If it weren't so gruesome, it would be fascinating.
The first Alien has a lot of things to answer for. One of them was the sudden proliferation of films set in outer space where slimy creatures stalked nubile women down ill-lit corridors -- oftentimes placing them in sexually compromising positions. Galaxy of Terror, which was released by Roger Corman's New World Pictures in 1981, has a bit more on its mind than just that, but co-writer/director Bruce D. Clark (whose previous efforts include the little-seen biker film Naked Angels and the blaxploitation non-classic Hammer) still made sure that when one of his actresses is attacked by a giant, slime-spewing space maggot that it rips off her clothes and rapes her in the process. (That's something to put on your resume: "Is willing to be raped by giant, slime-spewing space maggot on camera.")
The plot, which couldn't be more transparently lifted from Alien, concerns a rescue crew sent on a mission to a remote planet where they find no survivors, but there is something -- or some things -- out there picking them off one by one, frequently in the form of what they fear the most. (When one character announces that she hates tight spaces, you just know she's going to bite the dust while squeezing through one.) The film features a bizarre cast, including a mustachioed Edward Albert (son of Eddie) as our hero, Erin Moran as the sensitive Deanna Troi type he loves, Grace Zabriskie as the reckless captain with a mysterious past, future Red Shoe Diaries creator Zalman King as the trigger-happy security officer, Robert Englund as the ship's surgeon, Sid Haig as the fighter who "lives and dies by the crystals" (whatever that means) and Ray Walston as the ship's cook who clearly knows more than he's letting on. It's also notable for being one of James Cameron's last production jobs before he turned director with Piranha II: The Spawning. (Not exactly the most auspicious debut.)