Galaxy Quest

The cast of the 1980s space-adventure series Galaxy Quest attend fan conventions and make trivial promotional appearances. Though the series' vain former star, Jason Nesmith, thrives on the attention, his co-stars Gwen DeMarco, Alexander Dane, Fred Kwan, and Tommy Webber resent him and their stalled careers. At a convention, a group calling themselves Thermians approaches Jason for help. Thinking they want him for a promotional appearance, he agrees. Jason also overhears two attendees mocking him and the fans. Despondent, he brusquely dismisses other fans, including Brandon, before going home to drink and watch reruns of the series. The next morning, when the Thermians pick him up, a hungover Jason does not grasp that they are actual aliens who have transported him to a working re-creation of the Galaxy Quest starship, the NSEA Protector. Jason believes he is on a set, and performs in character as he confronts the Thermians' enemy, Sarris, who demands the "Omega 13", a secret super weapon with unknown capabilities mentioned but never used in the show's finale. Giving perfunctory orders, Jason fires on and temporarily defeats Sarris. After the grateful Thermians transport him back to Earth, Jason realizes the experience was real and attempts to convince the other cast members. In his excitement, Jason bumps into Brandon again, accidentally swapping Brandon's toy communicator with a real one Jason acquired from the Thermians. When one of the Thermians, Laliari, seeks Jason's help again, the cast joins him, along with the convention emcee, Guy, who had played an ill-fated extra in one episode. Aboard the Protector, the cast learn that the Thermians, who possess no concept of fiction, believe the episodes of Galaxy Quest are true "historical documents." Inspired by the crew's adventures, they have based their society on the virtues espoused by the show. Sarris returns and demands the Omega 13 device. He attacks the Protector again, and the ship barely escapes through a magnetic minefield. However, the ship's power source, a beryllium sphere, is severely damaged. The humans travel to a nearby planet and take a replacement sphere from ferocious, childlike alien miners. Jason is temporarily left behind and fends off a rock creature until Fred beams him up. Back on the Protector, the crew discovers that Sarris has seized the ship. After Jason confesses they are just actors, Sarris forces him to explain the truth to the disillusioned Thermian leader, Mathesar. Sarris activates the Protector's self-destruct mechanism and returns to his ship. Jason and Gwen contact Brandon via the swapped communicator, and Brandon and his superfan friends guide them to abort the self-destruct sequence. Brandon also explains that the Omega 13 is either a universe-destroying bomb or a "matter re-arranger" that sends the user 13 seconds back in time. Meanwhile, Alexander leads a Thermian revolt against Sarris' forces and takes back control of the Protector. With renewed confidence, the crew challenges Sarris and draws his ship into the magnetic minefield, destroying it. As they return to Earth, Sarris, who narrowly escaped his ship's destruction, ambushes them on the bridge and fatally wounds several crew members. Jason activates the Omega 13, which sends everyone 13 seconds back in time, allowing Jason and Mathesar to thwart Sarris before he attacks. The Protector's bridge separates from the main vessel to return the humans to Earth, while the main vessel carries the Thermians into interstellar space. The Protector bridge crashes into the Galaxy Quest convention, and the dazed cast emerges to the cheers of their fans. Sarris awakens and levels his gun at the cast, but Jason shoots and destroys him. The crowd assumes it was all a display of special effects and cheers wildly. Jason, with newfound humility, invites his co-stars to share the stage with him and the crew basks in their newfound glory. Sometime later, Galaxy Quest is revived as a sequel series, Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues, with the cast reprising their roles alongside Guy and Laliari as new cast members. == Cast ==

• Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith, who played Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, the commander of the NSEA Protector and main character of the series. He is initially a smug ham actor who thrives on his attention within the fandom but is more interested in partying than keeping his schedules. • Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DeMarco, who played Lieutenant Tawny Madison, the ship's communications officer and the only officer aboard who can give orders to the ship's computer. She resents how she was more of a sex-object than a character on the show. • Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane, who played Dr. Lazarus, the ship's science officer and a member of the Mak'tar, an alien species known for their superhuman intelligence and psionic powers. As a Shakespearean actor, he is the most resentful of his character, and especially his catchphrase: "By Grabthar's Hammer, by the Suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!" • Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kwan, who played Tech Sergeant Chen, the ship's chief engineer. He is completely unfazed by the insertion into a real alien environment, and enters a relationship with Laliari. • Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman, the cast's handler at conventions who also played "Crewman #6", a short-lived minor character, in a single episode. In the revival, he gains a part as Security Chief "Roc" Ingersol. • Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber, who played Lieutenant Laredo, a precocious child pilot. • Corbin Bleu as a younger Laredo during the original TV series. • Enrico Colantoni as Mathesar, the leader of the Thermians. • Robin Sachs as Roth'h'ar Sarris, the general of a group of reptilian humanoids who seek to destroy the Thermians. • Patrick Breen as Quellek, a Thermian who forms a bond with Alexander Dane. • Missi Pyle as Laliari, a Thermian and love interest for Fred. In the revival at the end of the film, she goes under the name of Jane Doe, playing a fictionalized version of herself. • Jed Rees as Teb, a Thermian and Mathesar's second-in-command. • Justin Long as Brandon, a dedicated fan of Galaxy Quest. • Jeremy Howard as Kyle, Brandon's friend • Kaitlin Cullum as Katelyn, Brandon's friend • Jonathan Feyer as Hollister, Brandon's friend • Heidi Swedberg as Brandon's mom • Wayne Péré as Lathe, Sarris's second-in-command • Samuel Lloyd as Neru, a Thermian • Rainn Wilson as Lahnk, a Thermian • Kevin McDonald (as Kevin Hamilton McDonald) as Announcer • Joe Frank as the voice of the Protector computer == Production ==

Development The original spec script by David Howard was titled Captain Starshine. Producer Mark Johnson, who had a first-look deal with DreamWorks, did not like Howard's script but was fascinated with its concept of space aliens who misconstrue old episodes of a television series as reality. Johnson purchased the script and had Bob Gordon use the concept to create Galaxy Quest. A fan of Star Trek, Gordon was hesitant, believing Galaxy Quest "could be a great idea or it could be a terrible idea" and initially turned it down. Gordon, who did not read Captain Starshine until after the film was completed, started from the premise of washed-up actors from a sci-fi series involved with real extraterrestrials. Gordon became more confident when he completed the scene where Nesmith confesses to the Thermians, which he felt he nailed. Ramis wanted Alec Baldwin for the lead role, but Baldwin turned it down. Steve Martin and Kevin Kline were also considered, but Kline turned it down for family reasons. Ramis did not agree with the casting of Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith and left the project in February 1999. Parisot took over as director within three weeks. Sigourney Weaver, who had worked with Ramis on Ghostbusters, said that he also wanted actors who had not appeared in science-fiction roles before, a choice she thought odd since veterans of the genre would know what was humorous. Casting Following Parisot's assignment as director, Allen was quickly cast as Nesmith, While the original script made Dane a ceremonial knight, Rickman suggested the title would be too much for the character, and this was dropped, though he remained listed as "Sir Alex Dane" in the credits. Colantoni led how the Thermians would act, which he called "happy Jehovah's Witnesses" taking everything in with "love and acceptance." Other idiosyncrasies were developed by the actors during this training, Other locations used in the film included the Stahl House as Nesmith's home and the Hollywood Palladium for the fan conventions. According to Weaver, Allen hectored her to sign a piece of the Nostromo, the spaceship from Alien, in which she had starred; she ultimately did, writing "Stolen by Tim Allen; Love, Sigourney Weaver", which she claims upset him greatly. before being recut to achieve a family-friendly rating. Shalhoub did not remember any darker version of the film. Gordon had not planned to write a "family-friendly" film, and his initial script included mature scenes, such as DeMarco attempting to seduce aliens, and the crash of the escape pod into the convention hall decapitating several attendees. According to the cast and crew, Galaxy Quest was re-edited to achieve a "PG" rating, requiring scenes to be cut that could have survived if a "PG-13" rating had been targeted instead. Parisot refuted claims that the rock monster that Nesmith battled was based on the rock monster that had been scripted for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but instead was more inspired by the Gorn that Kirk faces in the Star Trek episode "Arena". intentionally designed to look like a poorly constructed fan website, with "screen captures" and poor HTML coding. Other aspects of the film were homages to other seminal science fiction works. The Thermians' native planet, Klaatu Nebula, is a reference to the name of the alien visitor in the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). ==Reception==

Critical response Critics praised it both as a parody of Star Trek, and as a comedy film of its own. The New York Timess Lawrence Van Gelder called it "an amiable comedy that simultaneously manages to spoof these popular futuristic space adventures and replicate the very elements that have made them so durable". Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, praised the ability of the film to spoof the "illogic of the TV show". Amy Taubin of The Village Voice offered a lukewarm review, noting that "the many eight- to 11-year-olds in the audience seemed completely enthralled". Joe Leydon of Variety said that Galaxy Quest "remains light and bright as it races along, and never turns nasty or mean-spirited as it satirizes the cliches and cults of Star Trek". Retrospective reviews for Galaxy Quest have been positive. Esquire Matt Miller said in 2019 "the film absolutely holds up as one of the best sci-fi satires ever made—one that challenges our obsession with massive Hollywood franchises, the nature of fandom, and some of the more problematic cliches of the genre. But it does so with a self-aware empathy that makes it an enduring and lasting entry in not only science-fiction, but American film as a whole". Writer-director David Mamet, in his book Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business, included Galaxy Quest in a list of four "perfect" films, along with The Godfather, A Place in the Sun and Dodsworth. The film has been described by fans and critics as one of the best Star Trek films, despite not being part of the franchise. Box office Galaxy Quest grossed $71.6million in the United States and Canada, and $19.1million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $90.7million, double the original budget of $45million, which means the movie essentially broke even after distribution, theater & ticket sales taxes were deducted, as a movie typically has to double its gross to break even. It spent its first nine weeks in the Top 10 at the box office. Accolades Impact and legacy The film proved popular with Star Trek fans. At the 2013 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, Galaxy Quest received enough support in a Star Trek Film Ranking to be included with the twelve Star Trek films that had been released at the time on the voting ballot. The fans at the convention ranked it the seventh-best Star Trek film. The film also captured some negative elements of modern fandom, such as leading actors continuously pestered by fans for intricate details of the work's fiction and other elements of the potentially toxic culture of online fan groups. The novella Rabbit Remembered (2000) by John Updike mentions the character of Laliari from the film. Reaction from Star Trek actors Several actors who have had roles on various Star Trek television series and films have commented on Galaxy Quest in light of their own experiences with the franchise and its fandom. ==Related media==

Home video The film was released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment on VHS and DVD on May 2, 2000. The DVD version included a 10-minute behind-the-scenes feature, cast and crew biographies and interviews, and deleted scenes. During February 2006, Viacom (now known as Paramount Skydance) acquired the rights to Galaxy Quest and all other live-action films DreamWorks had released between 1997 and 2005, following its billion-dollar acquisition of the studio's live-action film and television assets. This deal put the film under the same corporate umbrella as the Star Trek franchise, which has been produced by Paramount Television and Paramount Pictures. A special 10th anniversary deluxe edition was released on both DVD and Blu-ray by Paramount Home Entertainment on May 12, 2009; though they lacked the same features on the original DVD release, they included several new featurettes on the film's history, the cast, and the special effects used in the film's making, alongside the deleted scenes. For the film's 20th anniversary, a "Never Give Up, Never Surrender Edition" Blu-ray was released on November 5, 2019, featuring the same features as the 10th edition; a special SteelBook Best Buy exclusive was released on September 17, 2019. For the film's 25th anniversary, a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition was released on December 3, 2024, by Paramount Home Entertainment. This edition includes the bonus features from the 10th anniversary deluxe edition, as well as a new interview with director Dean Parisot. This edition is the first home video release to have the original theatrical aspect ratio changes. Tie-in media In November 1999, Galaxy Quest was novelized by science fiction writer Terry Bisson, who stayed very close to the plot of the film. In 2008, IDW Publishing released a comic book sequel to the movie entitled Galaxy Quest: Global Warning. In January 2015, IDW launched a four-issue series set several years after the events of the film called "Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues". In 2021, Eaglemoss Publications released a behind-the-scenes book entitled Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story. Proposed sequel or television series Talks of a sequel have been going on since the film's release in 1999, but only began gaining traction in 2014 when Allen mentioned that there was a script. Stars Weaver and Rockwell mentioned they were interested in returning. However, Colantoni has said he would prefer for there not to be a sequel, lest it tarnish the characters from the first film. He said, "to make something up, just because we love those characters, and turn it into a sequel—then it becomes the awful sequel". In April 2015, Paramount Television, along with the movie's co-writer Gordon, director Parisot, and executive producers Johnson and Bernstein, announced they were looking to develop a television series based on Galaxy Quest. The move was considered in a similar vein as Paramount's revivals of Minority Report and School of Rock as television series. In August 2015, it was announced that Amazon Studios would be developing it. In January 2016, after the unexpected death of Alan Rickman from pancreatic cancer, Tim Allen commented in The Hollywood Reporter about the franchise's chance of a revival: Speaking to the Nerdist podcast in April 2016, Sam Rockwell revealed that the cast had been about ready to sign on for a follow-up with Amazon, but Rickman's death, together with Allen's television schedule, had proved to be obstacles. He also said he believed Rickman's death meant the project would never happen. However, the plans were revived in August 2017, with the announcement that Paul Scheer would be writing the series. Speaking to /Film, Scheer said that in his first drafts submitted to Amazon in November 2017 he wanted to create a serialized adventure that starts where the film ends, but leads into the cultural shift in Star Trek that has occurred since 1999; he said "I really wanted to capture the difference between the original cast of Star Trek and the J. J. Abrams cast of Star Trek." To that end, Scheer's initial scripts called for two separate cast sets that would come together by the end of the first season of the show, though he did not confirm if this included any of the original film's cast. Following the dismissal of Amy Powell as president of Paramount Television in July 2018, Scheer said the Galaxy Quest series had been put on hold while Paramount's management was being re-established, but anticipated the show would continue forward after that. He also said they were making the series to allow the introduction of new characters while extending the setting, similar to what Star Wars: The Force Awakens did for A New Hope. Allen stated that a film sequel script is nearly ready to go as of January 2021. The script had been near completion for production by 2016 but with Rickman's death, it would have to undergo major rewrites as the core story focused on the relationship between Nesmith and Dane (Allen and Rickman's characters, respectively). A central plot element was to have the Protector and its crew affected by time dilation during space flight, which Allen considered a boon for the uncertain production of the film. While Allen said there were no immediate efforts for the sequel's production, he and the other cast and crew keep circulating the idea and believe it would be easy to restart the effort. Georgia Pritchett stated in a June 2021 interview that she and Simon Pegg were working on developing a Galaxy Quest television series. Paramount was stated to be in the early stages of a Galaxy Quest series in April 2023 for the Paramount+ streaming service, with production overseen by Johnson. Documentary Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary was produced by the web site Fandom in 2019 to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. Titled after Captain Taggart's catchphrase "Never give up, never surrender!", it features interviews with the movie's cast and crew, including Allen, Weaver, Rockwell, Shalhoub, Long, Pyle, Wilson, and Mitchell, along with director Parisot and writer Gordon, as well as celebrities including Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, Greg Berlanti, Paul Scheer, and Damon Lindelof, who have spoken of their love for the film. Initially premiering to a limited audience at the October 2019 New York Comic Con, it subsequently had a limited theatrical showing at about 600 screens through Fathom Events on November 26, 2019, which included a screening of deleted scenes as well as the debut of Screen Junkies' "Honest Trailer" for Galaxy Quest. The film was made available on various digital media services for purchase in December 2019. == See also ==