: The film is famous for its 70s disco-infused score by Toshiaki Tsushima, giving the space battles a groovy energy unlike anything in the Lucasverse. The Legacy The War in Space (Review) - Toho Kingdom

While 1977 is forever cemented as the year Star Wars changed cinema, Toho Studios—the legendary home of Godzilla—was busy launching its own cosmic counter-offensive. Released in Japan as Wakusei Daisenso (Great Planet War), is a fascinating, disco-infused relic of the "Star Wars cash-in" era that actually has deeper roots in Japanese sci-fi history than most realize. A Galactic Redressing

Toho's Forgotten Frontier: Revisiting "The War in Space" (1977)

: In a blatant nod to A New Hope , the Gohten crew encounters a horned, axe-wielding "Space Beast" that looks suspiciously like a Wookiee’s aggressive cousin.

Despite being marketed to ride the Star Wars wave, the film is essentially a sci-fi remake of Toho’s own 1963 undersea adventure . Instead of a flying submarine fighting the Mu Empire, we get the Gohten —a massive space battleship equipped with a giant drill on its nose—tasked with defending Earth from the "Venusians". Why It’s a Cult Classic Today

: In a uniquely Asian sci-fi conceit, the spaceships often resemble seafaring vessels. The alien flagship is even modeled after a Roman sailing ship , complete with glowing oars.