It's Eegah in outer space! Richard Kiel's more infamous movie role if you're an MST3K fan. ;)
Did that other movie steal it's FX footage from Starcrash, or was it from the same studio?
Here's another knockoff, this time from Japan. Message From Space!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOSmIJCHqcQ
Those of you who played Astron Belt at the arcade back in the 80's may experience some Deja Vu. ;)
The War in Space is probably the first film to try and cash in on Star Wars' success. The story goes that some Toho studio execs were in Hollywood in summer 1977, and saw the huge lines at Mann's Chinese Theater. They got their own space movie into production soon as they returned home, and into theaters in Japan before Star Wars even opened there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzTh_Z-AsDE
Scenes from a spurious English dub version of the film featuring a giant horned Wookiee ripoff. ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTU7aXMzVMg
What is it with Japan and spaceships that look like seagoing vessels anyway?