Dark Star

Dark Star is a science fiction comedy about four astronauts aboard a spacecraft sent to destroy unstable planets that threaten future colonization. Roughly twenty years into the mission, the men are weary and the ship is falling apart, and the situation grows worse when a bomb they have carried with them begins to question whether it should carry out its purpose. An alien mascot they brought aboard adds to their troubles.

The film was John Carpenter's first feature, released in 1974 and preceding Assault on Precinct 13 in his filmography. He directed, co-wrote and produced it, working with Dan O'Bannon, who also co-wrote the screenplay and appears on screen as Sgt. Pinback. Brian Narelle plays Lt. Doolittle, with Cal Kuniholm as Boiler, Dre Pahich as Talby and Adam Beckenbaugh as the voice of Bomb #20. The cast also includes Nick Castle as the alien, and the production originated partly through the University of Southern California.

Across its 83-minute running time, the film mixes comedy with space travel, and its modest origins are reflected in its scale. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.1 from around 30,000 votes, while TMDB shows 6 out of 10 from a much smaller pool of 678 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 34 reviews places it slightly above both audience scores and suggests a modestly favorable response relative to its cult standing.