Message from Space

Message from Space is a film by Kinji Fukasaku, who would eventually do the film version of Battle Royale. It was released in 1978 as Japan's answer to Star Wars. Among the film's stars were Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow.

The peaceful people of the planet Jillucia are under the iron fisted rule of the Gavanas, whose emperor, Rokseia, is himself ruled by his mother (an old crone played by comedian Hideyo Amamoto in drag). Kido, leader of the Jillucians, sends out eight Liabe Holy Seeds (which look like glowing walnuts) to deep space, he then sends out his granddaughter Emeralida and her bodyguard Urocco to find those that the seeds have chosen to defend the Jillucians and defeat the Gavanas.

Among the ones that the Liabe Seeds have chosen are:

• Shiro and Aaron, two maverick rocket jockeys,
• Meia, a bored heiress,
• General Garuda (Morrow), a disgraced soldier,
• Beba-2, Garuda's loyal robot and Expy of R2D2,
• Prince Hans (Chiba), the Exiled former leader of the Gavanas.

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This film contains examples of:

• Cool Spaceship: The Heroes' ship, piloted by Meia to which Shiro and Aaron's fighters are connected to and said fighters can detach at a moment's notice.
• Defeat Equals Explosion: All the major enemies in Galactic Battle explode on defeat. One even tries to destroy a MacGuffin with his death explosion.
• Follow the Leader: Star Wars clones were rather common during the late 70s.
• Space Is Noisy: And How!
• Space Is an Ocean: The Jillucians' spacecraft is basically a galleon — In SPACE!
• Space Sailing: See Space Is an Ocean above.
• The Series: Uchu kara no messeji: Ginga taisen (Message from Space: Galactic Battle), known as San Ku Kaï in Europe.