On the planet Arous, Captain Bantor (Ross Hagen), the Sovereign (Lindy Sykes) and the Inquisitor (Aldo Ray) attempt to quell an uprising of the defiant resident miners of Taura's planet by capturing her and killing her fellow dwarf miners and the wandering priest Zaal, when Taura is forced to defend herself against the marauding starship captain, Bantor.

Bantor then comes aboard Vehemence, now deranged as a result of losing his hand, seeking to obtain a mind control process that reduces the prisoners to zombies.

[1] Ray then met producer Jack H. Harris at the American Film Market and showed him some footage he had shot for a movie called Prison Ship.

[3] In Creature Feature, the movie received one out of five stars, calling the movie "hilariously bad," citing the script as the main problem[4] Austin Trunick writing for the website "Under the Radar" stated: "Star Slammer was shot quickly and on the cheap, but has far better production values than similar, bottom shelf sci-fi or women in prison flicks from the era.

It hits most of the notes you’d expect from the genres – extraterrestrial dwarfs, robots, cat fights, a sadistic (female) warden, and forced combat".

[7] Cannes Film Festival May 11, 1987 and released widely in the same year[8] According to the end credits, a sequel called Chain Gang Planet was planned.