Greetings Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier from Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada.
This wonderful teenage sci-fi movie was released in 1984. It was directed by Nick Castle. It was written by Jonathan R. Betuel. The cast includes Kay E. Kuter as Enduran, Lance Guest as Alex Rogan, Dan Mason as Lord Kril, Dan O'Herlihy as Grig, Catherine Mary Stewart as Maggie Gordon, Chris Herbert as Louis Rogan, Robert Preston as Centauri, Norman Snow as Xur, and more.
Grig: Death is a primitive concept; I prefer to think of them as battling evil - in another dimension!
Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada are at war with the Star League. The Star League is desperate to find capable starfighters who can defend it and the peaceful planets within its boarders. Centauri, a resourseful and inventive recruiter, includes Earth in this search. But to find humans with the right skills Centauri created a video game to test humans rather then announce the existence of other life forms to the whole human race. One such game ends up in a trailer park that is the home of Alex Rogan. Alex wants nothing more then to escape the trailer park and plays the video game to "get away" often. Finally he beats in and later that day Centauri arrives to tell him about the game being a test and he wants to recruit him to join the Star League. On Centauri's tail is a Ko-Dan spy! Now Alex's life is in danger if he doesn't go. So as not to raise the suspicions of this family and friends a robot, Beta, is left in Alex's place to assume his role on Earth. Quickly Alex is thrust into a strange place and asked to help fight a war that he didn't start. He is overwhelmed and rejects the war and asks to be returned. While he is being returned to earth the Star League's Command Center is destroyed and so is their entire army. On earth the Ko-Dan spy learns the robot is not the real Alex and transmits to the Armada that there is still one Last Starfighter on Earth. Alex must stop Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada if he is to save his family and Earth. Alex once more goes into space, this time he must defend the Star League in the last remaining starship with only his navigator Grig to help. He is The Last Starfighter.
Centauri: I'm not here for cigarettes or bubblegum, my boy.
Damn I liked this movie. The special effects where very cool for the day. While the movie wasn't inventive it was enjoyable and what kid into sci-fi and video games hasn't had the same daydream. Sure some of the dialog is cheesy, sure it borrowed some concepts, but it was a damn fun movie.