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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unnamed_9_1.jpg]]
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3''Saturn 3'' [[note]]in the novelization, [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfSaturn the moon Tethys]], but in [[ArtisticLicenseSpace the script's case]], Titan[[/note]] is a 1980 science-fiction horror film starring Creator/KirkDouglas, Creator/FarrahFawcett and Creator/HarveyKeitel.
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5It was conceived and partly directed by John Barry, a production designer for ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' and ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope''. This film takes cues from both. After some sort of dispute (accounts differ), Creator/StanleyDonen (of ''Film/SinginInTheRain'' fame) ended up directing most of it.
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8!!''Saturn 3'' contains examples of:
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10* AnArmAndALeg: When Benson is trying to forcefully abduct Alex and take her to Earth, Hector goes fully haywire, grabs him by the wrist, and just crushes straight through it.
11* ArtificialGravity: The SpaceStation at the start has people walking on the ceiling as well as the floor.
12* ArtisticLicensePhysics: An astronaut in a spacesuit is murdered by blowing him out into space. He and his suit *instantly* freeze solid then shatter when hitting some wires (oddly placed in front of the door). Even if he were completely nude, he would not have frozen that fast.
13* ArtisticLicenseSpace:
14** Based on the way Saturn moves through the moon's sky, it would have to be orbiting perpendicular to the rings. For [[RuleOfCool some reason]], it's necessary to pilot a craft straight through the rings in order to get to the moon.
15** Additionally, the appearance of the moon's surface more closely hews to that of rocky, airless Tethys, rather than the thick, noxious atmosphere of Titan, where Saturn wouldn't even be visible in the sky at any point at all.
16* TheBait: Alex at one point stands in the middle of the lab, in front of a few floor panels of which the supportive grating had been removed. Hector just walks around them.
17* BloodlessCarnage:
18** When Adam pushes Hector into the coolant pit whilst carrying the explosives, a massive blast with several parts of Hector is shown. But nothing belonging to Adam.
19** Averted with the murder of Captain James by Benson, which is shown in [[ExplosiveDecompression full gory detail]].
20* BrainComputerInterface: Brain stem interfaces are placed in all human "instructors" of the Demi-god series of robots, allowing direct connection via radio waves (precursor to bluetooth) to upload instructions/training. Apparently, they are kept in those who wash out of the training program, allowing Benson to take the place of the legitimate operator. As a result Hector, whose brain consists of living tissue, takes on his insanity and his lust for Alex. Later, Hector kills Benson and implants the interface in Adam, not to put anything into his head, but to ''take something out''.
21* BrainUploading: Hector learns, slowly, but learns quicker when connected to a human brain.
22** Hector implants Benson's interface unit into Adam, so he can "experience" Alex.
23* ColdOpen: Benson is shown killing a pilot in order to obtain the WetwareCPU. A throwaway line in the scene indicates it's because Benson [[ForeShadowing failed a psych eval]] and was booted from the mission, so he murdered and impersonated the replacement.
24* ControlFreak: Benson does not take even the slightest inconvenience well, which is one of the first things that rubs off on Hector (as seen by Hector breaking a chess piece after losing a game). When Hector takes over the base, he intends to run it ''his'' way.
25* DamselInDistress: Alex. Constantly harassed by Benson, and later stalked by the Hector the Killer Robot, who possesses Benson's memories and bits of his personality.
26* DeadpanSnarker: Interestingly, the two characters with the least autonomy early in the film -- Hector and Alex -- are sometimes bitterly sarcastic toward Benson. Hector is deliberately antagonistic toward Benson during his testing, and after Benson tries to get Alex in bed, she shoots him down and tells him to "enjoy your blues," referencing his "Blue Dreamer" pills but also Benson being left with blue balls.
27* DeadPersonImpersonation: Benson murders his intended last-minute replacement by blowing him out an airlock and quickly taking his place on his ship. Alex and Adam think they're dealing with a guy called "James".
28* EasilyDetachableRobotParts: Hector, though it's not that easy for humans to attach his parts. [[spoiler:But he can do it himself easily.]]
29* EnemyMine: For a brief period, the three humans collaborate to stop Hector, despite the tension building between them.
30* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: Benson mentions that monogamy is "penally unsocial" on Earth after casually asking to have sex with Alex and being surprised to learn she's exclusive with Adam.
31* EyeScream: Hector pulling a spark out of Alex's eye.
32* FantasticDrug: Blue Dreamers, a recreational pill given to long-haul pilots so they don't go bonkers after extended periods in space.
33* FingerTwitchingRevival: Hector has one after his first defeat, but Alex spots it early enough for the others to pull out its BrainInAJar.
34* FrankensteinsMonster: The film transports the whole premise of the ''Frankenstein'' franchise [[RecycledInSPACE into space]] with Hector, who looks and acts like the creature right down to the mad handler and mute pursuit of the SatelliteLoveInterest.
35* HeroicSacrifice: Adam sacrifices his own life for Alex, since he was linked to the Robot and probably under its influence already. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Foreshadowed]] in his chess game with Hector as he lectures Benson on the merits of self-sacrifice.
36* ImpededCommunication: Adam and Alex try to radio their distress to the MileLongShip that has come to check on them. However, their pleas are blocked by the mad robot Hector, who mimics their voices precisely, and tells the ship that all's well. The reply is a cheery "See you in six months," and TheCavalry departs none the wiser.
37* IndyHatRoll: There's one sequence where Alex and Adam have to run through a corridor full of closing doors that close in sequence, as the trope dictates; however, they don't quite make it and the last door closes in front of them.
38* InterspeciesRomance: Not necessarily a romance but dear God...
39* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Hector, you asshole!]]
40* KillAndReplace: Captain Benson quickly demonstrates his lack of clear thought or care for others by spacing his commanding officer in order to take his place aboard Saturn 3.
41* KillerRobot: Hector.
42* LackOfEmpathy: Captain Benson's coldness and lack of empathy for other people or living things is probably one symptom of his psychosis. Which unfortunately rubs off on Hector.
43* MayDecemberRomance: Alex and Adam are already enjoying this when Benson arrives.
44* MrFanservice: We get several full-body nude shots of Kirk Douglas (from the back). He sure kept a good shape well into his sixties... ok, it's fanservice if you're into that. Otherwise it may be FanDisservice.
45* MsFanservice: Alex. So much that all the other characters (even the robot) are fighting over her.
46* MileLongShip: Swooping from above and set to bombastic orchestral piece in an [[FollowTheLeader almost identical]] establishing shot as the opening of ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''.
47* MindHive: Hector, near the end.
48-->'''Alex''': Stop it! Stop using us.
49-->'''Hector''': Well, you see my difficulty. I'm you. I'm Adam and the other one. I'm everyone.
50* MinimalistCast: There are only five speaking actors onscreen, six if you count the KillerRobot. Three of them carry 99% of the film, and one dies as soon as the robot starts going mental.
51* MurderByInaction: When a gigantic ceiling claw ('cause all laboratories have giant ceiling claws) pins Benson down, Adam considers just letting Hector have him as he's about to close the emergency door on him. He turns out to be a better man than Benson, and goes back to save him.
52* MyBrainIsBig: Played with. Hector's organic BrainInAJar is massive - but it's contained entirely within his torso, while his head is downright tiny.
53* NoOSHACompliance: The ship's locker-room, for whatever reason, has an airlock in its ceiling, complete with [[AbsurdCuttingPower razor-sharp wiring]] crossing in front of it.
54* NotQuiteDead: Hector gets dismantled at one point, but manages to reactivate himself later on, and use the lab equipment to put himself back together.
55* NoYou: This exchange between Benson and a voiceless Hector:
56-->'''Benson''': Now tell me, absolutely, can you talk or are you malfunctioning?
57-->'''Hector''' (through a screen): I AM NOT MALFUNCTIONING. I AM NOT MALFUNCTIONING. YOU ARE.
58* ReluctantRetiree: Adam is swiftly approaching his mandatory "[[FutureSlang abort time]]".
59* SafelySecludedScienceCenter: Saturn 3 is a research station on a moon of Saturn (whether Tethys or Mimas is not specified). There, two scientists conduct research on boosting agricultural output. Then, they are joined by Control Freak Benson, and the prototype KillerRobot Hector. A MileLongShip swings by twice a year, Saturn 3's only visitor.
60* SameLanguageDub: Benson (played by Creator/HarveyKeitel, who has a distinctive "Noo Yawk" accent) is dubbed by Roy Dotrice.
61* SmartPeoplePlayChess: And they know when to sacrifice their queen.
62* SympathyForTheDevil: Adam's last words to Hector are that it isn't his fault or Benson's that he's a killer robot. "It's everybody's fault".
63* TakingYouWithMe: How [[spoiler:Adam finally kills]] Hector.
64* TearOffYourFace: Once Hector has appropriated Benson's voice there is a WhamShot of him standing in a corridor wearing his head.
65* ThrownOutTheAirlock: Benson takes over Captain James's duty assignment by opening the airlock while James is preparing to board his shuttle.
66* TrappedWithMonsterPlot: With definite overtones of ''{{Film/Alien}}'', this film [[FollowTheLeader followed a lot of leaders]].
67* UnnecessarilyCreepyRobot: Hector looks for all the world like a skinned, metallic corpse with tubes for veins and metal plates where its muscles would be. Slowly, more of it is revealed, until we come to its head... or lack of one. All it has on top are two insectile, twitching, glowing eyes on an arm. It doesn't talk -- it merely flicks its eyes around to stare at you. When you combine those attributes with its measured tread, eerie electronic "breathing," its deliberately inhuman movements and the fact that it's learning directly from [[spoiler:the thoughts of the murderous, psychotic handler who has a stalkercrush on Alex]], it invokes the eeriest elements of the UncannyValley, essentially recreating FrankensteinsMonster in space. But scarier. What happens near the end of the film isn't pretty either: [[spoiler:Hector, his brain having been turned into a duplicate of his handler, has taken on his handler's madness as well, to the point that Hector tries to wear the man's head atop his own]].
68* TheVoiceless: Hector, at first. He later obtains Benson's voice, then Adam's, and he uses Alex's to send away TheCavalry.
69* WetwareCPU: Hector's three brains, which are stacked in a tube full of bubbling water.

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