Exhibit 10.71


                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


         THIS  EMPLOYMENT  AGREEMENT  (this  "Agreement")  is entered into as of
December  23,  1996  by and  between  StarSight  Telecast,  Inc.,  a  California
corporation ("Company") and Jon Orlick ("Employee").

                                   WITNESSETH:

         WHEREAS, Company, Gemstar International Group Limited, a British Virgin
Islands corporation ("Gemstar") and a wholly owned subsidiary of Gemstar ("Sub")
are entering  into an Agreement  and Plan of Merger of even date  herewith  (the
"Merger  Agreement"),  providing for, among other things, the merger of Sub with
and into the Company (the "Merger");

         WHEREAS, following the Merger, Company desires to obtain the benefit of
continued  service of Employee,  on its own behalf and on behalf of all existing
and future "Affiliated  Companies" (defined as any corporation or other business
entity or entities that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is
under common control with the Company),  and Employee desires to render services
to Company and its Affiliated Companies;

         WHEREAS,  this Agreement  shall become  effective,  without any further
action  of  either  party,  at such  time,  and only at such  time,  as a merger
agreement  regarding the Merger is duly filed with the  California  Secretary of
State as provided by the Merger Agreement (the "Effective Time");

         WHEREAS,  if the Merger  Agreement is terminated in accordance with its
terms, this Agreement shall also terminate and become null and void; and

         WHEREAS, Company and Employee desire to set forth in this Agreement the
terms and  conditions  of  Employee's  employment  with  Company  following  the
Effective Time.

         NOW,  THEREFORE,  in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants
herein contained, the parties agree as follows:

         1.       Period of Employment.

                  (a) Basic Term. The Company hereby employs  Employee to render
services to the Company in the position and with the duties and responsibilities
described in Section 2 for the period


<PAGE>

(the "Period of  Employment")  commencing,  without any further action by either
party,  at the  Effective  Time  and  ending  on the  earlier  of (i) two  years
following the date of the Effective Time (the "Term Date") and (ii) the date the
Period of Employment is terminated in accordance with Section 4.

                  (b) Renewal.  Subject to Section 4, the Employee's  employment
will be automatically renewed for an additional one (1) year period (without any
action by either party) on the Term Date and on each anniversary thereof, unless
either party gives to the other  written  notice  ninety (90) days in advance of
the beginning of any one year renewal period that the Period of Employment is to
be terminated.  Either party's right to terminate the Period of Employment under
this Section 1(b),  instead of renewing the Agreement,  shall be with or without
cause.

         2.       Position, Duties and Responsibilities.

                  (a) Position.  Employee  hereby  accepts  employment  with the
Company as a Vice  President or in such other  position(s)  as may be reasonably
required by the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board").

                  Employee  and the Company  agree that the terms of  Employee's
employment  under this  Agreement  constitute a  "constructive  termination"  of
Employee  under  Section  4(b)(ii) of the  employment  agreement  by and between
Employee  and the  Company  effective  on June 1,  1996 (the  "Prior  Employment
Agreement"), and, as such, entitle Employee to, severance payments under Section
5(a) of the Prior Employment Agreement and a "gross-up" pursuant to Section 5(b)
of the  Prior  Employment  Agreement  for  any  excise  tax  applicable  to such
severance  payments under Section 4999 of the Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the  "Code").  Under  Section 5(a) of the Prior  Employment  Agreement,
Employee will receive a lump sum cash payment on the Effective Time equal to one
year of  Employee's  current  base salary  less  applicable  witihholdings.  For
example,  assuming an Effective  Time of March 15,  1997,  such lump sum payment
would be $180,000.

                  (b)  Other   Activities.   Employee,   during  the  Period  of
Employment,  will not (i) accept  any other  employment,  or (ii)  engage in any
other business activity (whether or not pursued for pecuniary advantage) that is
competitive  with,  or that places him in a  competing  position to that of, the
Company or any Affiliated Company.

         3.       Compensation, Benefits, Etc.



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<PAGE>

                  (a)  Compensation.  In  consideration  of the  services  to be
rendered hereunder,  including,  without limitation,  services to any Affiliated
Company,  Employee shall be paid an annual salary of One Hundred Eighty Thousand
Dollars  ($180,000) (the "Annual Salary"),  payable in installments at the times
and  pursuant  to the  procedures  regularly  established,  and as  they  may be
amended, by the Company during the term of this Agreement.

                  (b) Stock Options.  Upon the Effective Time, the Company shall
grant to the Executive a  nonqualified  stock option under  Gemstar's 1994 Stock
Incentive Plan to purchase 30,000 shares of Gemstar Ordinary  Shares,  par value
$.01 per share (the "Ordinary  Shares"),  at a price per share equal to the fair
market  value of the  Ordinary  Shares  on the day of the  Effective  Time  (the
"Exercise  Price").  Such option shall be  evidenced by a standard  stock option
agreement  utilized by Gemstar for the grant of other stock  options  under such
plan and shall  contain  vesting and other terms which are  consistent  with the
grants of stock options made to other executives of the Company.

                  (c)  Benefits.  As Employee  becomes  eligible  therefor,  the
Company shall provide  Employee with the right to  participate in and to receive
benefits  from all  present  and future  life,  accident,  disability,  medical,
pension and savings plans and all similar  benefits made available  generally to
executives of the Company.  The amount and extent of benefits to which  Employee
is entitled shall be governed by the specific benefit plan, as it may be amended
from time to time.

                  (d)  Expenses.   The  Company  shall  reimburse  Employee  for
reasonable  travel and other  business  expenses  incurred  by  Employee  in the
performance  of his duties  hereunder in accordance  with the Company's  general
policies,  as they may be  amended  from  time to time  during  the term of this
Agreement.

                  (e) Bonus.  Employee shall also be eligible to receive, in the
sole and absolute  discretion of the Board,  an annual bonus, in such amounts as
determined by the Board in its sole and absolute discretion.

                  (f)  Automobile  Allowance.  As  additional  compensation  for
Employee's  services to the  Company,  the Company  shall pay Employee a monthly
automobile allowance of $750 during the Period of Employment.

                  (g)  Vacation.  Employee  shall be  entitled to two weeks paid
vacation during the first year of this Agreement.  Thereafter, Employee shall be
entitled to three weeks paid vacation.


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<PAGE>

                  (h) Relocation.  In the event  Employee's  employment with the
Company  requires him to relocate,  the parties to this  Agreement will mutually
agree, in good faith, on an appropriate relocation reimbursement amount.

         4.       Termination of Employment.

                  (a)  By  Death.  The  Period  of  Employment  shall  terminate
automatically  upon the death of Employee.  The Company  shall pay to Employee's
beneficiaries  or  estate,  as  appropriate,  the  compensation  to  which he is
entitled  pursuant to Section  3(a)  through the end of the month in which death
occurs. Thereafter, the Company's obligations hereunder shall terminate. Nothing
in this section shall affect any entitlement of Employee's heirs to the benefits
under any life insurance plan.

                  (b) By  Disability.  If,  in the sole  opinion  of the  Board,
Employee  shall be prevented from properly  performing  his duties  hereunder by
reason of any physical or mental  incapacity  for a period of more than 150 days
in the aggregate or 120 consecutive  days in any twelve-month  period,  then, to
the extent permitted by law, the Period of Employment shall terminate on and the
compensation  to which  Employee is entitled  pursuant to Section  3(a) shall be
paid up through the last day of the month in which the Board determines Employee
to be disabled  hereunder,  and thereafter the Company's  obligations  hereunder
shall terminate.  Nothing in this section shall affect  Employee's  rights under
any disability plan in which he is a participant.

                  (c) By Company For Cause.  The Company may terminate,  without
liability,  the Period of  Employment  for Cause (as defined  below) at any time
upon notice to Employee.  Termination  shall be for "Cause" if: (i) Employee has
engaged in illegal or other wrongful  conduct  substantially  detrimental to the
business or reputation of the Company or any Affiliated  Company,  or is charged
with or  convicted  of a  felony;  (ii)  Employee  refuses  or  fails  to act in
accordance with any reasonable direction or order of the Board;  provided,  that
the Board has given  Employee  written  notice of such  refusal or  failure  and
Employee  fails to comply with such  direction or order within 30 days after the
date of such notice;  or (iii) Employee has engaged in any fraud,  embezzlement,
misappropriation or similar conduct against the Company.

                  (d) By Company  Without  Cause.  The Company may terminate the
Period of Employment  without  Cause at any time upon 30 days'  advance  written
notice to Employee. Upon such termination,  and subject to Employee's compliance
with the provisions of Sections 5 and 6 hereof, the Company shall pay


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<PAGE>

Employee a lump sum  payment  upon such  termination  of an amount  equal to the
lesser of (i) Employee's  Annual Salary,  and (ii) the remaining amounts payable
by the Company  pursuant to Section 3(a) through the Term Date,  and  thereafter
all obligations of the Company hereunder shall terminate.

                  (e)      Termination Obligations.

                           (i) Employee hereby  acknowledges and agrees that all
personal property,  including,  without limitation, all books, manuals, records,
reports, notes, contracts,  lists, blueprints and other documents, or materials,
or copies thereof,  Proprietary Information (as defined below),  furnished to or
prepared by Employee in the course of or incident to his employment,  including,
without  limitation,  records and any other  materials  pertaining  to Invention
Ideas (as defined below), belong to the Company.

                           (ii) Upon  termination  of the Period of  Employment,
Employee  shall be deemed to have  resigned  from all offices then held with the
Company  or  any  Affiliated  Company  provided  that,  if at  the  time  of the
termination  of the  Period of  Employment,  Employee  is a member of the Board,
Employee  shall  not be deemed  to have  resigned  as a member of the Board as a
result of such termination.

                           (iii) The  representations  and warranties  contained
herein  and  Employee's  obligations  under  Sections  5, 6 and 7 shall  survive
termination of the Period of Employment and the expiration of this Agreement.

         5.       Proprietary Information.

                  (a) Defined.  "Proprietary Information" is all information and
any idea in whatever form,  tangible or intangible,  pertaining in any manner to
the  business  of the  Company or any  Affiliated  Company,  or to its  clients,
consultants or business  associates,  unless:  (i) the information is or becomes
publicly  known through  lawful means;  (ii) the  information  was rightfully in
Employee's  possession or part of his general  knowledge prior to his employment
by the  Company;  or (iii) the  information  is  disclosed  to Employee  without
confidential  or  proprietary  restriction  by  a  third  party  who  rightfully
possesses the information (without confidential or proprietary  restriction) and
did not learn of it, directly or indirectly, from the Company.

                  (b) General  Restrictions on Use.  Employee agrees to hold all
Proprietary Information in strict confidence and trust


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<PAGE>

for  the  sole  benefit  of the  Company  and not to,  directly  or  indirectly,
disclose,  use, copy,  publish,  summarize or remove from the Company's premises
any  Proprietary  Information (or remove from the premises any other property of
the Company), except (i) during the Period of Employment to the extent necessary
to carry out Employee's  responsibilities  under this Agreement,  and (ii) after
termination of the Period of Employment as specifically authorized in writing by
the Board.

                  (c)  Interference  with  Business;   Competitive   Activities.
Employee  acknowledges that pursuit of the activities prohibited by this Section
5(c) would necessarily involve the use or disclosure of Proprietary  Information
in breach of Section  5(b),  but that proof of such  breach  would be  extremely
difficult.  To prevent such  disclosure,  use and breach and in consideration of
employment under this Agreement,  Employee agrees for a period of one year after
termination of the Period of  Employment,  he shall not for himself or any third
party, directly or indirectly,  (i) divert or attempt to divert from the Company
(or any  Affiliated  Company)  any  business of any kind in which it is engaged,
including,  without limitation,  the solicitation of or interference with any of
its suppliers or customers,  (ii) employ,  solicit for employment,  or recommend
for employment any person  employed by the Company,  or any Affiliated  Company,
during  the  period  of such  person's  employment  and for a period of one year
thereafter,  or (iii) engage in any business  activity that is competitive  with
the Company,  unless  Employee can prove that action taken in  contravention  of
this Section 5(c)(iii) was done without the use of any Proprietary  Information;
provided,  that in no event shall Employee engage in such competitive activities
during the period  which  Employee  continues  to receive  payments  pursuant to
Section 4 above.  For purposes of this Section  5(c),  "competitive  activities"
shall be business  activities that are directly  competitive with an existing or
presently  planned  business  of the Company on the date of  termination,  which
activity  constitutes or is anticipated to constitute  more than 15% of revenues
of the Company.

                  (d)  Remedies.  Nothing in this Section 6 is intended to limit
any  remedy of the  Company  under the  California  Uniform  Trade  Secrets  Act
(California Civil Code ss. 3426), or otherwise available under law.

         6.       Employee Inventions and Ideas.

                  (a) Defined;  Statutory  Notice.  The term  "Invention  Ideas"
means any and all  ideas,  processes,  trademarks,  service  marks,  inventions,
technology,  computer programs, original works of authorship, designs, formulas,
discoveries, patents,


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<PAGE>

copyrights,  and all improvements,  rights,  and claims related to the foregoing
that are conceived,  developed,  or reduced to practice by the Employee alone or
with  others  except to the  extent  that  California  Labor Code  Section  2870
lawfully   prohibits  the  assignment  of  rights  in  such  ideas,   processes,
inventions, etc. Section 2870(a) provides:

                  Any provision in an employment  agreement  which provides that
an employee  shall  assign,  or offer to assign,  any of his or her rights in an
invention  to his or her  employer  shall  not  apply to an  invention  that the
employee  developed entirely on his or her own time without using the employer's
equipment,  supplies,  facilities,  or trade secret information except for those
inventions that either:

                           (i) Relate at the time of  conception or reduction to
practice of the invention to the employer's business,  or actual or demonstrably
anticipated research or development of the employer.

                           (ii) Result from any work  performed  by the employee
for the employer.

                  Employee hereby acknowledges that he understands the foregoing
limitations created by Section 2870.

                  (b)  Disclosure.  Employee  agrees to  maintain  adequate  and
current  written  records  on the  development  of all  Invention  Ideas  and to
disclose promptly to the Company all Invention Ideas and relevant records, which
records will remain the sole property of the Company.  Employee  further  agrees
that all information  and records  pertaining to any idea,  process,  trademark,
service  mark,  invention,   technology,  computer  program,  original  work  of
authorship,  design, formula, discovery, patent, or copyright that Employee does
not believe to be an Invention Idea, but is conceived,  developed, or reduced to
practice by Employee  (alone or with others)  during his Period of Employment or
during  the one  year  period  following  termination  of  employment,  shall be
promptly   disclosed  to  the  Company  (such   disclosure  to  be  received  in
confidence).  The Company shall examine such information to determine if in fact
the idea,  process,  or invention,  etc.,  is an Invention  Idea subject to this
Agreement.

                  (c)  Assignment.  Employee  agrees to  assign to the  Company,
without further consideration, his entire right, title, and interest (throughout
the United States and in all foreign countries), free and clear of all liens and
encumbrances, in and to each Invention Idea, which shall be the sole property of
the Company, whether or not patentable. In the event any Invention


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<PAGE>

Idea shall be deemed by the Company to be patentable or otherwise  registerable,
Employee shall assist the Company (at its expense) in obtaining  letters patent,
copyright,  trademark,  or other applicable  intellectual property registrations
thereon  and shall  execute all  documents  and do all other  things  (including
testifying  at the  Company's  expense)  necessary  or proper to obtain  letters
patent,   copyright,   trademark,  or  other  applicable  intellectual  property
registrations  thereon  and to  vest  the  Company,  or any  Affiliated  Company
specified by the Board, with full title thereto. Should the Company be unable to
secure Employee's  signature on any document necessary to apply for,  prosecute,
obtain, or enforce any patent,  copyright, or other right or protection relating
to any  Invention  Idea,  whether  due  to the  Employee's  mental  or  physical
incapacity  or any other  cause,  Employee  hereby  irrevocably  designates  and
appoints  Company  and each of its duly  authorized  officers  and agents as the
Employee's  agent and attorney in fact, to act for and in the Employee's  behalf
and  stead  and to  execute  and  file any such  document,  and to do all  other
lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution, issuance, and enforcement of
patents, copyrights, or the rights or protections with the same force and effect
as if executed and  delivered by Employee.  Employee  hereby agrees to maintain,
update,  improve and modify the  Invention  Ideas,  for so long as he is living,
regardless of whether the Period of Employment has terminated.

                  (d) Exclusions. Employee acknowledges that there are no ideas,
processes,  trademarks,  service marks, technology,  computer programs, original
works  of  authorship,  designs,  formulas,  inventions,  discoveries,  patents,
copyrights, or improvements to the foregoing that he desires to exclude from the
operation of this Agreement, except for the inventions and ideas of Employee and
his associates  outside of the Company (i) which were or are developed  entirely
by Employee and each such  associate  entirely  outside of his or her activities
for the Company, (ii) which do not relate at the time of conception or reduction
to practice to the Company's business,  or actually or demonstrably  anticipated
research  development,  and (iii) which do not result from any work performed by
Employee for the Company. To the best of the Employee's  knowledge,  there is no
existing  contract  in conflict  with this  Agreement  or any other  contract to
assign ideas,  processes,  trademarks,  service marks,  inventions,  technology,
computer programs, original works of authorship, designs, formulas, discoveries,
patents,  or copyrights that is now in existence  between Employee and any other
person or entity.

                  (e)  Post-Termination  Period.  Because of the  difficulty  of
establishing  when any idea,  process,  invention,  etc., is first  conceived or
developed by Employee, or whether it


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<PAGE>

results  from access to  Proprietary  Information  or the  Company's  equipment,
facilities, and data, Employee agrees that any idea, process, trademark, service
mark,  technology,  computer  program,  original  work  of  authorship,  design,
formula, invention, discovery, patent, copyright, or any improvement, rights, or
claims related to the foregoing  shall be presumed to be an Invention Idea if it
is  conceived,  developed,  used,  sold,  exploited,  or reduced to  practice by
Employee or with the aid of Employee  within one (1) year after  termination  of
the Period of Employment.  Employee can rebut the above presumption if he proves
that  the  invention,  idea,  process,  etc.,  (i) was  first  conceived  and/or
developed  prior to the date of this  Agreement,  (ii) was  first  conceived  or
developed after termination of the Period of Employment,  (iii) was conceived or
developed entirely on Employee's own time without using the Company's equipment,
supplies,  facilities, or Proprietary Information,  and (iv) did not result from
any work  performed by Employee for the  Company.  Nothing in this  Agreement is
intended to expand the scope of  protection  provided  Employee by Sections 2870
through 2872 of the California Labor Code.

         7.       Assignment: Successors and Assigns.

         Employee agrees that he will not assign,  sell,  transfer,  delegate or
otherwise dispose of, whether  voluntarily or involuntarily,  or by operation of
law, any rights or obligations under this Agreement, nor shall Employee's rights
be subject to encumbrance or the claims of creditors.  Any purported assignment,
transfer or delegation  shall be null and void.  Nothing in this Agreement shall
prevent the  consolidation  of the Company with,  or its merger into,  any other
corporation,  or the  sale by the  Company  of all or  substantially  all of its
properties or assets, or the assignment by the Company of this Agreement and the
performance  of its  obligations  hereunder to any  successor in interest or any
Affiliated  Company.  Subject to the foregoing,  this Agreement shall be binding
upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties and their  respective  heirs,
legal  representatives,  successors and permitted assigns, and shall not benefit
any person or entity other than those enumerated above.

         In the event of a  consolidation  or merger of the Company with or into
another corporation,  or the sale of all, or substantially all, of the Company's
assets to another corporation,  such corporation as may survive said transaction
shall assume this  Agreement  and become  obligated to perform all the terms and
conditions hereof, and Employee's  obligations hereunder shall continue in favor
of such surviving corporation.



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<PAGE>

         8. Notices. All notices or other  communications  required or permitted
hereunder  shall be made in writing  and shall be deemed to have been duly given
if  delivered by hand or mailed,  postage  prepaid,  by certified or  registered
mail, return receipt requested, and addressed to the Company at:

                           StarSight Telecast, Inc.
                           39650 Liberty Street
                           Fremont, California 94538
                           Attention: ___________________


                  with a copy to:

                           Gemstar International Group Limited
                           135 North Los Robles Avenue, Suite 800
                           Pasadena, California 91101
                           Attention: Larry Goldberg


or to Employee at:

                           ______________________________________

                           ______________________________________

                           ______________________________________

                           ______________________________________


Notice of change of address shall be effective  only if done in accordance  with
this section.

         9. Entire Agreement.  Except as expressly  provided herein with respect
to certain rights of Employee under the Prior Employment Agreement, the terms of
this  Agreement  are  intended  by the  parties  to be the final  and  exclusive
expression of their  agreement with respect to the employment of Employee by the
Company and may not be contradicted by evidence of any prior or  contemporaneous
agreement  any and all of which are  superceded as of the  Effective  Time.  The
parties  further  intend that this Agreement  shall  constitute the complete and
exclusive  statement of its terms and that no extrinsic evidence  whatsoever may
be  introduced  in  any  judicial,  administrative  or  other  legal  proceeding
involving this Agreement.

         10. Amendments; Waivers. This Agreement may not be modified, amended or
terminated except by an instrument in writing,  signed by Employee and by a duly
authorized  representative of the Company other than Employee.  By an instrument
in writing  similarly  executed,  either party may waive compliance by the other
party with any provision of this


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<PAGE>

Agreement  that such other party was or is  obligated to comply with or perform,
provided,  however,  that such  waiver  shall  not  operate  as a waiver  of, or
estoppel  with  respect  to,  any other or  subsequent  failure.  No  failure to
exercise and no delay in exercising any right,  remedy or power  hereunder shall
operate as a waiver  thereof,  nor shall any single or partial  exercise  of any
right,  remedy or power hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof
or the exercise of any other right, remedy or power provided herein or by law or
in equity.

         11. Severability;  Enforcement.  If any provision of this Agreement, or
the application thereof to any person, place or circumstance, shall be held by a
court of  competent  jurisdiction  to be  invalid,  unenforceable  or void,  the
remainder of this  Agreement and such  provisions  as applied to other  persons,
places and circumstances shall remain in full force and effect.

         12.  Governing Law. The validity,  interpretation,  enforceability  and
performance of this  Agreement  shall be governed by and construed in accordance
with the law of the State of California.

         13.  Injunctive  Relief.  The  parties  agree  that in the event of any
breach or threatened  breach of any of the covenants in Section 6, the damage or
imminent damage to the value and the goodwill of the Company's  business will be
irreparable and extremely difficult to estimate,  making any remedy at law or in
damages  inadequate.  Accordingly,  the parties  agree that the Company shall be
entitled to  injunctive  relief  against  Employee in the event of any breach or
threatened  breach of any such provisions by Employee,  in addition to any other
relief  (including  damages)  available to the Company  under this  Agreement or
under law.



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<PAGE>

         The parties  have duly  executed  this  Agreement  as of the date first
written above.


                                           /s/ Jonathan Orlick
                                          ______________________________________
                                          Jonathan Orlick
                                          Employee



                                          STARSIGHT TELECAST, INC.



                                          By:   /s/ Larry W. Wangberg
                                               _________________________________

                                          Its: Chief Executive Officer
                                               _________________________________




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