Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
Encyclopedia
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin is a 1985 animated movie. It was written by animation writer Jeffrey Scott and was originally released in 3-D
by Atlantic Releasing
. Starchaser was one of the first animated movies to mix traditional and computer animation. It is the only 3-D film distributed by Atlantic Releasing
. Anthony De Longis
played the evil Lord Zygon.
s (which are used as starship fuel) for a "god
" named Zygon and his robot
minions. During another day of mining, Orin, the hero of the film, finds a jeweled sword
embedded in the rocks. One of the slaves, the grandfather of Orin's girlfriend Elan, recognizes the sword and sacrifices his life in order to keep the sword a secret. When Orin later takes the sword into his hands, it ascends into the air and buries itself in the cavern's floor. A projection of an old man appears from the blade, saying that above the caverns is a "magnificent universe
" that the people may find. The blade then disappears, leaving only the hilt.
Forced to leave Orin's younger, blinded brother Calli behind, Orin and Elan embark to discover the said universe and find the blade to the sword. They eventually emerge from the mines inside a military base, where they meet Zygon, who reveals that he is not a god, but actually hides the face of a human man under his mask. Zygon kills Elan, but Orin escapes this fate when the sword hilt distracts Zygon. When Zygon's robots fire on him, they strike a crystal deposit, and in the resultant explosion
Orin is hidden from Zygon and presumed dead. Thereafter, Orin digs a tunnel to the surface of Trinia, where he is later captured by Man-Droids, a group of decaying half-organic, half-robotic beings
who intend to tear him apart and use his body parts to replace their own. Unexpectedly, his sword's hilt produces what is apparently an invisible blade, killing two of the Man-Droids and helping Orin escape. Orin subsequently runs into a human smuggler named Dagg Dibrimi, who takes Orin (whom he dubs "Water Snake" for his outrageous tale about human slaves in the mines) along on his journey to smuggle crystals. Eventually, Dagg seizes a load of crystals from a hovering freighter, but is driven away by Zygon and his robotic guards. During the fight, Dagg seizes a Fembot and uses it as a shield from laser blasts. Subsequently re-programmed by Dagg, this Fembot, named Silica, becomes attached to him. During that time, a mysterious "Starfly" appears and bonds with Orin.
Dagg flies the Starchaser to a city called Toga-Togo on the planet Bordogon, where he abandons Orin and gives Silica to a slave auctioneer. Orin wanders through the city, trying to find a clue that will lead him to the location of the hilt's blade. Just then, Orin meets a fortune-teller, who tells him to visit a place called Novaluna. Later, Orin sees Silica offered for sale, whereupon he offers high prices to buy her. When the auctioneer finds that Orin has no knowledge of local currency, he takes Orin's freedom in addition to Silica's; but Dagg, moved by his own conscience
, frees them. Later, Dagg and Orin visit the home of two desert-dwelling merchants, to whom Dagg sells the stolen crystals. Because Zygon has placed a price on Orin's head, the merchants offer to buy Orin as well, but Dagg refuses. In response, the merchants place a time bomb
in Dagg's payment. Orin is forewarned by the Starfly, whereupon Dagg and Arthur throw the money and bomb into their enemies' camp. Thereafter Dagg agrees to take Orin to Novaluna, but they are shot down by Zygon's robotic soldiers. Dagg is captured and the ship is rendered inactive; Orin is thrown clear of the ship but is rescued by Aviana, the daughter of Bordogon's Governor.
Upon having woken and met Aviana, Orin tells her his story, whereupon Aviana's computer reveals that the hilt has historically been used by a group of legendary guardians called the Ka-Khan to vanquish threats to humanity. Among these threats was a tyrant
called Nexus, after whose defeat the hilt vanished until Orin's discovery of it. Aviana takes Orin to Trinia, where he again faces Zygon. Orin attempts to kill Zygon for Elan's death and thereby exposes him as a robot. Zygon then reveals that he is Nexus, seeking again to rule over humanity with his army of robots. Zygon takes Orin's hilt and begins to co-ordinate the attack, while Orin and Aviana are imprisoned in the cell block wherein Dagg is also captive. Just as Orin and Aviana confess their feelings toward one another, Aviana is taken aboard Zygon's flagship as a hostage
. Orin is again approached by the Starfly, who brings him the hilt, which he uses to free himself and Dagg. They enter Zygon's flagship and take control of it, using it (again aided by the Starfly) to destroy the enemy fleet. They are rejoined by Silica, who has restored the Starchaser.
Orin and his friends penetrate Zygon's base, but are attacked by his remaining troops. While Dagg and Silica stay behind to fight off their pursuers, Orin enters his original cavern home and begins to denounce Zygon, but is interrupted by Zygon himself. They fight, resulting in Orin dangling over a chasm while Zygon gloats over him. As Orin hangs over the chasm, three Starflies appear and merge into one; but instead of giving him the hilt at his request, it states that he has no need of the hilt, adding that "there never was a blade". Orin therefore realizes that the power to create a cutting force
came from himself. At this, he pulls himself up, generates such a force, and uses it to kill Zygon. Orin's people subsequently rise in revolt and win their freedom.
Above, Silica mistakenly causes the accumulated crystals to explode, triggering a chain reaction which threatens to collapse the caverns. Orin then uses the hilt to open a fissure by which his people ascend to Trinia's surface, where Orin uses his new-found power to heal Calli of his blindness. Dagg, Silica, and Aviana join Orin and his people there. Moments later, several Starflies reveal themselves to be the spirits of the past Ka-Khan, including the elder man of the hilt's projection. They invite Orin to join them; but he refuses for the time being in favor of living with his friends. Thereafter the other Ka-Khan leave him to merge with the star
s.
.
The film was released in the United States by Atlantic Releasing
on November 22, 1985. Spending at least 17 days in theaters, it made US$1,614,660 on its opening weekend and US$3,360,800 overall, making it #6 in the box office. The film did not fare well in South Korea, where animation production took place.
Starchaser was released on VHS
and Laserdisc
in 1986 by Paramount Pictures
, and also by KVC Home Video. The DVD
was released on June 21, 2005 by MGM.
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
by Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974...
. Starchaser was one of the first animated movies to mix traditional and computer animation. It is the only 3-D film distributed by Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974...
. Anthony De Longis
Anthony De Longis
Anthony Charles De Longis is an American actor, stuntman, and choreographer.-Career:*De Longis is well known for his recurring role during the first two seasons of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, as First Maje Jal Culluh, leader of the Kazon-Nistrim.*A very experienced swordsman, he is also...
played the evil Lord Zygon.
Plot
The film is set millennia in the future. On a distant planet named Trinia, human slaves have lived underground for many years and mine for crystalCrystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s (which are used as starship fuel) for a "god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" named Zygon and his robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
minions. During another day of mining, Orin, the hero of the film, finds a jeweled sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
embedded in the rocks. One of the slaves, the grandfather of Orin's girlfriend Elan, recognizes the sword and sacrifices his life in order to keep the sword a secret. When Orin later takes the sword into his hands, it ascends into the air and buries itself in the cavern's floor. A projection of an old man appears from the blade, saying that above the caverns is a "magnificent universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
" that the people may find. The blade then disappears, leaving only the hilt.
Forced to leave Orin's younger, blinded brother Calli behind, Orin and Elan embark to discover the said universe and find the blade to the sword. They eventually emerge from the mines inside a military base, where they meet Zygon, who reveals that he is not a god, but actually hides the face of a human man under his mask. Zygon kills Elan, but Orin escapes this fate when the sword hilt distracts Zygon. When Zygon's robots fire on him, they strike a crystal deposit, and in the resultant explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
Orin is hidden from Zygon and presumed dead. Thereafter, Orin digs a tunnel to the surface of Trinia, where he is later captured by Man-Droids, a group of decaying half-organic, half-robotic beings
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
who intend to tear him apart and use his body parts to replace their own. Unexpectedly, his sword's hilt produces what is apparently an invisible blade, killing two of the Man-Droids and helping Orin escape. Orin subsequently runs into a human smuggler named Dagg Dibrimi, who takes Orin (whom he dubs "Water Snake" for his outrageous tale about human slaves in the mines) along on his journey to smuggle crystals. Eventually, Dagg seizes a load of crystals from a hovering freighter, but is driven away by Zygon and his robotic guards. During the fight, Dagg seizes a Fembot and uses it as a shield from laser blasts. Subsequently re-programmed by Dagg, this Fembot, named Silica, becomes attached to him. During that time, a mysterious "Starfly" appears and bonds with Orin.
Dagg flies the Starchaser to a city called Toga-Togo on the planet Bordogon, where he abandons Orin and gives Silica to a slave auctioneer. Orin wanders through the city, trying to find a clue that will lead him to the location of the hilt's blade. Just then, Orin meets a fortune-teller, who tells him to visit a place called Novaluna. Later, Orin sees Silica offered for sale, whereupon he offers high prices to buy her. When the auctioneer finds that Orin has no knowledge of local currency, he takes Orin's freedom in addition to Silica's; but Dagg, moved by his own conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
, frees them. Later, Dagg and Orin visit the home of two desert-dwelling merchants, to whom Dagg sells the stolen crystals. Because Zygon has placed a price on Orin's head, the merchants offer to buy Orin as well, but Dagg refuses. In response, the merchants place a time bomb
Time bomb
A time bomb is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use time bombs has been for various purposes ranging from insurance fraud to warfare to assassination; however, the most common use has been for politically-motivated terrorism.-Construction:The explosive charge is the main...
in Dagg's payment. Orin is forewarned by the Starfly, whereupon Dagg and Arthur throw the money and bomb into their enemies' camp. Thereafter Dagg agrees to take Orin to Novaluna, but they are shot down by Zygon's robotic soldiers. Dagg is captured and the ship is rendered inactive; Orin is thrown clear of the ship but is rescued by Aviana, the daughter of Bordogon's Governor.
Upon having woken and met Aviana, Orin tells her his story, whereupon Aviana's computer reveals that the hilt has historically been used by a group of legendary guardians called the Ka-Khan to vanquish threats to humanity. Among these threats was a tyrant
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
called Nexus, after whose defeat the hilt vanished until Orin's discovery of it. Aviana takes Orin to Trinia, where he again faces Zygon. Orin attempts to kill Zygon for Elan's death and thereby exposes him as a robot. Zygon then reveals that he is Nexus, seeking again to rule over humanity with his army of robots. Zygon takes Orin's hilt and begins to co-ordinate the attack, while Orin and Aviana are imprisoned in the cell block wherein Dagg is also captive. Just as Orin and Aviana confess their feelings toward one another, Aviana is taken aboard Zygon's flagship as a hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
. Orin is again approached by the Starfly, who brings him the hilt, which he uses to free himself and Dagg. They enter Zygon's flagship and take control of it, using it (again aided by the Starfly) to destroy the enemy fleet. They are rejoined by Silica, who has restored the Starchaser.
Orin and his friends penetrate Zygon's base, but are attacked by his remaining troops. While Dagg and Silica stay behind to fight off their pursuers, Orin enters his original cavern home and begins to denounce Zygon, but is interrupted by Zygon himself. They fight, resulting in Orin dangling over a chasm while Zygon gloats over him. As Orin hangs over the chasm, three Starflies appear and merge into one; but instead of giving him the hilt at his request, it states that he has no need of the hilt, adding that "there never was a blade". Orin therefore realizes that the power to create a cutting force
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...
came from himself. At this, he pulls himself up, generates such a force, and uses it to kill Zygon. Orin's people subsequently rise in revolt and win their freedom.
Above, Silica mistakenly causes the accumulated crystals to explode, triggering a chain reaction which threatens to collapse the caverns. Orin then uses the hilt to open a fissure by which his people ascend to Trinia's surface, where Orin uses his new-found power to heal Calli of his blindness. Dagg, Silica, and Aviana join Orin and his people there. Moments later, several Starflies reveal themselves to be the spirits of the past Ka-Khan, including the elder man of the hilt's projection. They invite Orin to join them; but he refuses for the time being in favor of living with his friends. Thereafter the other Ka-Khan leave him to merge with the star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s.
Cast
- Joe Colligan - Orin
- Carmen ArgenzianoCarmen ArgenzianoCarmen Antimo Argenziano is an American actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and around 100 television movies or episodes....
- Dagg - Anthony De LongisAnthony De LongisAnthony Charles De Longis is an American actor, stuntman, and choreographer.-Career:*De Longis is well known for his recurring role during the first two seasons of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, as First Maje Jal Culluh, leader of the Kazon-Nistrim.*A very experienced swordsman, he is also...
- Zygon / Nexus - Noelle North - Elan / Aviana
- Les TremayneLes TremayneLes Tremayne was a radio, film, and television actor. Born Lester Tremayne in England, he moved with his family at the age four to Chicago, where he began in community theatre. He danced as a vaudeville performer and worked as amusement park barker...
- Arthur - Daryl Bartley - Kallie
- Tyke Caravelli - Silica
- Tina Romanus - Aunt Bella
- John Moschitta Jr. - Z'Gork
Production
Produced in 1984, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin was the world's first animated project to be made in the 3D format3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
.
Release
Atlantic Releasing
Atlantic Entertainment Group, also known as Atlantic Releasing Corporation was an independent film production and distribution company founded by Tom Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt in 1974...
on November 22, 1985. Spending at least 17 days in theaters, it made US$1,614,660 on its opening weekend and US$3,360,800 overall, making it #6 in the box office. The film did not fare well in South Korea, where animation production took place.
Starchaser was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
in 1986 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, and also by KVC Home Video. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on June 21, 2005 by MGM.