Star Pilot is a 1965 Italian science-fiction film

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...

 directed by Pietro Francisci

Pietro Francisci

Pietro Francisci was an Italian film director, best remembered for the film Hercules which inspired the sword and sandal boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in Rome, his career took a distinct turn for the worse after he directed the science-fiction film 2+5 Missione Hydra, released in...

. It stars Leonora Ruffo as Chaena, the commander of a spaceship from the constellation Hydra which has crashed on the island of Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

. An Earth scientist and his companions are abducted by the aliens and forced to repair the ship, and are then taken to Hydra for the purpose of genetic research.

Once in space, the film uses stock special-effects footage from Toho

Toho

is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...

 Studio's films Kaiju Daisenso (1965) and Yusei Gorasu (aka Gorath) (1962} to depict a pursuit of Chaena's ship and an ecological catastrophe on Earth.

References to "Star Fleet", "Star Fleet Command", "Warp Speed", and "Impulse Drive", were all incorporated into the "Star Trek" television series that followed immediately thereafter. The wardrobe worn by actresses Leonora Ruffo, (1935-2007) and Leontine May, were a less direct influence.

In the fall of 1977, to quickly capitalize on the public's fervor for sci-fi movies following the unexpected success of Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

, the film was dubbed in English and released in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

under a new title.