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{{for|the comic book series|Galaxy Quest (comics)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
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'''''Galaxy Quest''''' is a 1999 American [[Satire (film and television)|satirical]] [[Science fiction comedy|science fiction comedy film]] directed by [[Dean Parisot]] and written by David Howard and [[Robert Gordon (screenwriter)|Robert Gordon]]
''Galaxy Quest'' was a modest box office success and received positive reviews. It won the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]] and the [[Nebula Award for Best Script]], and was nominated for 10 [[Saturn Award]]s, including [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]] and [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Weaver, and [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for Rickman; Allen won [[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref name="Hugo">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2000-hugo-awards/ |title=2000 Hugo Awards |publisher=World Science Fiction Society |access-date=April 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164748/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2000-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Nebula">{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2001.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2001 Nebula Awards |work=[[Locus (magazine)|Locus]] |access-date=December 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231030/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2001.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''Galaxy Quest'' achieved [[Cult following|cult status]], especially from ''Star Trek'' fans for its affectionate parody.<ref name="7th">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/12/diehard-star-trek-fans-rank-the-best-and-worst-movies|title=Diehard Star Trek Fans Rank the Best and Worst Movies|work=IGN|date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Geek.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/we-almost-got-galaxy-quest-2-with-the-original-cast-returning-but-1651671/|title=We almost got Galaxy Quest{{nbsp}}2 with the original cast returning, but{{nbsp}}...|work=[[Geek.com]]|access-date=July 27, 2017|archive-date=April 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401083331/https://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/we-almost-got-galaxy-quest-2-with-the-original-cast-returning-but-1651671/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="io9">{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/33-secrets-you-probably-never-knew-about-the-making-of-1759220814|title=33 Secrets You Probably Never Knew About the Making of Galaxy Quest|date=March 8, 2016 |publisher=io9 |access-date=July 27, 2017}}</ref> Several ''Star Trek'' cast and crew members praised the film. It was included in ''[[Reader's Digest]]''{{'}}s list of the Top 100+ Funniest Movies of All Time in 2012, and [[Trekkie|''Star Trek'' fans]] voted it the seventh
== Plot ==
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The cast of the 1980s space-adventure series ''Galaxy Quest'' attend [[fan convention]]s and make trivial promotional appearances. Though the series' former star, Jason Nesmith, thrives on the attention, his co-stars—Gwen, Alexander, Fred, and Tommy—resent him and the states of their careers. At a convention, a group calling themselves Thermians approaches Jason for help. Thinking they want him for a promotional appearance, he agrees. The next morning, when they pick him up, Jason is hung over and does not grasp that the Thermians are 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 in the show's finale. Giving perfunctory orders, Jason manages to temporarily defeat Sarris.
After the grateful Thermians transport him back to Earth, Jason realizes the experience was real and attempts to convince the other cast members. When the Thermian Laliari seeks Jason's help again, the cast joins him, along with the convention [[Master of ceremonies|emcee]], Guy, who had played an
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. On their return to the ''Protector'', they discover 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.
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* [[Tim Allen]] as Jason Nesmith, who played Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, the commander of the NSEA ''Protector'' and main character of the series. Initially, a rather smug ham actor, thriving on his attention within the fandom, but 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 super intelligence and psionic powers. As a
* [[Tony Shalhoub]] as Fred Kwan, who played Tech Sergeant Chen, the ship's chief engineer. He ends up in a relationship with Laliari at the end.
* [[Sam Rockwell]] as Guy Fleegman, the cast's handler at conventions, who also played
* [[Daryl Mitchell (actor)|Daryl Mitchell]] as Tommy Webber, who played Lieutenant Laredo, a precocious child pilot
:* [[Corbin Bleu]] as a younger Laredo during the "original" TV series
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* [[Robin Sachs]] as Roth'h'ar Sarris, the general leading the 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.
* [[Jed Rees]] as Teb, a Thermian and Mathesar's second-in-command
* [[Justin Long]] as Brandon, a dedicated fan of ''Galaxy Quest'' (Long's film debut)
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The original [[spec script]] by David Howard was titled ''Captain Starshine''.<ref name=MTV/> Howard stated he got the idea while at an [[IMAX]] presentation, where one of the trailers for an upcoming "Americans in Space" film was narrated by [[Leonard Nimoy]], a leading actor from ''Star Trek''. The trailer got Howard thinking about how the other ''Star Trek'' actors had become pigeonholed in these roles since the cancellation of ''Star Trek'', and he then came up with the idea of "What if there were real aliens involved?" From there, he considered that the rest of his script, "in a lot of ways, just wrote itself, because it just seemed so self-evident once the idea was there".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/10/interview-with-galaxy-quest-screenwriter-david-howard-part-2-of-3 | title = Interview with GALAXY QUEST screenwriter David Howard (part 2 of 3) | first = Kenneth | last= Plume | date = February 10, 2000 | access-date = January 2, 2020 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref>
Producer [[Mark Johnson (producer)|Mark Johnson]], who had a first-look deal with [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]], did not like Howard's script but was
=== Casting ===
Following Parisot's assignment as director, Allen was quickly cast as Nesmith,<ref name="thr dec2019"/> and had to choose between ''Galaxy Quest'' and ''[[Bicentennial Man (film)|Bicentennial Man]]''. The ''Bicentennial Man'' role went to [[Robin Williams]].<ref name="MentalFloss"/><ref name="io9"/> Allen said he was a big sci-fi fan and had hoped the role would launch a second part of his career as a sci-fi actor.<ref name="io9"/><ref name="thr dec2019"/> Some of Allen's sci-fi knowledge was put to use during production: for example, when the crew is about to land on an alien planet, Allen brought up the issue of a breathable atmosphere with Johnson and Parisot; this became dialogue for Fleegman and Kwan in the movie.<ref name="thr dec2019"/> About his role, Allen said he based his performance more on [[Yul Brynner]]'s [[Ramesses II]] from the 1956 ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'', and less on [[William Shatner]] as [[James T. Kirk|Captain James Kirk]] from ''Star Trek''.<ref name="io9"/>
[[Alan Rickman]] was selected to be Alexander Dane, who played the alien Dr. Lazarus. Rickman had been interested in the part not so much for the sci-fi elements, but because of the humor. He said "I love comedy almost more than anything. This really is one of the funniest scripts I've read," and that "actors are probably the only professionals who send themselves up. We actually have a sense of humor about ourselves."<ref name="starlog 2000">{{cite magazine | title = Galaxy Quest | first = Bill |last = Warren | date = January 2000 | magazine = [[Starlog]] }}</ref> While the original script made Dane a [[Order of the British Empire|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.<ref name="io9"/><ref name="MentalFloss"/> Rickman also provided input into the [[prosthetic]] piece that Dane would use to play Lazarus, saying "it was important for it to be good enough to convince the aliens who believe we're the real thing, but also cheesy enough to imagine that it was something he applied himself".<ref name="io9"/> Rickman's sense of drama came into play during initial reads and script revisions. Rockwell said that Rickman "was very instrumental in making sure the script hit the dramatic notes, and everything had a strong logic and reason behind it".<ref name="thr dec2019"/> The scene where Dane, as Dr. Lazarus, gives a final, powerfully emotional speech to Quellek, played by [[Patrick Breen]],
Weaver had loved the script since her first read when Ramis was the director, stating "that great sort of ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|Wizard of Oz]]'' story of these people feeling so incomplete in the beginning, and then during the course of this adventure, they come out almost like the heroes they pretended to be in the first place".<ref name="MentalFloss"/> She particularly loved the part of Madison: "to me she was what a lot of women feel like, including myself, in a Hollywood situation."<ref name="thr dec2019"/> In addition, she had long wanted to work with both Allen and Rickman.<ref name="io9"/> Once Parisot replaced Ramis, Weaver lobbied Parisot to cast her, insisting that Madison needed to be blonde and have large breasts to capture the humor of a sci-fi production.<ref name="thr dec2019"/> She
[[Tony Shalhoub]] originally auditioned for Guy Fleegman until [[Sam Rockwell]]
Rockwell, who wanted to develop a more serious dramatic acting career, initially considered declining the role after he was cast. He eventually recognized that several successful dramatic actors had done comedy roles early on, and
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=== Post-production ===
After most production was done, Johnson said that DreamWorks was confused by the film, as it was not what they had expected from the script they greenlit, but pushed on post-production as they needed a film to
While ''Galaxy Quest'' was in post-production, Paramount released ''[[The Rugrats Movie]]'', which was a box-office success. DreamWorks at that point pushed to have ''Galaxy Quest'' tailored for a younger audience to compete with ''Rugrats''.<ref name="documentary rugrats">{{cite video | title = Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary | date = 2019 | people = Bennett, Jack (director) | time =1:15:00 | medium = Motion picture | publisher = [[Fandom (website)|Fandom]] }}</ref> 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.<ref name="MTV"/> In the "chompers" scene, DeMarco's line "Well, screw that!" was [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|dubbed]] over her original "Well, fuck that!"<ref name="MTV"/><ref name="io9"/> Weaver stated she purposely made her dubbed line stand out as a form of protest from her original line.<ref name="thr dec2019"/> Several scenes involving Dr. Lazarus were cut, as DreamWorks felt they were too kinky for the desired rating. One cut scene showed Dr. Lazarus' crew quarters on the Protector, which Allen called a "proctologist's dream and nightmare".<ref name="MTV"/><ref name="thr dec2019"/> Other scenes were added to provide what
In theaters, the first 20 minutes of the film were presented in a 1.85:1 [[Widescreen|aspect ratio]] (minus the opening showing clips from the TV show which were in 1.33:1), before changing to a wider 2.35:1 ratio when Nesmith looks out upon space as the ''Protector'' arrives at Thermia to maximize the effect on viewers.<ref name="MentalFloss"/><ref name="io9"/> However, this caused some problems with projectionists at movie theaters when showing the film as they had not opened up the screen curtains far enough for the wider aspect ratio. Projectionists had to be told at later showings to prepare for this transition. On all widescreen home video releases, however, after the opening scene showing the TV clips, it goes directly from 1.33:1 to 2.35:1 and remains that way for the rest of the movie.<ref name="MTV"/> [[David Newman (composer)|David Newman]] composed the
=== Promotion ===
Before the release
While these additional materials were made, DreamWorks devoted very little advertising to the film despite its placement near the Christmas season, which the cast and crew felt hurt the potential for the film.<ref name="thr dec2019"/> Unlike most films where the second and ongoing weekend box office takes decline, ''Galaxy Quest'' saw rising numbers over the first several weekends, and DreamWorks' [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] apologized directly to Parisot for failing to market the film properly.<ref name="thr dec2019"/> Additionally, the primary trailer used for the film used a cut of the film before all the specific effects were complete, and Johnson felt that if the trailer had used the completed versions, it would have helped draw a larger audience.<ref name="thr dec2019"/>
=== Relation to ''Star Trek'' and other science fiction works ===
''Galaxy Quest'' is an acknowledged homage to ''Star Trek''; Parisot said "Part of the mission for me was to make a great {{'}}''Star Trek''{{'}} episode."<ref name="MTV"/> Gordon's original script was titled
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).<ref name="MentalFloss" /> Quellek's line "I'm shot" was
▲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).<ref name="MentalFloss"/> Quellek's line "I'm shot" was directly influenced by the same line from James Brolin's character in ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]''.<ref name="MTV"/> The blue creatures on the alien planet were based on similar creatures in ''[[Barbarella (film)|Barbarella]]''.<ref name="MTV"/> The "chompers" scene with Nesmith and DeMarco trying to reach the self-destruct abort button was inspired by a scene from the 1997 film ''[[Event Horizon (film)|Event Horizon]]'' involving whirring blades.<ref name="io9"/> The effects for the Omega 13 activation were inspired by the ending scene from ''[[Beneath the Planet of the Apes]]''.<ref name="MTV"/>
==Reception==
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Critics praised it both as a parody of ''Star Trek'', and as a [[comedy film]] of its own. ''[[The New York Times]]''{{'}}s [[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".<ref>{{cite news |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder |title=Yet One More Final Frontier: Fighting Bad Aliens, for Real |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 24, 1999 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9C02EFD91539F937A15751C1A96F958260 |access-date=July 3, 2008 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]], writing for the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', praised the ability of the film to spoof the "illogic of the TV show".<ref>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Galaxy Quest |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=December 24, 1999 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19991224%2FREVIEWS%2F912240303%2F1023 |access-date=July 3, 2008 |archive-date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924101326/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19991224%2FREVIEWS%2F912240303%2F1023 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[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".<ref>{{cite news |last=Taubin |first=Amy |author-link=Amy Taubin |title=Pulling Punches; 'Star Trek' Trickery |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=December 28, 1999 |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/film/9952,taubin,11362,20.html |access-date=July 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209142758/http://www.villagevoice.com/film/9952%2Ctaubin%2C11362%2C20.html |archive-date=December 9, 2007}}</ref> [[Joe Leydon]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|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''".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Galaxy Quest |first=Joe |last=Leydon |author-link=Joe Leydon |date=December 19, 1999 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/galaxy-quest-1200460021/ |access-date=January 2, 2020}}</ref>
Retrospective reviews for ''Galaxy Quest'' have been positive
=== Box office ===
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=== Impact and legacy ===
The film proved
''Galaxy Quest'' predicted the growth and influence of media [[fandom]] in the years after its release. While fandoms such as that for ''Star Trek'' existed at the time of the film, the size and scope presented by the fan conventions in the film had not been seen as much in 1999; since then, major fan conventions such as [[San Diego Comic-Con]] have become significant events that draw mainstream attention. The film also depicted fandoms using their numbers to influence production companies to revive cancelled works, such as with ''[[The Expanse (TV series)|The Expanse]]'', ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', ''[[Arrested Development]]'', and ''[[Twin Peaks]]''.<ref name="vice fandom">{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/8xybj4/galaxy-quest-knew-the-power-of-fandom-before-the-rest-of-us-did | title = 'Galaxy Quest' Knew the Power of Fandom Before the Rest of Us Did | first= Frederick | last = Blichert | date = March 12, 2019 | access-date = December 31, 2019 | work =[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref> 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.<ref name="vice fandom" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.slashfilm.com/galaxy-quest-and-fandom/ |title= 20 Years Ago, 'Galaxy Quest' Offered One of Cinema's Most Positive Portrayals of Dedicated Fandom | first = Josh | last = Spiegel | date = December 25, 2019 | access-date = December 31, 2019 | work = [[Slashfilm]] }}</ref> The novella ''[[Rabbit Remembered]]'' (2000) by [[John Updike]] mentions the character of Laliari from the film.<ref name="io9" />▼
▲''Galaxy Quest'' predicted the growth and influence of media [[fandom]] in the years after its release. While fandoms such as that for ''Star Trek'' existed at the time of the film, the size and scope presented by the fan conventions in the film had not been seen as much in 1999; since then, major fan conventions such as [[San Diego Comic-Con]] have become significant events that draw mainstream attention. The film also depicted fandoms using their numbers to influence production companies to revive cancelled works, such as with ''[[The Expanse (TV series)|The Expanse]]'', ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', ''[[Arrested Development]]'', and ''[[Twin Peaks]]''.<ref name="vice fandom">{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/8xybj4/galaxy-quest-knew-the-power-of-fandom-before-the-rest-of-us-did | title = 'Galaxy Quest' Knew the Power of Fandom Before the Rest of Us Did | first= Frederick | last = Blichert | date = March 12, 2019 | access-date = December 31, 2019 | work =[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref> 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.<ref name="vice fandom"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.slashfilm.com/galaxy-quest-and-fandom/ |title= 20 Years Ago, 'Galaxy Quest' Offered One of Cinema's Most Positive Portrayals of Dedicated Fandom | first = Josh | last = Spiegel | date = December 25, 2019 | access-date = December 31, 2019 | work = [[Slashfilm]] }}</ref>
==== Reaction from ''Star Trek'' actors ====
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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.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://ew.com/movies/galaxy-quest-2-tim-allen/ | title=Tim Allen gives a Galaxy Quest 2 update: 'It's a fabulous script' | first= James | last = Hibberd | date = January 15, 2021 | access-date = January 15, 2021 | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref>
[[Georgia Pritchett]] stated in a June 2021 interview that she and [[Simon Pegg]] were working on developing a ''Galaxy Quest'' television series.<ref>{{cite news | last=Maxwell | first=Dominic | date=June 25, 2021 | title=Georgia Pritchett: 'In Succession we take powerful people, dig deep and find their humanity' | work=[[The Times (London)|The Times]] | pages=T2–6, 7 | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/georgia-pritchett-in-succession-we-take-powerful-people-dig-deep-and-find-their-humanity-jkg837qv9 | access-date=June 30, 2021 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title='Galaxy Quest' TV Series In Works At Paramount+|url=https://deadline.com/2023/04/galaxy-quest-tv-series-paramount-plus-1235329149/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=April 18, 2023|access-date=April 18, 2023}}</ref>
=== Documentary ===
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* ''[[Trekkies (film)|Trekkies]]'' – a documentary film about ''Star Trek'' fans
* ''[[The Orville]]'' - a comedy-drama series that parodies ''Star Trek'' in a similar manner
* ''[[Spaceballs]]''
== References ==
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[[Category:Metafictional works]]
[[Category:Parody films based on Star Trek]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1999 science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language adventure films]]
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