Roger Corman's Obscure '80s Sci-Fi Movie Almost Works As A Star-Lord Origin Story

Some of the best Roger Corman movies (and not-so-good ones) are cheap knock-offs of more popular films, especially in the sci-fi realm. Therefore, it's unsurprising that the legendary B-movie maverick produced some of the strangest "Star Wars" knock-offs that flooded the market in the '70s and '80s, including "Starcrash," "Battle Beyond the Stars," and "Space Raiders." Be that as it may, only one of them holds the distinction of being a companion piece to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Guardians of the Galaxy" saga.

Released in 1983, "Space Raiders," also known as "Star Child," tells the story of Peter (David Mendenhall), a 10-year-old boy who gets accidentally abducted by a group of pirates after they steal a spaceship he's hiding out in. The crooks' initial response is to put the kid up for ransom, but after realizing how useful he can be to their pirate missions, they accept him into their crew.

Despite its reputation as a "Star Wars" knock-off (and it is), "Space Raiders" is also a low-key sci-fi remake of "Treasure Island" (not unlike "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew"). However, the film's premise is also very reminiscent of the upbringing of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. Let's dig into it.

There is no public information that confirms whether Howard R. Cohen had the "Guardians of the Galaxy" comics in mind when he wrote "Space Raiders." After all, both properties are space opera tales featuring pirates that center around heroes named Peter. Maybe that's just a coincidence, though, as Peter is a pretty common name.

Either way, Peter's story in "Space Raiders" is similar to that of his "Guardians of the Galaxy" counterpart's background in the movies. In "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1," we learn that Peter Quill was abducted by Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his ragtag crew of Ravagers when he was a kid. He was subsequently raised as a pirate — until he got on their bad side and went off on his own. Overall, though, Peter has a loving relationship with Yondu, just like the dynamic between "Space Raiders'" young hero and the pirate leader.

With that in mind, maybe James Gunn was inspired by "Space Raiders'" backstory when he conceived the MCU's Star-Lord. In the original comics, Peter doesn't team up with the Ravagers until adulthood — after being fired by NASA and traveling into space on his own accord. As such, Roger Corman and Cohen's "Treasure Island" riff is arguably a better companion piece to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies than their literary source material.