Spoof movies are usually thought to be funny and worth a good laugh but Galaxy Quest wasn’t exactly a spoof movie no matter that the overall similarities to Star Trek would help it to be labeled as such. If you take a look at Gordon Jackson’s article in Gizmodo you might get a better idea from the facts he’s compiled just what the movie was really supposed to be like. In a way it was kind of an homage/mock-up of Star Trek but it created a different universe of its own and had its own characters thankfully, though you could say it was a bargain basement version that never really took off. But throughout the movie there are enough genuine and quality scenes that allow a person to see that as similar as it gets, Galaxy Quest is still its own movie.
The stereotypes were all there while the actors were on set, but once the cameras were off and they were allowed to be who they really were it became a much more interesting movie since unlike so many other science fiction movies this one was actually featuring the actors AS actors and not as genuine space travelers. This element alone made it great since they had to react in ways that made it evident that their characters were well out of their league and really had no idea what they were doing. But eventually when they began to act again they started to realize that their time on the TV show had in fact made them more than capable of handling the ship that the Thermians had built to the specifics of the show. The fact that they thought it was another gig was the only reason they agreed to the trip, but the moment they reached deep space it became kind of obvious that they’d stepped into something a little more complex than they’d expected. Sean Kelly of Escapist Magazine has a good point that they created a premise that was kind of worn thin, but at the same time it would seem that having a cast like the one that was put together made that irrelevant.
If the movie hadn’t had Tim Allen or Tony Shalhoub in it then people might have thought that it had a genuine chance of being anything other than a scifi comedy, but Allen and Shalhoub are a little too well known for their comedic chops so it wasn’t a big surprise that this movie turned out the way it was. But what’s great about that is the fact that it worked so well and played right into the hands of the cast in such a big way. Alan Rickman was never really known for comedy but his dry sense of humor and great acting was perfect for the role of Dr. Lazarus, while Sigourney Weaver also isn’t much of a comedian but she’s skilled enough that she can adapt to pretty much anything. Daryl Mitchell kind of played the stereotypical individual in the movie but it was Sam Rockwell that had the unfortunate role that was seen as ultimately expendable since he became the extra crewman whose name no one could remember. That alone was a classic part of the movie that’s worth mentioning, along with the scene in which Sarris, the big bad of the movie, is killing each one of the crew but somehow seems to miss Sam’s character completely. That’s a bit of irony thrust into the mix isn’t it? All in all though the movie was simply too funny and it ended on a note that was nothing less than triumphant even if it was somewhat silly since the Galaxy Quest show was put back on the air and the cast was put back together, along with an extra crew member, and I’m not talking about Rockwell’s character.
A lot of people have actually wondered throughout the years why a sequel was never made since the movie left itself wide open for one at the end. Allie Gemmil from ScreenRant has actually commented on the fact that Galaxy Quest almost did get a sequel and even a TV show, but it seems that too many complications arose to make any concrete plans. It actually became less than possible a while back since Alan Rickman unfortunately passed away and Tim Allen has been busy with his own show and getting everyone else together just hasn’t been entirely possible. It’s likely that a future story could explain the absence of Dr. Lazarus, but seeing as how Rickman played such a convincing and fulfilling part it’s hard to say that it would be the same, since it wouldn’t. if we ever see Galaxy Quest again it might be considered a small miracle but it might also be due to the fact that it’s bound to get a remake or a reboot before a sequel. If that happens it might be one of the only times I’d be happy to see someone interested in rebooting an older and very underrated movie.
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