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A farm boy recruits a band of outlaws to save the planet Akir from dark forces that threaten to wipe them out from the face of the universe. A battle stretching beyond the stars begins here.

The evil tyrant Sador and his army of the Malmori mutants threatens the peaceful Akira farmers of the planet Akir with his Stellar Converter weapon and tells that he will return to collect their harvest. The former Akira warrior Zed advises that they should hire mercenaries to protect them from Sador and offers his spaceship to seek them out. However, the Akira can only pay with food and lodging. The young Shad offers to pilot the ship with the computer Nell to look for mercenaries. He meets Dr. Hephaestus and his beautiful daughter Nanelia in a space station where he unsuccessfully tries to find weapons. Nanelia comes with Shad and he teams up with the earthling Space Cowboy, who was going to deliver weapons to a planet that was destroyed by Sador and offers to give them to Shad. Then he meets five clones that share the mind of one entity called Nestor that join him. Shad also recruits the lonely and wealthy assassin Gelt that accepts the proposed payment. Then the sexy and annoying Valkyrie warrior Saint-Exmin joins the group since she wants to prove herself in battle. Shad also recruits Cayman that wants to kill Sador and does not require any payment. They return to Akir and Sador also returns to attack the planet. Who will win the battle?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The farmers of the planet Akir are threatened by the tyrannical warlord Sador (John Saxon), ruler of the Malmori Empire. His flagship carries a weapon called the Stellar Converter, which turns planets into small stars. He threatens to use the weapon unless the peaceful Akira surrender to him when he returns in "seven risings". Zed (Jeff Corey), the last of the famous Akira Corsairs, suggests that they hire mercenaries to protect their homeworld. Lacking valuable resources, they can only offer food and shelter in payment. Unable to go in person, Zed offers his ship, which has an artificial intelligence navigation and tactical computer named Nell, for the job once they can find a pilot. The ship is fast and well-armed but cannot defeat Sador alone. Shad (Richard Thomas), a young man who has piloted the ship and is well known to Nell, volunteers for the recruiting mission.

Shad's first stop is the Hephaestus space station, which repairs androids. Expecting to find weapons, Shad instead finds the station mostly populated by androids, only for two humans: Doctor Hephaestus (Sam Jaffe), whose life support has turned him into a cyborg, and his beautiful daughter Nanelia (Darlanne Fluegel), who looks after him and the androids. The doctor attempts to force Shad to mate with his daughter, by force if necessary. Shad doesn't want to abandon his people, and escapes with Nanelia, who follows in her own ship. Although she has no weapons, her highly advanced computer systems might be useful; the two separate to look for more mercenaries.

Shad comes across Space Cowboy (George Peppard), a spacegoing truck driver from Earth who is ambushed by Space Jackers while delivering a shipment of hand-laserguns to the planet Umateal. Shad succeeds into defeating the Jackers, thus saving Space Cowboy's life twice over; they arrive at Umateal just before they watch Sador destroy the planet with the Stella Converter. Lacking the fuel to carry the weapons back home, Space Cowboy offers to deliver them to Akir; Shad also convinces Space Cowboy into sharing his gunslinging experience with the Akira.

Shad later meets a set of five alien clones who share a group consciousness named Nestor. They reveal their life is incredibly dull, since their whole race shares one mind. In order to be entertained, they have sent five members to join Shad's cause. Nestor does not require payment, saying they are completely self-sufficient. Next, Shad recruits Gelt (Robert Vaughn), a wealthy assassin who is so well known he cannot show his face on any civilized planet. Gelt offers his services in trade for the ability to live peacefully hiding among the Akira. Gelt's ship is highly maneuverable and well armed. On his way back to Akir, Shad is approached by Saint-Exmin (Sybil Danning), of the Valkyrie warriors. She is a headstrong woman looking to prove herself in battle. She also pilots a small but extremely fast ship with enhanced firepower. Shad finds her annoying and wishes she would go away, but she tags along.

While waiting for Shad's return, Nanelia is captured by a reptilian slaver named Cayman. Cayman possesses a powerful ship with an eclectic crew of aliens. She quickly recruits Cayman to their cause when he learns that they are looking for mercenaries to fight against Sador. The only payment Cayman wants is Sador's head, since Sador's forces had destroyed Cayman's homeworld years ago. The fleet of seven ships return to Akir. Upon reaching the planet's surface, the heroes are greeted with caution by the natives, who are not used to violent species. Eventually, Sador returns, but his armada of attack fighters is intercepted by Shad and his hired warriors. In the opening battle, Gelt skillfully destroys several of Sador's ships but is mortally wounded when his ship crashes. Meanwhile, Cowboy and the Akira, armed with his laserguns, succeed into defeating Sador's invading ground forces.

Sador survives an assassination attempt by Nestor and launches most of his ships into retaliation against the planet. The Akira ground troops, lead by Space Cowboy, defeat Sador's army, but Zed is gunned down in the fighting. There is another huge space battle and the mercenaries' ships are destroyed one by one. However, the mercenaries are successful into destroying most of Sador's fighters and the Stellar Converter, leaving only Sador's flagship. Crippled and unable to battle, Nell is captured by the flagship's tractor beam; Shad and Nanelia activate Nell's self-destruct program, then escape in an escape pod. When Sador orders Nell to surrender, she detonates, causing the Stellar Converter to backfire and disintegrate his flagship.

As Shad and Nanelia return to Akir, Nanelia despairs over their friends' deaths. Shad tells her that the Akira believe that no one is truly dead when they have been loved and celebrated by the living. The Akira will remember the sacrifices made by the mercenaries and honor them forever into their world's legends.