Given the question: Build a movie plot around this: Why does the Count plan to use the three as bait? have his weapon self-destruct, destroying everybody
The answer is:
In the distant future, a starship with an "important passenger" tries to find the base of the ruthless Count Zarth Arn, when the ship attacked by a mysterious weapon which red globs of energy enter the ship and drive the crew to madness, killing each other off.Meanwhile, in another part of the galaxy, space outlaw and smuggler Stella Star (Caroline Munroe) and her companion Akton (Marjor Gortner), are on a smuggling run when they run into the Imperial Space Police led by the space robot 'L' (or Elle in a more formal tile). After a spaceship chase sequence, Akton and Stella escape from their pursuers by jumping into hyperspace, a faster-than-light travel. They happen to find one of the escape pods from the starship in the opening scene, and find one still-alive survivor. But shortly afterwards, they are finally apprehended by the police who have also followed their hyperspace travel route.Tried, convicted and found guilty of piracy, both Akton and Stella are sentenced to life in prison. A few days later, on a prison colony, Stella manages to create a diversion and escape. But she is found by the chief-of-police Thor (Robert Tessier) who takes her to a orbiting main ship where she is reunited with Akton. It is here that they are contacted by the Emperor of the Galaxy (Christopher Plummer) via a hologram, who thanks them for the discovery of the survivor of the starship and they are granted clemency to help find one of three missing escape pods from the ship which contain the Emperor's son. The Emperor is in feud with the rouge Count Zarth Arn (Joe Spinell) who has hidden a secret weapon on a remote planet and will use it to overthrow him and take over the galaxy for himself and his legion of evil warriors. With Chief Thor and the robot Elle accompanying them, the Emperor tells Stella and Akton to find the Count's secret weapon as well as rescue his son who may be still alive. Over the course of the movie, Stella and Atkon travel to many planets to find the three missing escape pods, and hoping to find the...