E. E. Smith is the original creator behind the anime works Galactic Patrol Lensman and the Lensman film. His full name was Edward Elmer Smith, an American science fiction author born on May 2, 1890, who passed away on August 31, 1965. In addition to his writing career, he was also a food engineer. He is widely recognized as a foundational figure in science fiction and is often referred to as the father of space opera for his expansive vision of interstellar conflict.

The anime adaptations are based on Smith's Lensman series, a classic space opera novel series that began publication in the 1930s. The property was adapted into two distinct but related anime productions in Japan in 1984. The first was an anime film known in Japan as SF Shin Seiki Lensman and in English as Lensman: Secret of the Lens. The second was a 25-episode television series titled Galactic Patrol Lensman, which aired from October 1984 to March 1985. Both productions were made with the knowledge and consent of the author's estate.

In terms of creative adaptation, both the film and television series take significant artistic liberties with Smith's original source material. While they retain core concepts such as the Lens, character names like Kimball Kinnison, and the conflict between the Galactic Patrol and the Boskone Empire, the overall plot and aesthetic were substantially altered. One notable change was the shift in tone to more closely resemble contemporary space opera films of the era. The estate of E. E. Smith was reportedly displeased with the final results, and for several years following these productions, they rejected other proposals to adapt the Lensman series.

Smith's original Lensman novels, such as Galactic Patrol and Triplanetary, were seminal works that helped define the space opera subgenre. They introduced concepts of a galactic-scale conflict between the forces of civilization and a vast criminal empire, mediated by an organization of elite agents known as Lensmen who wielded a powerful psychic device called the Lens. This core identity of interstellar scale and heroic struggle was the foundational material used for the anime adaptations. The productions remain notable as an early attempt to translate a major American science fiction literary series into the medium of Japanese animation.