- Title: Galaxy Quest
- IMDb: link
Far from a flop, but not the box office family comedy smash the fledging DreamWorks Pictures was hoping for, Galaxy Quest came and went in the winter of 1999 and early 2000 with marginal success. Those lucky enough to see the film in the theaters were in for a treat that stayed around the top 10 of the box office for several weeks earning positive reviews from critics and earning back double its production costs. Without really knowing what they had on their hands, bungling the marketing of the film and hamstringing its release, DreamWorks had nevertheless produced the best Star Trek movie ever made.
“MINERS, not MINORS!” A loving parody of classic Star Trek, the film follows the adventures of actors of from a cancelled sci-fi show still playing on their celebrity at conventions when real aliens arrive, having based their entire civilization off of these “historical documents,” leading the actors into space to play their roles for real and battle an alien menace threatening the galaxy.
“Well forget it! I’m not doing it! This episode was badly written!” 24 years later, Galaxy Quest is still a joy to behold. Understanding what made Star Trek work, and offering a peek at the lives of the actors long after the show went off the air keeping the spirit of the franchise alive almost two decades later at conventions, the film hits all the right notes being simultaneously celebratory and good-naturedly poking fun at the franchise which was the inspiration for the film.
“By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged.” The eclectic cast is led by Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith who played Commander Peter Quincy Taggart and loved his role as lead on the show in sharp contrast to character actor Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) whose love/hate relationship with his character Dr. Lazarus gets played out over the film as one of its many running gags.
“Never give up. Never surrender.” The rest of the crew includes Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, Sigourney Weaver, and Sam Rockwell as a one-time guest-star in a single episode who gets pulled into the real-life adventure. Rockwell’s character, a fan of the show, understands it better than the actors the dangers the crew will run into making smart commentary throughout the film while also becoming deathly afraid that his role is to die to raise the stakes of the adventure (much like he did on the show).
“Let’s get out of here before one of those things kills Guy.” Enlisting their help are Enrico Colantoni, Missi Pyle, Patrick Breen, and Jed Rees as the Thermians who designed and built the starship from the show believing it (and all television) to be historical documents of actual events. Our villain is Robin Sachs as the warmongering Sarris. And the last ingredient to the film are a group of fans led by Justin Long whose deep knowledge of the series is put to the test in the climax of the film helping to save the characters they love. As much as Galaxy Quest is a love letter to Star Trek, it’s also a huge thank you and respect to its fans (something the studio wanted removed from the film) long before the celebration of fandom and fan culture.
“It’s all real.” From beginning to end, Galaxy Quest is full of great moments, many of which (such as the challenge of the chompers and the unfortunate results of the digital conveyer) were directly inspired by Star Trek. And its a smart movie, with the characters aware of the goofiness of the setup they need to take seriously (such as Tawny’s ridiculous role on the ship). And then there’s the ship. While not as iconic as the Enterprise, the Protector is a beautiful streamlined creation whether souring through space or struggling to get out of space dock. In fact all the sets and effects, ranging from the cheesy TV spots to the impressive moments in space continue to hold up nearly a quarter of a century later.
“Oh, that’s not right.” You know you have a good script when you can’t pick a favorite line from the film. Galaxy Quest is immensely quotable, and no one character gets all the best lines as they are spread out over the entire cast. And for as much it hits with big laughs and quotable line it also layers that on emotion and more subtle pieces of filmmaking such as shifting aspect ratio representing the wider universe from the original show, to the real world, to what is beyond the stars.
“That was a hell of a thing.” For those who haven’t seen the film, even those with only a passing understanding of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest is a must-see. Simply put, it’s one of the best comedies ever made. I would also recommend the documentary Never Surrender jammed full of interviews and insight from cast and crew, including director Dean Parisot and screenwriter Robert Gordon, about both the troubles and joys of creating the film and the rise of support of Galaxy Quest over the years.
Watch the trailer
