By Jizz Taylor

The impact Star Wars had on the world was immeasurable. From its release in May of 1977, George Lucas’ sci-fi fantasy influenced filmmaking, marketing, and of course, the pornography industry. There are still porn parodies of the Skywalker saga being cranked out today, even if Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody (2012) makes you long for the days of relatively clever titles like Star Babe (1977). Starship Eros (1979) is one of the more notable entries in the late ‘70s sci-fi porn trend, and even if it has more in common with the original Star Trek television series, the well-hung android character Quasar solidifies the film’s place in the weirder side of Star Wars history.

The film opens with blazing redhead Lily Rodgers as Commander Venus—in her feature debut—sipping tropical drinks poolside and may have you wondering if you popped in the correct tape as this is obviously a Hollywood, California gazebo and not a galaxy far, far away. Rodgers gets it hard and fast in her patio peacock chair from her servant, portrayed by Mike Ranger, arguably best known for his work in the incest-ploitation classic, Taboo, and no stranger to sci-fi fuck films as the lead in Star Virgin (1979).

For those who don’t spend countless hours hunting down vintage furniture, the peacock chair is an oversized, wicker chair with a flared back. The design is a variation of Hans Wegner’s Windsor chair and originated in the Philippines. If you still can’t visualize it, think Morticia Adams, Al Green, or Sylvia Kristel, all of whom have posed for iconic images in a peacock chair. This film features not one but two iconic pieces of furniture: Commander Venus has a memorable solo session and is joined by gap-toothed beauty Becky Savage as Christine Moon on an Eames lounger—a crown jewel for most mid-century furniture enthusiasts—in the Captain’s quarters.

Commander Venus of the Feminist regime is called away to duty on Starship Eros. in addition to Venus and Boon, the predominantly female crew includes, Beth Evans as the sweet Beverly and Mike Ranger once again as Quasar, the crew’s android servant who dons little more than a black turtleneck and a Don Post C-3PO mask. The cast is decked out in mini-dresses influenced by original Starfleet uniforms in red and blue (and no, red shirts don’t cum first), and thankfully for the nylon fetishists in the audience, a one-piece garter and stocking combo is military standard in this Starfleet and lest we forget knee high boots.

Fucking poolside, solo action in impressive chairs, girl-on-girl, and girl-on-android action: all of this occurs before the crew prepares for launch. The set for the base and starship is again influenced by Star Trek with sliding cardboard doors and plenty of flashing lights, switches, and buttons. The exterior of the base—designed by director Scott McHaley and Kimberly Kemper—is a notable miniature influenced by countless Godzilla pictures featuring kit-bashed models and Matchbox cars. On the other hand, the shots of the starships in orbit appear to be nicked from episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Low-budget, guerilla filmmaking at its finest.

With a predominantly female cast, Starship Eros features plenty of girl-on-girl action, the aforementioned scene in the Eames lounger as well as a sequence where Commander Venus punishes Christine Moon for breach of command using a toy ray gun and a much sensual session between Moon and Beverly.

As attractive as the female cast is, Quasar is the real star of this film and everyone can’t wait to suck him off (in one particular instance the audience gets a primo view of Becky Savage’s on-point manicure). Even as you read the description of Savage taking it behind a bootleg C-3PO, nothing will prepare you for actually seeing it, copyrights be damned.

The film’s climax occurs when it captures Amazonian enemy, Megan (Tara Flynn), decked out in black fetish boots, long black opera gloves, and a jazzed up toy Astro helmet by Placo Toys (if you grew up a Star Wars nut, you may have owned this at one time). Everyone gets in on one last fuck, including Quasar who cums despite his programming, in essence becoming a real boy just like Pinocchio or Johnny 5.

Despite being shot in 1979 (according to the copyright date), the film didn’t make it into theaters until the following year months after the release of The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It appears its first showing was in Rochester, New York in August of 1980. Starship Eros didn’t make its Chicago premiere until Friday, July 3rd, 1981 at the Starview drive-in in Elgin which officially makes it a Fourth Of July movie, so feel free to swap your yearly screening of Jaws for this hot fuck action to the max in outer space. Director Scott McHaley would follow up with Fast Cars, Fast Women once again working alongside makeup artist Rhavon and director of photography Pablo Lepell but never really broke out in the industry. 

As it stands, Starship Eros is a perfectly fine fuck film elevated by the sight of C-3PO getting blown and at barely an hour and ten minutes, well worth the time of any connoisseur of adult film or Star Wars ripoffs. Pair this one with Starcrash (1978) featuring a scantily clad Caroline Munro and David Hasselhoff wielding a lightsaber for a sexy, sci-fi night in.

Starship Eros earns four erections out of five on the PeterMeter. The innovative sets elevate this one above the usual fare, and the sight of C-3…er, Quasar, with a raging hard on is worth the price of admission.

—JT

Jizz Taylor

Harlot, provocateur, and film enthusiast.

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