The best low-budget space raider to aim its laser cannons at Planet Lucasfilm was probably Battle Beyond The Stars. It was produced by the canniest of b-movie moguls, Roger Corman, had a clever take on the space opera concept and, best of all, provided a first opportunity for some noteworthy genre talent behind the scenes.

…to call it a "bad movie" would be to miss the point entirely.It manages to transcend its amateurishness and its habit of wildly overreaching beyond its talent/resource limitations through the pure-hearted love it expresses for its subject matter.