Seventeen years after their show aired, the cast of Galaxy Quest are out of work and spend their time signing autographs at fan conventions. The show followed the adventures of the crew of the NSEA Protector. Jason Nesmith (Allen) was the star of the show and his ego has alienated all of his co-stars. He arrives late to conventions and manages to steal the spotlight. The rest of the cast includes Gwen DeMarco (Weaver) who has a history with Nesmith and had no purpose on the ship, Alexander Dane (Rickman) a classically trained actor who hates his character and catchphrase, Fred Kwan (Shalhoub) is laid back, Tommy Webber (Mitchell) was a child on the original show, and Guy Fleegman (Rockwell) was an unnamed character who was killed in an early episode.
At one convention, he meets a group of Thermians, who he believes are hosting the next gig. The Thermians, led by Mathesar (Colantini), believe the show is a historical account and want Nesmith to negotiate with their oppressor Sarris (Sachs). Believing it is just another convention with fans, fires on Sarris and returns to the earth. The Thermians return and ask Nesmith to negotiate peace between them and Sarris, and he takes his co-stars along. They soon realize that the ship and situation are real, and they must help the Thermians or be killed with them.
The film is an homage to the original Star Trek series, specifically the cast and character perceptions and the rabid fandom. Cast members from the original series and the Star Trek: The Next Generation apparently enjoyed the film and the references to the show, their characters, and their personalities.
The film is still funny today, with many memorable quotes and moments, especially for science fiction fans. Tim Allen is always funny, and here is no different. Sigourney Weaver has some great moments and lines "Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy." I love Alan Rickman's delivery and the fact that although his character hates his persona, he stays in costume for the entire film. Tony Shalhoub, who is best known for Monk, proves that he can be other characters convincingly. Daryl Mitchell also has great delivery, the scene on the alien planet cracks me up. But the real scene-stealer is Sam Rockwell. He spends most of the film in terror that his character is going to die because on the show he didn't have a name.
The Thermians are equally entertaining, with their stilted speech and mannerisms. It's great to look at the different actors and actresses who had minor roles as Thermians, who have since gone on to more memorable roles: Rainn Wilson (from The Office), Sam Lloyd (from Scrubs), etc. This was Missi Pyle (Laliari) and Justin Long's (Brandon) film debut. Both are good in their roles.
Overall, it is a funny film that science fiction fans and non-fans will enjoy.
Galaxy Quest (1999) 102 minutes
Director: Dean Parisot
Starring: Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith / Captain Taggart
Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DeMarco
Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane
Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kwan
Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman
Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber
Enrico Colantini as Mathesar
Robin Sachs as Sarris
Patrick Breen as Quelleck
Missi Pyle as Laliari
Jed Rees as Teb
Justin Long as Brandon
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