going to try
to implement the enemy mother ship, which was cutting a hole in
the frontier shield, but I don't think we ever got beyond a design
for it. The controls were going to be the same as Star Wars.
I also explained that the hardware was designed by an outside
company, while the programming was being done at Atari. I don't
believe any surviving prototype boards exist (but ya never know).
Lyle Rains
I'm STILL interested in buying one of the test/prototype arcade
games. Or if you don't want to sell, I'd be Very interested in
photos/video of the game. E-mail
Me if you want to sell one of these units.
Need not be in working condition!
2.1) Q: WAS THERE AN ATARI 2600 T.L.S. GAME?
A: There was at least was one in development, but the final
version of the gamecart never made it into mass production,
again due in part to the ``Crash'' of the home videogame market.
A version was also created for the Atari 5200 game system,
and the Atari 800 computer system. The prototypes of the game
contain a Last Starfighter intro, and graphics similar to the
ships from the movie. Gameplay involved fighting your way through
wave after wave of enemy ships, and then a final confrontation
with the with the command ship, which would then pound you into
infinity. :}
The prototype Last Starfighter game was suddenly renamed
and released as ``Star Raiders II'' in both cartridge and floppy
disk format for the 5200 console and Atari 800 computer systems.
The game has slightly changed graphics and an increased difficulty.
The TLS intro was also removed and replaced with an Atari corporate
logo.
Here's the Atari 2600 listing of the game.
Name Atari Rar Gr Pl Model No.
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Last Starfighter NR ? ? CX26134
Rar= rarity (Not Released), Gr=Graphics Pl=Playability
Update:11/1/99
A: Apparently there do exist commercial copies of The Last Starfighter
which were released for the old Atari 800 computers. I've
had many people e-mail me saying that they have a copy they
could send me if I wanted it. Actually, I'd be more interested
in a copy of the ARCADE roms if anyone has them. :}
2.2) Q: HAS T.L.S. EVER BEEN RELEASED FOR ANY OTHER GAME SYSTEMS/PLATFORMS?
A: Yes it has.
There was supposedly a version released for the 8 bit Nintendo
NES system. It's reported to be a scrolling shooter, in the same
style as Sky Shark, 1941, Raiden and others. That's the only
other version said to exist.
(Update:8/10/96)
A.1: The NES version of TLS is a _Terrible_ game. It's a side
scrolling shooter like the games mentioned above. The intro
says ``The Last Starfighter'' in a font like that used in the
film. It also contains an abridged version of the soundtrack
score. The high scores contain some _really_ bad mispellings
of the names (Xur is Zur, etc.) And that's about it.
Not worth buying, _or_ renting, unless you're a true die-hard
TLS fan. And maybe not even then...
Update:12/1/96
A.2: Chuck Cochems zaphod@majornet.com claims...
"It's just a renamed "Uridium".
I've played Uridium on the c64, and that "the
last starfighter" game I saw for it The NES Version
looked VERY familiar...
So, to sum up, the game is not a true Last Starfighter game
at all.
It is simply a conversion of a c64 game called Uridium.
I have no way of confirming these claims, So I'll just assume he's
Correct about the game. Either way, it's still a lousy game.
Addendum: 4/12/1997
Robin Harbron says...
> Hey, I like your FAQ an awful lot, it was brought up in
> RGVC Rec.Games.video.Classic, so I followed through.
> I'm a classic video game
> collector, a fan of TLS, but #1 a commodore 64 fan :)
> I've never seen the NES TLS game, but I've played the
> c64 game called Uridium. Nearly every c64 user over the
> years has played this game, and it is pretty much
> universally accepted as a massive classic. It was
> written by a fellow named Andrew Braybrook, who is highly
> esteemed by many :)
> Anyway, my point is, if TLS for NES is truly a conversion
> of Uridium, it must be a very bad one, as Uridium is truly
> brilliant. Or alternatively, perhaps Chuck didn't mean it
> was a conversion, but merely a similar game, one of the
> same "genre".
> Sorry if this isn't much use to you, I guess I just didn't
> like how it is sort of implied that Uridium stinks, when
> in fact just TLS on NES stinks. :)
OK, What I said was...
``I have no way of confirming these claims,
So I'll just assume he's correct about the game.
Either way, it's still a lousy game.''
What I meant to say was...
``I have no way of confirming these claims,
So I'll just assume he's correct about the game.
As far as I'm concened it was the wrong game to put
the Last Starfighter name on. The ships look _NOTHING_
like those in the film, not even remotely close. Putting
"The Last Starfighter" name on a Donkey Kong cart would
have done the same job. Taken by itself as a side
scrolling shooter, The 8 bit NES LSF is a decent game.
But as a representation of The LSF film, it doesn't
even come close to the mark.
Update: 8/10/96
A.3: Well, there was another version. Sort of.
FASA, (famous for the Battletech/Mechwarrior games)
produced a Last Starfighter Board game, where you
pilot your Gunstar through tunnels looking for things
to shoot at.
This game has been out of print since about 1985-86.
If anyone has a copy they want to sell, in decent shape,
E-mail me!
Last Starfighter: Tunnel Chase Game
Publisher : FASA
In print? : No
# players : 2-6
Plays best with: see comments
Ease of learn? : 5-10min
Avg. play time : 31-60min
Immed. replay : 3+/session
Longterm replay: Average
Format : Board
Genre : SciFi
Feel : Serious
Description : The two player game portrays the battle in
the asteroid in the movie _The Last Starfighter_.
(More than two players just gives different starting
conditions.)
The players have to attempt to outflank the other
player(s) through the tight quarters of an asteroid
full of tunnels while avoiding damage by being shot
and/or hitting walls.
Last one alive wins. The 'asteroid' is assembled from a
central hexagon (which is symetrical) and six surrounding
hexagons, so there are 720 possible asteroids'.
Comments : RE: Plays best with: That depends on what type of game
you want. 2 players gives a nice game of trying to outflank
the other player and get several good shots. With more
players, it devolves into a chaotic ruckus where you can't
afford to just pursue one other player.
3) THOSE WHO HELPED WITH INFO FOR THE FAQ...
Here's the names of the intrepid souls who donated knowledge to
this FAQ:
Lyle Rains, Formerly of Atari Games, now with Leisure Video Research
Mike Albaugh, Currently with Atari games (Thanks Mike!!)
Val Kartchner (val@cs.weber.edu) - TLS FASA Game Review
Chuck Cochems (zaphod@majornet.com) - Info on the NES/C-64 game.
Nolan Bushnell, Formerly of Atari Games.
Kevin Chase (vgr@clark.net) - The Atari 2600 gamecart list Located
at www.clark.net/pub/vgr/lists/plain/atari
The Internet Movie Database at:http://uk.imbd.com/Movie/
The internet newsgroups:
- Rec.Games.Video.Classic
- Rec.Games.Video.Atari
and
- Rec.Games.Video.Arcade.Collecting
The Deja-News Usenet News collection at: http://www.dejanews.com
3.1) ADDITIONS?
Do you have some info on The Last Starfighter that _NEEDS_ to be shared?
If so, send the info, along with your name and e-mail address to
me
with ``LAST STARFIGHTER SUBMISSIONS'' in the subject line. And thanks!
4) LEGAL MUMBO-JUMBO, ET AL...
The names of films, books, games, etc. mentioned in this work
are Copyright by the original copyright holders, and their inclusion
in this FAQ is not intended to be an infringement of those rights.
``The Last Starfighter FAQ'' is © 1996-1999 by
Russ Krook III
and may be freely distributed in it's original form as long
as this copyright notice remains intact, and the person distributing
this FAQ does not recieve monetary compensation, other than user
registration fees normally associated with the operation of an
electronic Bulletin Board Service.
All Other Rights Reserved.
This FAQ and any information contained therein may NOT be published in any
printed form, or distributed via CD-ROM/Magnetic media in
``best of'' or compilation disks without the express written
consent of the author wayland@paulbunyan.net.