“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m what you would call a grown-up.”

Justin’s rating: Flush Gordon flies for the first time

Justin’s review: As far as I can figure, someone in 1979 got ahold of a cursed monkey paw and wished to make a Star Wars TV show. What came out of that ill-fated moment was a truly odd and very ’70s knock-off that boasted all of the production values of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the talent of that one person at the grocery store who is raving about the price of avocados to anyone within earshot.

This is Starstruck, another failed pilot that’s somehow kept a faint heartbeat online thanks to the unique gumbo of scifi and sitcom. The best way I can describe it to you is to anchor your expectations on the retro-futurism of The Jetsons and then mix in a bit of Faulty Towers or Newhart.

This pilot features the McCallister clan, a family that runs a hectic space inn halfway to Pluto. They handle the routine influx of tourists and passengers that come through. They’ve got a robot janitor and maid, a 172-year-old patriarch, some four-armed alien, and a kid who enjoys his exploding cereal. The place exists to feed and entertain people, so there’s some side stories of people trying to find work or become a star.

While all of the sets and aliens look cheesy, they’re actually the great kind of cheese — the kind where the makers had some imagination and tried hard to make something with rubber masks, models, and a few well-animated robot costumes.

It’s not a far stretch to see Star Wars’ influence on this, especially its Mos Eisley cantina scene. And it’s not a terrible idea to explore that as a central setting, considering how it sparked the imagination of the filmgoers.

But instead of the gritty underworld of the cantina, this is a cheery bunch who adhere to pretty standard sitcom acting conventions. Happily, the laugh track is on the light side to be less distracting than it could’ve been. The only conflict comes from a fat guy who wants to conduct a hostile takeover of the Halfway Inn.

This is a pretty obscure piece of media that isn’t remembered by almost anyone. It’s got the sweaty guy from Total Recall and that’s about it for famous faces. But really you must see this space western for the wackadoodle alien and costume designs.