Starchaser: The Legend of Orin: Difference between revisions
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Upon having woken and met Aviana, Orin tells her his story. Aviana's computer archive reveals some history about the bladless hilt, which has historically been used by a group of legendary heroes 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, her stubborn demeanor become determination as a result of learning about the injustice wrought upon Orin's people, takes Orin to Trinia, where he again faces Zygon, who is officially Trinia's Commissioner of Trade. Orin attempts to kill Zygon for Élan's death and exposes him as a robot. Zygon then reveals that he is Nexus reborn, seeking again to erect a tyranny over [[human|humanity]]. He has used the last millenia to gradually take over the galaxy by surreptitiously reprogramming robots into his army and enslaving the population of certain key planets, such as Trinia, who were the predecessors of Orin's people. By now, Zygon's forces have reached attack strength, and the last strike is already underway. Zygon takes Orin's hilt and begins to co-ordinate the attack. |
Upon having woken and met Aviana, Orin tells her his story. Aviana's computer archive reveals some history about the bladless hilt, which has historically been used by a group of legendary heroes 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, her stubborn demeanor become determination as a result of learning about the injustice wrought upon Orin's people, takes Orin to Trinia, where he again faces Zygon, who is officially Trinia's Commissioner of Trade. Orin attempts to kill Zygon for Élan's death and exposes him as a robot. Zygon then reveals that he is Nexus reborn, seeking again to erect a tyranny over [[human|humanity]]. He has used the last millenia to gradually take over the galaxy by surreptitiously reprogramming robots into his army and enslaving the population of certain key planets, such as Trinia, who were the predecessors of Orin's people. By now, Zygon's forces have reached attack strength, and the last strike is already underway. Zygon takes Orin's hilt and begins to co-ordinate the attack. |
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Orin and Aviana are imprisoned in the cell block wherein Dagg is also held captive. It is in this desperate moment that Orin and Aviana discover that they have grown intimately fond of each other, but then Aviana is then taken aboard Zygon's flagship as a hostage. Thereafter, 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 with some help |
Orin and Aviana are imprisoned in the cell block wherein Dagg is also held captive. It is in this desperate moment that Orin and Aviana discover that they have grown intimately fond of each other, but then Aviana is then taken aboard Zygon's flagship as a hostage. Thereafter, 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 with some help from the Starfly) to destroy the enemy fleet just as it prepares to launch its attack. They are also rejoined by Sillica and Arthur, who have managed to get the ''Starchaser'' back in working order. |
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Orin and his friends penetrate Zygon's base but are attacked by his remaining troops. While Dagg, Sillica and Arthur stay behind and try to fight off their pursuers, Orin and Aviana enter the Mine World and begin to denounce Zygon, but are interrupted by Zygon himself. They fight, resulting in Orin dangling over a chasm, while Zygon gloats over him. As Orin hangs over the chasm, the starfly appears again, but instead of giving him the hilt, as Orin requests, it states that he has no need of the hilt, since "there never was a blade". Orin therefore instinctively realizes that the power to create a cutting [[force]] came from himself. Resolute, he pulls himself up, creates a sword of pure force and uses it to kill Zygon. The Mine People then rise against the Mine Masters and fight their way to freedom. |
Orin and his friends penetrate Zygon's base but are attacked by his remaining troops. While Dagg, Sillica and Arthur stay behind and try to fight off their pursuers, Orin and Aviana enter the Mine World and begin to denounce Zygon, but are interrupted by Zygon himself. They fight, resulting in Orin dangling over a chasm, while Zygon gloats over him. As Orin hangs over the chasm, the starfly appears again, but instead of giving him the hilt, as Orin requests, it states that he has no need of the hilt, since "there never was a blade". Orin therefore instinctively realizes that the power to create a cutting [[force]] came from himself. Resolute, he pulls himself up, creates a sword of pure force and uses it to kill Zygon. The Mine People then rise against the Mine Masters and fight their way to freedom. |
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Revision as of 14:07, 27 January 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2008) |
| Starchaser: The Legend of Orin | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Hahn |
| Written by | Jeffrey Scott |
| Produced by | Steven Hahn |
| Starring | Dennis Alwood Carmen Argenziano Tyke Caravelli Joe Colligan Anthony De Longis Noelle North Les Tremayne |
| Edited by | Donald W. Ernst |
| Music by | Andrew Belling |
Production company | Young Sung Production Co. Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Theatrical: Atlantic Releasing DVD: MGM |
Release dates | United States: November 22, 1985[1] |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Box office | US$3,360,800[1] |
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.
Plot
The story, set millennia in our future, opens on the fictional planet Trinia, where in a network of subterranean caverns toils a population of human slaves, overseen by anthropomorphic robots known as Mine-Masters. These humans are led to believe that only their "Mine-World" exists; that above it is a hell more terrible than their present joyless lives; and that their overlord Zygon, who demands that they mine increasing numbers of Rubidimite, a volatile red crystal native to Trinia, is a messenger of their Gods.
The titlular character, Orin, is a young man dwelling under Zygon's theocracy. His most intimate friends are his brother Calli who was blinded by a whiplash across his face, their aged aunt, a young woman called Élan, and her grandfather. One day, while mining, Orin discovers a jewelled sword embedded in the rocks, whereupon ÉIan's grandfather sacrifices his own life to conceal this artefact from the Mine-Masters. As 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 Mine-World of Trinia is a "magnificent universe" that the people may find. The blade then disappears, leaving only the hilt.
Although Raimo, another miner, objects to the idea on religious grounds, Orin and Élan embark to discover the said universe. They are pursued by the Mine-Masters, from whom they escape by hiding in the automated car that brings excavated crystals to Zygon. To their surprise, they find beyond the barrier of fire through which Zygon enters their world a metallic building complex composed of technology. There, they are captured by robots, and Zygon reveals that beneath the demonic mask he has hitherto shown them is a face of a human man. Zygon kills Élan, but is then distracted by Orin's sword hilt. Orin escapes; when the robots fire their lasers at him, they inadvertently hit a Rubidimite deposit, and in the resultant explosion Orin is cut off from Zygon and presumed dead.
In time, Orin is able to dig his way up to the surface of Trinia. While exploring the new world, he is captured by Man-droids, a group of half-organic, half-robotic beings. These Man-droids intend to vivisect him and use his body parts to replace their own, which are decaying. 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 does not believe his story about human mine slaves and dubs him "Water Snake" for this outrageous tale. Also, a strange energy creature, a Starfly, appears, apparently bonding with Orin.
Because they are about to be attacked by a law-enforcement patrol, Dagg allows Orin to board his aerospace craft, the Starchaser, which is operated by the intelligent board computer Arthur. Dagg manages to purloin a load of Rubidimite crystals from the mine center, but is attacked by Zygon and his robot guards and is forced to flee. During the fight, Dagg seizes a Fembot — a robot built to look and act like a human woman, used to accomplish clerical tasks — and uses her as a shield. Subsequently re-programmed by Dagg, this Fembot, named Silica, becomes very fond of him.
Dagg flies the Starchaser to a city called Togo Togo, where he abandons Orin and gives Silica to a slave auctioneer. Orin then wanders through the city, trying to find a clue that will lead him to the location of the sword-hilt's vanished blade, which he believes is the essential factor by which to decide his people's fate. Orin gains a suggestion of dubious truth value from a fortune-teller, consisting of advice to visit a place called Nova Luna. 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 Rubidimite. 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 newly acquired money. Orin is forewarned by the Starfly, whereupon Dagg and Arthur throw the money and bomb back into their enemies' camp. Following that, Dagg agrees to take Orin to Nova Luna, but on their way they are shot down by Zygon's robotic soldiers. Dagg is captured and Arthur rendered inactive; Orin is thrown clear of the Starchaser, but is rescued by the daughter of the planet's Supreme Governor, Aviana, who is intrigued by him.
Upon having woken and met Aviana, Orin tells her his story. Aviana's computer archive reveals some history about the bladless hilt, which has historically been used by a group of legendary heroes 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, her stubborn demeanor become determination as a result of learning about the injustice wrought upon Orin's people, takes Orin to Trinia, where he again faces Zygon, who is officially Trinia's Commissioner of Trade. Orin attempts to kill Zygon for Élan's death and exposes him as a robot. Zygon then reveals that he is Nexus reborn, seeking again to erect a tyranny over humanity. He has used the last millenia to gradually take over the galaxy by surreptitiously reprogramming robots into his army and enslaving the population of certain key planets, such as Trinia, who were the predecessors of Orin's people. By now, Zygon's forces have reached attack strength, and the last strike is already underway. Zygon takes Orin's hilt and begins to co-ordinate the attack.
Orin and Aviana are imprisoned in the cell block wherein Dagg is also held captive. It is in this desperate moment that Orin and Aviana discover that they have grown intimately fond of each other, but then Aviana is then taken aboard Zygon's flagship as a hostage. Thereafter, 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 with some help from the Starfly) to destroy the enemy fleet just as it prepares to launch its attack. They are also rejoined by Sillica and Arthur, who have managed to get the Starchaser back in working order.
Orin and his friends penetrate Zygon's base but are attacked by his remaining troops. While Dagg, Sillica and Arthur stay behind and try to fight off their pursuers, Orin and Aviana enter the Mine World and begin to denounce Zygon, but are interrupted by Zygon himself. They fight, resulting in Orin dangling over a chasm, while Zygon gloats over him. As Orin hangs over the chasm, the starfly appears again, but instead of giving him the hilt, as Orin requests, it states that he has no need of the hilt, since "there never was a blade". Orin therefore instinctively realizes that the power to create a cutting force came from himself. Resolute, he pulls himself up, creates a sword of pure force and uses it to kill Zygon. The Mine People then rise against the Mine Masters and fight their way to freedom.
Above, however, Silica inadvertently causes the accumulated Rubidimite crystals to explode, triggering a chain reaction which threatens to collapse Mine World. Orin uses the hilt, charged with his power, to open a fissure, and the Mine People ascend to Trinia's surface, where Orin uses his new-found power to heal Calli of his blindness. Dagg, Silica, Arthur, and Aviana join Orin and his people in celebration, but then several Starflies arrive and reveal themselves to be the spirits of the past Ka-Khan, including the elder man from the hilt's projection. They invite Orin to join them, but Orin chooses to remain wtih his friends and family for the time being, and the other Ka-Khan leave him to merge with the stars.
Production
Produced in 1984, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin was the world's first animated project to be made in the 3D format.[2]
Release
The film was released in the United States by Atlantic Releasing on November 22, 1985.[1] Spending at least 17 days in theaters, it made US$1,614,660 on its opening weekend and US$3,360,800 overall.[1] The film did not fare well in South Korea, where animation production took place.[2]
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.
Reception
The New York Times described it as "such a brazen rip-off of George Lucas's Star Wars that you might think lawyers would have been called in".[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Box office information for Starchaser: The Legend of Orin". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ a b Lent, John A. (1999). Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad, and Sexy. Popular Press (University of Wisconsin Press). p. 48. ISBN 0-87972-779-9. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (1985-11-22). "Screen: 'Starchaser,' An Animated Space Tale" (Login required). The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2007-12-02.