On this day in movie history - Dark Star (1974 movie & novel):

Dark Star

directed by John Carpenter,

written by John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon,

was released in the United States on March 30, 1974.
Music by John Carpenter.
Title song Benson, Arizona performed by John Yager.
Lyrics by Bill Taylor.

Cast:

Brian Narelle, Dan O'Bannon, Cal Kuniholm, Andreijah "Dre" Pahich, John Carpenter, Joe Saunders, Barbara "Cookie" Knapp, Miles Watkins, Nick Castle.

Recommended reading:

Dark Star

By Alan Dean Foster.

Published by Del Rey.

First published 1974.

ISBN-10: 0708880487

ISBN-13: 9780708880487

Description:

Bombed out in space -- with a spaced-out bomb!

ALL SYSTEMS -- SNAFU!

If anything could possibly go wrong aboard the scout ship Dark Star, sooner or later it would. Now, in the twentieth year of their mission -- destroying unstable planets -- the ship and its crew were slowly and steadily falling apart.

After 20 years in space, isolation and loneliness had left their mark. The four surviving crew members were bored beyond relief. Only an occasional bomb run or another of the inevitable malfunctions aboard ship upset the monotony.

Then, one day, Bomb #20 was primed, armed, and set to detonate ... and suddenly life on the Dark Star became frantic ...

Born on this day – Dan O'Bannon:

Dan O'Bannon

Actor

Writer

Director

September 30, 1946 – December 17, 2009

Credits:

A Conversation with Dan O'Bannon: The Final Interview (2011); A Little Bit Zombie (2012); Alien (1979); Alien Encounters: Superior Fan Power Since 1979 (2014); Alien Evolution (2001); Alien vs. Predator (1994 / 2004); Alien: Alone (2019); Alien: Containment (2019); Alien: Covenant (2017); Alien: Earth (2025); Alien: Enhancement Pods (2010); Alien: Harvest (2019); Alien: Isolation (2014); Alien: Night Shift (2019); Alien: Ore (2019); Alien: Resurrection (1997); Alien: Romulus (2024); Alien: Specimen (2019); Alien³ (1992); Aliens (1986); Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007); Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013); Area 51: The Alien Interview (1997); ASMR Xenomorph Attack (2019); Bird of Steel! (2024); Bleeders (1997); Blood Bath (1969); Bloodmyth (2006); Blue Thunder (1983 / 1984); Brave New Worlds: The Science Fiction Phenomenon (1993); Circus Maximus (2009); Cult Connections / Podcast Series (2021); Dan O'Bannon: Crafting Fear (2003); Dark Star (1974); Dead & Buried (1981); Delivering Milo (2001); Eli Roth's History of Horror (2020); Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors (1986); Film Genre (2002); Foster's Release (1971); Heavy Metal / Segment: Soft Landing (1981); Het loon van de angst (1983); I'm Gonna Eat Your Brains (2013); Invaders from Mars (1986); Jodorowsky's Dune (2013); Kill Her Goats (2023); L'antre du Mea (2017); Last Breath (2001); Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star (2010); Lifeforce (1985); Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019); Moebius Redux: A Life in Pictures (2007); More Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011); Movie Night Extravaganza (2022); Phobia (1980); Prometheus (2012); Return of the Living Dead: Designing the Dead (2002); Ride with the Angels: Making 'Blue Thunder' (2006); Screamers (1995); Special Collector's Edition (2014); Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007); Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977); The AckerMonster Chronicles! (2012); The Alien Legacy (1999); The 'Alien' Saga (2002); The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003); The Horror Hall of Fame (1990); The Resurrected (1991); The Return of the Living Dead (1985); Total Recall (1990 / 2012); Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (2007); Welcome to the Basement (2013–2014); When Muscles Ruled the World (2002); Zaum - Andare a parare (2011).