Galaxy Quest (1999)

The alumni cast of a cult space TV show have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help.

Director:

Dean Parisot

Writers:

David Howard (story), David Howard (screenplay),

Stars:

Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman

7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Allen	...	Jason Nesmith
Sigourney Weaver	...	Gwen DeMarco
Alan Rickman	...	Alexander Dane
Tony Shalhoub	...	Fred Kwan
Sam Rockwell	...	Guy Fleegman
Daryl Mitchell	...	Tommy Webber
Enrico Colantoni	...	Mathesar
Robin Sachs	...	Sarris
Patrick Breen	...	Quellek
Missi Pyle	...	Laliari
Jed Rees	...	Teb
Justin Long	...	Brandon
Jeremy Howard	...	Kyle
Kaitlin Cullum	...	Katelyn
Jonathan Feyer	...	Hollister

Storyline

The sci-fi television series Galaxy Quest, which took place aboard the intergalactic spaceship NSEA Protector, starred Jason Nesmith as suave Commander Peter Quincy Taggert, Gwen DeMarco as sexy communications person Lt. Tawny Madison (a role which consisted solely of repeating what the computer stated, much to Gwen's annoyance), Shakespearean trained Sir Alexander Dane as alien Dr. Lazarus, Fred Kwan as engineer Tech Sgt. Chen, and Tommy Webber as child gunner Laredo. Seventeen years after the show last aired, it lives on in the hearts of its rabid fans. However it lives on in infamy for its stars, who have not been able to find meaningful acting work since. Their current lives revolve around cashing in on however those roles will afford, which usually entails attending fan conventions or worse, such as shopping mall openings. Only Jason seems to relish his lot in life, until he finds out that his co-stars detest him because of his superior attitude as "the Commander", and much of ...

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Plot Keywords:

alien | convention | fan | alien race | actor | 

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Taglines:

A comedy of Galactic Proportions

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some action violence, mild language and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Earth Dick

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,093,012 (UK) (28 April 2000)

Gross:

£3,114,575 (UK) (26 May 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Gran Via Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the crew are eating aboard the ship, they are told that the food has been prepared based on their regional cuisine. The commander comments that the steak tastes like Iowa Beef. This seems like a subtle reference to the fact that Captain Kirk (Star Trek) is from Iowa.

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Goofs

When Taggart is first "abducted," his limousine initially shows no front license plate. However, in a subsequent shot it has a California plate.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Laredo: Exiting the time knot now, sir.
Tech Sgt. Chen: We're alive.
Laredo: We made it, Commander. We made it.
Dr. Lazarus: By Grabthar's hammer, we live to tell the tale.
Voice of Computer: Systems registering functional.
Lt. Tawny Madison: All systems are working, Commander.
Commander Peter Quincy Taggart: I don't like it. It was too easy.
Laredo: Wait. Oh, no! They're everywhere. There are time knots opening everywhere.
Lt. Tawny Madison: A trap!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, Enrico Colantoni, as Mathesar, says "Never give up... Never Surrender!"

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Connections

Spoofs Trekkies (1997)

User Reviews

A great film, much underrated at the box-office.

I generally rate films highly based on how often and how much I'd like to watch them again. I can watch most films more than once, but only a few have the necessary qualities to watch over and over again. Comedy films are never that high on my list of "watch agains". After seeing a joke or comic scene once, it's hard for it to have the same impact again and again. I well recall being in tears of laughter when I first saw Airplane at the cinema. But now I find it hard going and even the inflatable pilot only raises a smile.

So it's rare that a film like Galaxy Quest (a scifi comedy) comes along, but very welcome when it does. There's a lot of homage paid to Star Trek, of course, and old scifi shows in general and fans of those will have no trouble spotting the moments culled from those shows.

The cast are all exemplary in their roles as ex scifi stars who get catapulted into the real thing and have to save the galaxy. Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver give good, solid performances here. In particular, Weaver shows a talent for comedy here that was lacking in Ghostbusters. Tony Shalhoub's bumbling, out-of-his-depth technician is also a nice addition.

But out of all of them two really shine for me. Alan Rickman, whose facial expressions throughout the film just have you laughing out loud without needing to listen to what's being said. And Sam Rockwell, who plays the "extra crewman" who's always convinced he's going to get killed, because he's a nobody and not one of the regular cast.

The whole film is chock full of delightful silliness and memorable scenes, such as where they enlist the aid of geeks to navigate them through their own ship as the geeks know the plans off by heart.

A great film, much underrated at the box-office and destined to become a classic.