'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Season 14’s First Experiment Has Been Revealed

Can’t we just get beyond the stars?

The crowdfunding campaign for cult riffing series Mystery Science Theater 3000 to achieve its 14th season has just wrapped its first week. Currently situated at $1,221,863 from 6794 contributors, they’re 25% from their initial goal of $4.8 million for a 6-episode season. To mark the occasion, creator Joel Hodgson has announced the film that will serve as the first experiment of the new season should the campaign succeed in a new update.

It’s the highly-requested 1980 Roger Corman-produced film Battle Beyond the Stars written by John Sayles and directed by Jimmy T. Murakami. It was envisioned as the futuristic sci-fi version of The Magnificent Seven or Seven Samurai. The planet Akir is threatened by the evil warlord Sador of the sinister Malmori Empire. He is armed with a weapon that converts planets into stars, so a young farmer named Shad seeks mercenaries who can help fight back. He eventually finds a space cowboy, a wealthy assassin, a clone collective, a Valkyrie warrior, and a reptilian alien, who face off against Sador’s mutant army. Hodgson remarks that the film attempts an “epic scope” and “just about pulls it off, resulting in one of the most dream-like of the Star Wars knock-offs”.

The film stars Robert Vaughn of The Man from UNCLE (whose secret agent Napoleon Solo was partner to David McCallum’s Illya Kuryakin), George Peppard of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, How the West Was Won, and The A-Team, Sybil Danning of the Lou Ferrigno-starring version of Hercules, and Mitchell’s John Saxon. It also features Earl Boen of the Terminator franchise and Julia Duffy of Designing Women and Drake and Josh. And oh yeah, a James Horner score with special effects designed by James Cameron. Maybe we will get MST3K back.

The update was also teased (and only teased, to get people to the Showmaker) in a video posted to the show’s socials. In addition, to help push toward the goal the campaign has added more Associate Producer rewards after the first batch sold out on day 1. Those who pitch in at that level get to join Joel in production update Zoom meetings, receive a signed script and an exclusive gift. On top of that they’ll be able to do an in-person set visit, and get an Associate Producer credit for three episodes of the new season. 

Source: Showmaker