I'm trying to figure out the title of a late 80's or early 80's not too sure... it envolves a kid in space who rides with this group of people on a strange looking ship... thats about all I can think of but I really want to know what this movie is called... I know that one of the people on the ship gets shot toward the end and he is an alien of some sort... please help!!

Dj, I would like to help you since it sounds like it is driving you nuts. :)

Is there anything else at all that you can think of from the film? Actors/actresses? Is there a reason why they are all traveling around together?

I can't remember any actors names but the ship is weird shaped like the engines are up top kind of like star trek and its red... ummmm damn I can't remember much... I'm 27 and I was like 10 or so when I saw it... I remember that when the alien dude got shot toward the end they were on a dessert type planet... and I think the ships crew were smugglers maybe... sorry that's about all I remember, although the kid may have been the kid from flight of the navigator but I looked his name up and no movies he was in was like this one...

Is it explorers

You might be thinking of Roger Corman's "homage" to Star Wars, Space Raiders from 1983, which features many of your plot points: a desert-type planet, a smuggler-type crew, a young boy as a stowaway, and most of the crew getting killed. Details are here:

Cold Fusion Video Reviews: Space Raiders