The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (also known as The Osiris Chronicles) is a 1998 American television science fiction film which aired on January 27, 1998 on UPN. The film is written by screenwriter Caleb Carr, who wrote the novel The Alienist, and directed by Joe Dante. It was intended to be the pilot for a series called The Osiris Chronicles that never materialized.[1]
| The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 UK VHS bearing the title The Osiris Chronicles | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Written by | Caleb Carr |
| Directed by | Joe Dante |
| Starring | John Corbett Carolyn McCormick John Pyper-Ferguson Elisabeth Harnois J. Madison Wright |
| Theme music composer | Karl Lundeberg |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Dan Dugan Bill Millar Rene Garcia Thomas R. Polizzi |
| Cinematography | Jamie Anderson |
| Editors | Marshall Harvey Michael Thau |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Production companies | Renfield Productions Paramount Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | UPN |
| Release | January 27, 1998 |
Plot
editOn the planet Caliban 5, a young man named Justin Thorpe carves out a living for himself by trading items he obtains through stealing and salvaging. Thorpe comes home one night to discover his kid sister, Nova, has been kidnapped.
Frantic and desperate, Thorpe turns to Warlord Xian for help, but he does not have enough possessions to trade for Xian's services. Thorpe meets Nova's best friend, Maggi Sorenson, granddaughter of General Lars Sorenson. Maggi introduces her grandfather to Thorpe. Sorenson offers to help him by searching for Nova using his starship, the Osiris.
Once inside the ship, they bump into Thorpe's long-time friend, Wally Price, who convinces the gang that his extraordinary intuition will aid in the search. Sorenson hires cloaked humanoid aliens, a race known only as "The Engineers," to repair the ship's engine. It is revealed that The Engineers are the ones holding Nova prisoner. Sorenson confesses to Thorpe that he knew this all along.
Meanwhile, the Warlord is hot on their trail in his battleship, the Daedalus. He attacks their ship, but the Osiris escapes to the homeworld of The Engineers. They explain why they kidnapped Nova: she is a supergenius and they need her vast intellect for their Sublime Plenum, a huge amalgamation of their greatest ancestors’ minds and souls. Thorpe snatches Nova from The Engineers. The crew make it back to the Osiris, but Nova is grabbed away while the Osiris faces another attack by the Daedalus. However, Sorenson offers Xian a truce. With Xian's help, they defeat The Engineers and rescue Nova again.
Xian decides to help Thorpe rebuild the Galactic Republic with new ideals and values. Sorenson steps down as General and gives Thorpe the Osiris for him to command.
Cast
editStars
edit- John Corbett - Justin Thorpe
- Carolyn McCormick - Rula
- John Pyper-Ferguson - Heenoc
- Elisabeth Harnois - Maggi Sorenson
- J. Madison Wright - Nova
- Darryl Theirse - Wally
- Marjorie Monaghan - Jana
- Philip Moon - Valois
- Joel Swetow - Shahklan
- Rod Taylor - Sorenson
Co-stars
edit- Lilyan Chauvin - Mashwah
- Rhino Michaels - Barka
- Dick Miller - Peddler
- Rob Elk - Guard
- Dyrk Ashton - Thief #1
- John Marlo - Thief #2
- Dorothy Gallagher - Assaulted Woman
- Michael Quill - Doctor
- Belinda Balaski - Bartender's Wife
- Dawn Ann Billings - Gita
- Leslie Redden - Magda
- Steven Daniels - Thief #3
- Tom Billet - Thief #4
- Gregory Kargianis - Young Boy
- Shannon Welch - Young Girl
Production
editRod Taylor played a role originally meant for Christopher Lee. The budget was $10 million.[2]
References
edit- ^ Epstein, Dan. "Interview: J.M. DeMatteis". Slush Factory. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- ^ Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood (Bear Manor Media, 2010) p226