1999: Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest is one of those films that tends to be forgotten or overlooked by movie buffs because it looks like it might be a little silly and/or cheesy. That impression isn’t entirely wrong, but the silliness and cheesiness of it comes at you in the best possible way.

Loosely based on the concept of Star Trek, and Star Trek conventions, the film begins at a convention for a fictional sci-fi television show called Galaxy Quest. The scenes at the convention manages to both make fun of science fiction uber-fans and treat that particular sub-culture with warmth and respect. There is even a nod to the idea that Star Trek had shaped some of our modern technology, and is therefore not as laughable as it might seem to some. Though not a Trekkie myself, geeks are my people, so I appreciated the warm-hearted take that this film has toward our ilk.

In the Kirk/Shatner role is Tim Allen, who does a brilliant job of taking the stereotypical impressions that Trek-lore has given about the actor and character and fleshing it out, creating a character that is whole and believable, even with the gonzo plot. Sigourney Weaver, who, in spite of her role in the infamous Ghostbusters movies is not known for her comedic acting is also surprisingly funny. Alan Rickman is sheer genius in the Spock/Nemoy role. Tony Shaloub’s laid back, stoner persona of the Scottie-esque character is all his own and works really well in this film. Sam Rockwell plays an “extra” cast member – an infamous red-shirt who is just along for the ride. (A “red-shirt” is one of those characters who appears once, does not have a last name, and typically dies within the first ten minutes of an episode of Star Trek, and in the fictional series of Galaxy Quest, this apparently also holds true.)

The plot is that the cast of Galaxy Quest makes an appearance at a convention – their acting careers reduced to public appearances at conventions and store openings – when Tim Allen’s character is approached by a group of aliens requesting his help. Believing the aliens to be another group of fans with their own take on aliens from the show, Allen agrees to help them negotiate with an enemy, assuming also that the negotiation is simply a way of discussing the terms of his personal appearance. It turns out that the aliens are real and have been watching Galaxy Quest, believing the television show to be historical documents rather than a fictional television program. From there, the entire cast of Galaxy Quest is taken to literally fill the roles that the show had created for them, with lots of space age hi-jinks. What is great about this movie is that while it uses gags that Star Trek fans will recognize as inside jokes, it manages to keep people who have never seen a single episode of Star Trek completely entertained.

One of the things that strikes me about this film as easily overlooked but remarkable is how the technical aspects came together. Think about it, with a plot like this, the director, cinematographer, props, costumes and special effects teams have to work together to give fake episodes of Galaxy Quest that retro sci-fi look, then they have to apply those visuals to the modern day earth world in a sci-fi convention setting, and then they have to make it look real when the characters are thrown into an actual space. The level of detail and expertise to basically create three entirely different fictional settings is mind-boggling, but it is done seamlessly – and the film itself is still laugh out loud funny. I definitely recommend this one for family viewing, and with a PG rating, its one of those to keep on the back-burner as holidays approach for when everyone gets sick of Jimmy Stewart and Bing Crosby.