Years after cancellation, the stars of the television series Galaxy Quest cling to their careers. When a distressed interstellar race mistakes the show for "historical documents," lead actor Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) and his crew of has-beens are unwittingly recruited to save the alien race from a genocidal warlord. Featuring an all-star ensemble, including Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Justin Long and Rainn Wilson, GALAXY QUEST is a hilarious adventure that boldly goes where no comedy has gone before. (from Paramount Pictures)

It's true. When I was younger, I used to watch Star Trek. I went through my Next Generation phase, and my Deep Space Nine phase, but luckily grew out of it before I got into the really frustrating and occasionally extremely ridiculous Voyager. But I still go to see the new Trek movies when they come out; I just no longer watch - or get invested in - the shows. So when I heard about the sci-fi spoof, Galaxy Quest, and I learned about the cast, I knew I had to see this movie. I expected a semi-campy Star Trek spoof, but left the theater with another movie that will have to be in my permanent collection.

Driven by a great cast, jokes capitalizing on Star Trek stereotypes, and a pretty unique plot, Galaxy Quest is the perfect end to a year with some great movies. But, for any sci-fi fan or Star Trek fan, this film is a definite must-see.

The characters here are great. Sam Rockwell plays Guy (who is not important enough to have a last name), one of the best characters of the crew, and had played the "sixth member" in one episode of the show, and had only lasted 5 minutes before getting killed off. Guy's paranoid through the whole film that he would also die in real life because he's just that expendable extra crewman. Stereotypical for any Star Trek episode, the ensign or non-descript extra member of the landing party almost always has to die (to prove the situation critical). This gag was truly fertile ground to excavate.

Tim Allen's job as Captain Jason Nesmith is also great. He actually made a pretty good sci-fi captain action hero, and is actually very reminiscent of an older William Shatner, known best for playing Captain Kirk on the original series. This was especially evident in the battle scene with a rock creature on one of the planets (anyone remember the Gorn?). Sigourney Weaver serves as the "sex appeal" of the team as Gwen, and they poke fun at that as well. Alan Rickman is fanatastic as Alexander, who played a Spock-like alien on the show, but in real life hated the show and wanted nothing to do with it ever again (like some famed Trek actors have, at one point or another).

The characters were so great I was finding myself not wanting the movie to end. The only major flaws in the film were some cussing, although minor, and a few sexual references, which weren't even really that funny and should have been left out.

In summary, Galaxy Quest is great. I wouldn't call it an All-Ages movie movie due to some of the violence (it gets surprisingly rough in a couple scenes), minor innuendo, and minor swearing, but it is a good movie for diehard sci-fi fans. One of the best movies of the season, and a recommendation over the abundance of R-rated films currently out, Galaxy Quest is well worth tuning into.

To celebrate 25 years of Galaxy Quest, you can now get the film on 4K UHD disc as well as streaming. The 4K set only comes with a 4K disc and code, but if you have a previous release of the film, that shouldn't matter much.

Galaxy Quest in 4K UHD - I'm often skeptical of how an older movie - in this case, one that is a quarter of a century old now - will make the leap to Ultra HD, and I'm pleased to say Galaxy Quest does not disappoint. Heck, I remember watching the movie in pan-and-scan (so criminal) on VHS, then DVD, then finally Blu-Ray, and with its 4K update, it truly has never looked better. It really breathes new life into this classic. If you're a fan, with 4K-viewing capabilities, you'll want this release.

It's funny, though; I totally forgot that, while I remembered the movie began in standard, square format to mimic the original TV show, it then widened to widescreen, but with black bars on the sides as well as the top and bottom. (Kind of like the older, lower resolution "widescreen" DVD's that float in the middle of your screen when you try to watch it on an actual widescreen TV.) It's not until Tim Allen's Jason Nesmith is about to be shot into space, and the doors of the Thermian space station open to reveal the vastness of the universe, that the widescreen actually widens to fit your screen. (It actually widens along with the bay doors as they open. It's pretty brilliant. As the universe expands for Jason, it expands for us as well.) So, if you've never seen the movie and you're wondering why the first 20 or so minutes are looking funky on your TV screen, don't use the TV's zoom function to fit the format; it's actually a deliberate decision of the filmmaker. (Think of it like how Wizard of Oz goes from black-and-white to color when Dorothy arrives in Oz.)


My Review of Galaxy Quest 25 Years Later - I love how much this movie has endured over the years and how much love it continues to get. Since its release in theaters, director Dean Parisot revealed that the original cut of the movie was meant to be much more serious (most likely evidenced in the emotional post-torture scene that is still in the movie), before they chose to take a more family-friendly PG-rated approach. (And I'm glad they did, because the lighter tone works so well!) It explains why, during the action-heavy climax of the film, Gwen shouts "Well screw that!" but her mouth is clearly saying the "F" word instead. There's also a shot where Laredo tells Jason "You are so full of it, man!" and it's pretty clear that profanity was removed from that moment as well. But, edits aside, Galaxy Quest has become a beloved film of sci-fi fans young and old, and just as my 19-year-old self originally speculated, it has become an affectionate addition to my list of favorite films. I don't think my original review does the movie justice (I decided to tidy up its readability for this 4K review update to this page), as it really is a fun and memorable sci-fi romp. Sadly, although a sequel and mini-series were talked about, none of it happened (all sequel talk stopped when Alan Rickman tragically passed away), but that may be just as well. However, fans looking to scratch their collector's itch for "more" Galaxy Quest can still look for some comics that released a few years ago, a book about the film's making, NSEA Protector models, and - as of this year - Funko Pop figures for several of the main characters.

It also stands out to me how brilliantly Parisot captures the tone of the movie. It's not ultra campy or super spoof-y like a Scary Movie franchise entry or something; it has a little bit of a grittiness to it that works very much in the movie's favor. The comedy is certainly there, but it's done in a slightly heightened "grounded" version of sci-fi. That's to say: it's silly, but it never fully devolves into full-on cartooniness, and it manages to get very serious in a few scenes, too. It's a nearly perfect sci-fi spoof that stands on its own without needing the source material to play off of (although, it's that much funnier if you are familiar with the world of Star Trek).

As a side note, several of the actors with smaller parts have gone on to find some level of stardom, and you can see The Office's Rainn Wilson as a Thermian alien, Sam Rockwell as the expendable Guy, and Missi Pyle as the alien love interest for Tony Shalhoub, the latter of which even goes on to star as the lead in the hit detective show, Monk. Justin Long is also here in one of his earliest roles, playing the quintessential nerdy superfan of the show.