May the Fourth be with you, Star Wars fans! Wait, what? That was last week? Oh sweet mother of Rey, that’s not good. Actually, you know what? It’s always a good time for the galaxy far, far away. So rather than be beholden to the tyranny of the Gregorian calendar, I’m making the executive decision to make today’s episode of The Dan Cave all about Star Wars. More specifically, we’re going to be talking about the staggering effect that Star Wars had on the global film industry in the form of spawning an endless stream of blatant ripoffs that attempted to cash in on its popularity.

When Star Wars hit theaters on May 25, 1977, everything changed as George Lucas‘ space fantasy sage ignited a sense of wonder and awe in a generation of viewers… and countless studios and production companies began freaking out and wondering how exactly they could duplicate the unexpected success of Fox’s little space movie. Let’s just say that the results will make you rethink the old adage that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” From low-budget B-movie silliness starring David Hasselhoff to a uniquely terrible film full of stolen footage and Soviet newsreels simply known as Turkish Star Wars, today’s episode of The Dan Cave is all about 9 of the most shameless Star Wars rip-offs ever made. Some are so bad they’re good, some are just straight up bad, and all of them are one hundred percent real — for better or for worse.

What is your favorite Star Wars rip-off? Let us know in the comments below!

Image: Columbia/New World Picutres

Sources: Kyle Anderson; The Robot’s Voice; Den of Geek 

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).

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