Moon 44 (1990)

Moon 44 (1990), a film from Centropolis Film Productions and directed by Roland Emmerich, takes place in the year 2038. At this point in time, Earth’s natural resources have run dry and major corporations now control the galaxy. These companies constantly battle for rights to mining planets, with the most notable conflict taking place on Moon 44. This particular installation is currently under the control of Galactic Mining Corporation, as other nearby moons have been overtaken by rival Pyrite Defense Company’s battle robots. Due to numerous casualties during training, Galactic Mining cancelled its defense system of helicopters designed to operate in these harsh conditions. In order to assist their pilots, new navigators are sent to Moon 44. However, an ongoing shortage of pilots forces the company to turn to prisoners for assistance.

With their fleet of mining shuttles being a top priority, Galactic Mining has made it clear that if the base is attacked, these shuttles must prioritize their escape over saving their crews. Felix Stone, an undercover agent hired by Galactic Mining, is tasked with investigating the strange disappearance of two shuttles. He heads to Moon 44 where he meets chief navigator Tyler, who has a suspicion that someone tampered with the flight computers and stole the shuttles. Major Lee, the defense director, and his assistant, Master Sergeant Sykes, are believed to be involved. During his investigation, Stone catches Sykes altering a mining shuttle’s computer just before its departure. In a violent confrontation, Sykes attacks Stone with an axe but is swiftly stopped when Lee intervenes and shoots him.