Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone

A space cruise liner is ripped apart by a bolt of nebular lightning. Nova, Reena, and Meagan survive the catastrophe and jettison in an escape pod. They crash-land on the nearest habitable planet and are promptly seized by hostile natives who take them aboard a pirate-like rail ship.

In space, a reward for the women's safe return is announced. Wolff, a rogue salvage operator, intercepts the message and urges his engineer, Chalmers, to search the ship's outdated computer for clues about Terra 11. He sees the payday as a way to clear his debts and repair his vessel.

Wolff and Chalmers land on Terra 11 in the Scrambler. They learn their world is a quarantined, plague-ravaged colony with two factions clashing: marauders called Zoners and nomads on a rail-ship.

The nomads, led by Grandman Patterson, explain that The Zone is ruled by Overdog McNabb, their old enemy. Patterson recounts their grim histories during the plague and the civil wars. Chalmers is killed in the ensuing skirmish.

Wolff meets Niki the Twister, a scrappy teenage Earther who wants to steal from him but agrees to help as a tracker. She insists on joining the expedition into The Zone. Reluctantly, Wolff takes her on as his guide.

The three women are brought before The Chemist, Overdog's chief henchman, who pacifies them with drugs and prepares them for Overdog's pleasure. Overdog is a hulking cyborg dictator with mechanical claws and a grotesque opera-mask face. The women are to be used to satisfy his cravings.

Wolff and Niki camp and are soon attacked by a strange plow-like vehicle. Wolff disables it and discovers the driver is Washington, a former Sector Control officer who now wants to rescue the women himself. He admits his own plan to claim the reward but Wolff refuses to help his rival.

Meanwhile, Wolff and Washington form a shaky alliance after realizing they both need each other. They plan a joint approach to Overdog's fortress and agree on a 50/50 split of the bounty. Niki, eager to prove herself, joins as part of the team.

Inside the fortress, Wolff and Washington sneak through captured prisoners to reach the cage where the women are held. They rescue them, but Niki, who snuck off to snoop, is captured and sent into Overdog's maze.

Niki is hooked to a device that drains her life energy to power Overdog's fortress. Wolff detects the danger and jams a sparking cable into Overdog's claw, triggering a power feedback that fries the machine and triggers cascading explosions.

Washington arrives driving the plow vehicle while Nova, Reena, and Meagan rescue the Scrambler. Wolff and Niki reunite with the others as they race from the collapsing fortress. They all escape the compound just as it blows.

Back aboard Wolff's ship, he offers to take Niki to Earth. She agrees only if they remain partners, and Wolff accepts. Their uneasy alliance marks a new beginning as they set courses for home.