Planet What?

Planet What?, a parody of 1950s-era science fiction films, is initially set in the present. When the four-man crew of the VN-13 mission to Venus goes missing, the people of Earth anxiously await news of their fate. The VN-13's mysterious disappearance is the result of its encounter with a cosmic energy ribbon that propels the craft far into the future and onto the surface of a planet that, though Earth-like, displays distinctively alien qualities, as well. Blue skies and normal gravity entice bickering crew members Wes Parker, 'Sparks' McGee and Richard Friendly into believing they have miraculously returned to Earth. Science officer Elliot Woolcott, the lone holdout and subject of intense ridicule from his cohorts, remains unconvinced, especially after perilous encounters with a giant, mutant bird and a race of headless anthropomorphic creatures called the Crud. The crew, while seeking shelter from attack, stumble upon a reclusive, vestigial race, the Schlub, who live below ground, in mortal fear of the Crud. In an effort to preserve humanity, the astronauts attempt to convince the Schlub's leader, Kinkle, to return to life on the surface. Their efforts are obstructed by Kinkle's intransigent confidante and a crew of plotting, tea-sipping Brits, similarly stranded years earlier. The Americans persevere and, with unexpected help from sidetracked Japanese astronauts in search of a decent place for lunch, defeat the Crud, setting humankind back on the road to progress, despite lingering doubts about what planet all this happens on.