Galaxy Quest (1999)

Director:

Dean Parisot

Writers (WGA):

David Howard (story)
David Howard (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 December 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The show has been cancelled...but the adventure is just beginning.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Actor | Convention | Costume | Star

Awards:

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

Also Known As:

Captain Starshine (USA) (original script title)
Earth Dick (USA) (working title)
GalaxyQuest (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some action violence, mild language and sensuality.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Iceland:LH (video rating) | USA:PG (certificate #37085) | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Denmark:11 (DVD rating) | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

At the beginning of the film, Tommy's "You are so full of shit, man!" line was re-dubbed to "You are so full of it, man!" When faced with going through "the chompers", Gwen's "Well, fuck that!" was re-dubbed to say "Well, screw that!". These edits were to avoid a PG-13 rating. The original lines are still obvious when reading their lips.

Goofs:

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

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!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Sacrifice (#4.20)" (2003)

A wickedly funny look at the SciFi inner sanctum

Comedies are usually pretty tricky for me. Either I'm laughing my head off and nobody else gets it, or everybody else is laughing and I'm looking for the nearest exit. But Galaxy Quest had everyone in the theater laughing, including my companion--who hates science fiction. It cut across ages and backgrounds with a very simple premise--you are what you believe yourself to be.

As a fifteen year veteran of science fiction conventions, I've seen the phenomenon from both sides of the stage. I've met the get-a-lifers, the just-for-fun guys, and the not-so-rare I'm-only-in-it-for-the profit gang. I've met actors who loved the whole shebang, actors who loathed it, and actors who didn't have a clue what was going on. Fandom is a very big place, with room for all sorts.

And Galaxy Quest got it right--the conventions, the costumes, the geeks, the groupies, even the mocking "mundanes" who attend cons looking for kicks. It took notice of all the science fiction cliches, acknowledged them, and then twisted them to its own comedic purposes.

Galaxy Quest captured not only the silliness of fandom, but the inspiration of it. In the end, the demoralized and cynical actors found strength and meaning in the same characters which stereotyped them. The geeks saved the day. The good guys won. The bad guys provided entertainment to masses of fans. Things blew up. And isn't that what science fiction is all about?

The entire cast was excellent, especially Tim Allen and Alan Rickman doing their best Shatner and Nimoy impersonations. Special credit must go to the four actors who played the naive aliens. Their wide-eyed innocence reminded me of the quality that drew me, and draws children of all ages into the world of science fiction.

This movie didn't rely on vulgarities or overt violence. It didn't need to resort to meanness or cruel jokes, either. While it poked fun at science fiction and its fans, it never resorted to the kind of mockery you see in other films.

Galaxy Quest is a solid, funny movie. Go see it. Take the kids. Go see it twice.