Galaxy Quest (1999)

The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.

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 Taggart, Gwen DeMarco as sexy communications person Lt. Tawny Madison (a role which consisted solely of repeating what the computer stated, much to Gwen's chagrin), Shakespearean trained Sir Alexander Dane as alien Dr. Lazarus, Fred Kwan as engineer Tech Sergeant Chen, and Tommy Webber as child pilot Laredo. Eighteen years after the series 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 electronic store 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

sexy woman | shapeshifting | cult film | male alien | time bomb | 

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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:

Captain Starshine

Filming Locations:

Petersen Automotive Museum - 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,012,630, 26 December 1999

Gross USA:

$71,583,916

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$90,683,916

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Gran Via Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the rock planet, Lt. Laredo chides Dr. Lazarus for holding his tracking device upside down, claiming that he actually thought Dr. Lazarus' character was "smart or something" by the way he was leading the group to find the nearest Beryllium sphere, before realizing he was using the device incorrectly. This is a subtle reference to the first season of the original Star Trek (1966) series, where Mr. Spock often held his tricorder upside down due to Leonard Nimoy being not yet familiar with the prop.

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Goofs

When Alexander Dane is being introduced, he bows with his hand flat against his chest. When he comes up, his hand is in a fist.

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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

In the DVD extras, the actor who plays Brandon, Justin Long, is identified as BRANDON Long.

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Alternate Versions

Deleted scenes included on the DVD:

• Tech Sargeant Chen helps an engineering crew solve a difficult problem without offering any insightful help whatsoever.
• Alexander is presented his living quarters: an empty room save a bed of spikes and a daunting toilet.
• An alternate version of a scene in which its revealed Jason and Gwen were old flames.
• Guy overreacts when his foot gets caught in a rock, and Jason does his "rugged pose".
• Alexander uses an acting method to figure out the rock monster's "motivation".
• Gwen rips open her uniform to seduce two enemy soldiers, before crushing them with a door. (Part of this scene was featured in the trailer.)
• General Sarris revives himself and attacks the crew while crash landing.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Sci-Fi Comedy Movies (2014)

User Reviews

Badly Marketed Yet Utterly Brilliant

This film was amazing. I saw the trailers and swore I'd never watch it. A couple of friends overruled this after watching it in the theaters, and I'm glad they did.

Not only is this film an amusing spoof of Science Fiction Fen-dom, it's a brilliant action-adventure/science-fiction film in its own right. The only other film I can think of that is a righteous satirical look, yet a splendid example of the genre, is the Fifth Element.

Galaxy Quest Has It All. Beautiful women in scanty clothing. Love interests. Computers. Space ships. Ugly and evil monsters. Blasters. Arcane martial arts. Dynamite catch phrases. And best of all, the very population that is satirized is the group that Saves The Day.

The dialogue is brilliant - you'll find yourself quoting from this film regularly. The acting is marvelous. Tim Allen doing William Shatner doing a Heroic Spaceship Captain is worth the rental all by itself, not to mention Alan Rickman's memorably dry performance as the I-Am-Not-My-Strange-Looking-Alien character.

The first thing I thought upon leaving the theater was that I had to see this film again. The first thing I thought upon seeing it again was that I would have to own this movie. Check it out - you won't be sorry.