The Last Starfighter

Where Star Wars went on to become a mega franchise, The Last Starfighter quietly faded in with the 80’s. It’s not as talked about these days compare to say Star Trek or the bitter rivalry between OT/PT fans and ST fans now. Instead, it was forgotten to time, only remembered for its aged CGI, an archaic and cheesy nature that abounded throughout the film. It was an incredibly simple, straightforward sci-fi flick that you can waste your Saturday morning on. Though I would imagine for those of us who have seen it, there is an endearing amount of heart, soul, and character that most films simply lack today. From the moment you turn it on, the musical triumph of the main theme blares through your speakers, thanks in part by Craig Safan who wanted to outdo Star Wars, as we are hurled past familiar planets until we find ourselves on Earth.

From there, we meet Alex Rogan, a teenage boy from a trailer park going about his daily chores and finding that he was not accepted for a scholarship, he fears he would be forever stuck in the trailer park. Believing that his dreams of escaping the trailer park life is dead, and seeing that his girl would soon be leaving for a university makes Alex fear that he too would lose her to the real world. Retreating to his favorite game featured on a arcade cabinet, Starfighter, Alex battles against the onslaught of the Ko-Dan Armada. He ultimately wins, scoring the top leaderboard with the crowd of people of the trailer park cheering him on. Enjoying the brief celebration, the crowd disappears back to the trailer, forcing Alex to the forefront to the real world and again to the idea that he would never get out of here. Soon the real adventure begins with the arrival of a modified DeLorean vehicle pulling up and a mysterious figure asking him if he was the person to beat the record on the game.

“Who are you?” Alex asks of the man.

“Centauri’s the name. I invented Starfighter, which is why I’m here.”

The movie quite literally takes off from there, with Alex being forced to fight in a war he knows nothing about. Except, that Alex becomes the galaxy’s last and best hope of survival.

Where character assassination has become commonplace within the film medium, The Last Starfighter is a reminder, that character, not special effects, is the heart of any story. My favorite example of this is when Alex demands he is brought back home, fearing of dying but more deeply, Alex fears change. He absolutely refuses to participate when all the the Starfighers have died, leaving no one to defend the Frontier. Centauri then reluctantly brings him home. Soon after, he drops him off near the trailer park where Alex happily walks away from his future. But not before Centauri gives him a few words of advice.

Centauri: Alex! Alex! You’re walking away from history! *History*! Did Chris Columbus say he wanted to stay home? Nooooo. What if the Wright Brothers thought that only birds should fly? And did Galoka think the Ulus were too ugly to save?

Alex Rogan: Who’s Galoka?

Centauri: Never mind.

Alex Rogan: Listen, Centauri, I’m not any of those guys. I’m a kid from a trailer park.

Centauri: If that’s what you think, then that’s all you’ll ever be!

So. If you have the spare time to watch anything these days, hopefully it is not something where a movie happily bashes and murders your favorite character for funsies. But instead, watch The Last Starfighter. A movie that represented a bygone era of movie making, characterization, and storytelling. It is simply science fiction at its purest form.