Moontrap
Encyclopedia
Moontrap is a 1989 science fiction movie
from Magic Films. It was written by Tex Ragsdale and directed by Robert Dyke. A comic book adaptation was released on the same year by Caliber Comics
. The cast features Walter Koenig
, Bruce Campbell
and Leigh Lombardi. To date, this is Koenig's only starring role.
landing on the Moon, a cybernetic eye emerges from the lunar soil and takes notice of the landing module
as it takes off. The eye buries itself again. Decades later, the Space Shuttle
Camelot encounters a derelict spaceship in orbit around Earth. Mission commander Colonel Jason Grant (Walter Koenig) leaves the shuttle to investigate, and discovers a reddish-brown pod and a mummified
human corpse. Both the pod and its contents are brought back to Earth, where it is found that they originated on the Moon some fourteen thousand years ago. Shortly thereafter, the pod comes to life and using its surroundings, builds itself into a cyborg
with parts from the lab and pieces of the ancient corpse. It kills a lab technician and exchanges fire with security guard
s using an unknown weapon before Grant sneaks up on it using the ventilation system of the building and destroys it with a shotgun blast to the head.
Using the last completed Apollo spacecraft
, Grant and fellow astronaut Ray Tanner (Bruce Campbell) go to the Moon on a search and destroy mission. They discover the ruins of an ancient human civilization. Inside, they found a woman in suspended animation
who identifies herself in a rudimentary fashion as Mera (Leigh Lombardi) and later reveals the name of the killer cyborgsthe Kaalium. They survive the attack of a spider Kaalium and return to the landing module, with Mera wearing her own spacesuit, but it turns out that the Kaalium have stolen the module. The Kaalium also shot down the command module
, leaving the astronauts stranded on the Moon. They kill Tanner, and use his body and other surroundings as building material, take Grant and Mera prisoners, and head to Earth.
Grant frees himself and rescue Mera from a cyborg that tried to cut her down for spare parts. In the meantime, the Space Shuttle Intrepid is launched to intercept the approaching ship. Grant and Mera look for the control room and find the landing module, which has been adapted into the alien machinery. Grant supposes the module was the last piece of equipment that the Kaalium needed to complete their ship. He starts the module's self-destruct sequence and uses his gun as a rocket to escape with Mera through a hole in the hull and towards the Intrepid. The ship explodes after they have reached a safe distance. Some time later, Grant and Mera are shown as a couple. She now speaks English and explains that she was put in stasis to warn others about the Kaalium. Grant tells her that she does not have to worry anymore, that it is over, and hugs her. Little they know that one of the pods survived the explosion and is now on a junkyard
, building itself a body.
Memorable quote throughout the film by Grant, "We don't take no shit from no machines."
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
from Magic Films. It was written by Tex Ragsdale and directed by Robert Dyke. A comic book adaptation was released on the same year by Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics
Caliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
. The cast features Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and director, known for his roles as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Alfred Bester in Babylon 5. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.-Early life:...
, Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
and Leigh Lombardi. To date, this is Koenig's only starring role.
Plot
On July 20, 1969, during the last phase of the Apollo 11Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
landing on the Moon, a cybernetic eye emerges from the lunar soil and takes notice of the landing module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
as it takes off. The eye buries itself again. Decades later, the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
Camelot encounters a derelict spaceship in orbit around Earth. Mission commander Colonel Jason Grant (Walter Koenig) leaves the shuttle to investigate, and discovers a reddish-brown pod and a mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
human corpse. Both the pod and its contents are brought back to Earth, where it is found that they originated on the Moon some fourteen thousand years ago. Shortly thereafter, the pod comes to life and using its surroundings, builds itself into a cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
with parts from the lab and pieces of the ancient corpse. It kills a lab technician and exchanges fire with security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
s using an unknown weapon before Grant sneaks up on it using the ventilation system of the building and destroys it with a shotgun blast to the head.
Using the last completed Apollo spacecraft
Apollo spacecraft
The Apollo spacecraft was composed of five combined parts designed to accomplish the American Apollo program's goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and returning them safely to Earth...
, Grant and fellow astronaut Ray Tanner (Bruce Campbell) go to the Moon on a search and destroy mission. They discover the ruins of an ancient human civilization. Inside, they found a woman in suspended animation
Stasis (fiction)
Stasis , or hypersleep, is a science fiction concept akin to suspended animation. Whereas suspended animation usually refers to a greatly reduced state of life processes, stasis implies a complete cessation of these processes, which can be easily restarted or restart spontaneously when stasis is...
who identifies herself in a rudimentary fashion as Mera (Leigh Lombardi) and later reveals the name of the killer cyborgsthe Kaalium. They survive the attack of a spider Kaalium and return to the landing module, with Mera wearing her own spacesuit, but it turns out that the Kaalium have stolen the module. The Kaalium also shot down the command module
Apollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
, leaving the astronauts stranded on the Moon. They kill Tanner, and use his body and other surroundings as building material, take Grant and Mera prisoners, and head to Earth.
Grant frees himself and rescue Mera from a cyborg that tried to cut her down for spare parts. In the meantime, the Space Shuttle Intrepid is launched to intercept the approaching ship. Grant and Mera look for the control room and find the landing module, which has been adapted into the alien machinery. Grant supposes the module was the last piece of equipment that the Kaalium needed to complete their ship. He starts the module's self-destruct sequence and uses his gun as a rocket to escape with Mera through a hole in the hull and towards the Intrepid. The ship explodes after they have reached a safe distance. Some time later, Grant and Mera are shown as a couple. She now speaks English and explains that she was put in stasis to warn others about the Kaalium. Grant tells her that she does not have to worry anymore, that it is over, and hugs her. Little they know that one of the pods survived the explosion and is now on a junkyard
Wrecking yard
A scrapyard or junkyard is the location of a dismantling business where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought, their usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles, while the unusable metal parts, known as scrap metal parts, are sold to metal-recycling companies...
, building itself a body.
Memorable quote throughout the film by Grant, "We don't take no shit from no machines."