I presume it is based on the film "The Last Starfighter" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/ - in which a teen perfects an

I presume it is based on the film "The Last Starfighter" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/ - in which a teen perfects an arcade game, and is then selected as a pilot for the actual spacecraft.