Hachigatsu wrote:
Since Kinji Fukasaku had a string of big-budget costume dramas (which Toei hailed as the return of the "Jidaigeki" genre), and Japan was already engulfed in "Yamato Fever" from the tremendous success of the SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO animated feature (STAR WARS was not due to open in Japan until mid-1978), Toei decided to do a "Jidaigeki in Space". The plot is taken from the 106-volume story, Nanso Satomi Hakkenden written by Kyoutei Baikin between 1814 and 1842, set in the tumultuous Sengoku period (age of Warring States), follows eight samurai brothers and their adventures, with themes of loyalty and family honor, as well as Confucianism, bushido and Buddhist philosophy. Basic elements from this story were used as the basis of MESSAGE FROM SPACE. 

  
That may be, but it's still a bold-faced STAR WARS ripoff.

Despite that, or perhaps because of that, the film is great fun; it's never less than tremendously entertaining.  Except for Morrow, the English-speaking cast is terrible, but the Japanese cast comes off very well, even dubbed.  Some of the special effects are mind-bogglingly awful (the Space Firefly hunt is particularly cringeworthy), but some are very very good indeed.  I love the design of the flying clipper spaceship.  The pacing is nice.  The costumes are extremely colorful.  This would be great to see on the big screen.

There's a decent quality torrent of this one floating around, which is a rip of the partially letterboxed Japanese DVD with the English track skillfully laid over the top.  I'm making do with that for now.