In 1985, there was still a ravenous hunger for anything that vaguely reminded people of the original Star Wars, but the films that attempted to meet this need were all over the place. The most obvious rip-offs came out quickly, with the shlocky 1978 film Starcrash probably the most infamous. But weirder derivations emerged in the 1980s, and the nearly-forgotten animated film Starchaser: The Legend of Orin is, without a doubt, the oddest and most unsettling.
Released 40 years ago, Starchaser took vague story beats from Star Wars and gave them a decidedly seedy quality. Was this animated movie for kids? For science fiction buffs? For anyone? Here’s how to approach Starchaser today, if you dare.
