Galaxy Quest parents guide

Galaxy Quest Parent Guide

A Star Trek spoof that's out of this world.

Overall B+

Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) hasn't had much acting work since Galaxy Quest the TV series was canceled close to twenty years ago. But his career suddenly go where no washed-up celebrity's have gone before after Jason has a close encounter with some real aliens.

Release date December 23, 1999

Violence C-
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C
Substance Use B-

Why is Galaxy Quest rated PG? The MPAA rated Galaxy Quest PG for some action violence, mild language and sensuality

Run Time: 102 minutes

Parent Movie Review

If you like Star Trek, but can’t understand why anyone would attend one of those Trekkie conventions, you will probably enjoy Galaxy Quest.

Galaxy Quest - Official Site Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) hasn’t had much acting work since Galaxy Quest the TV series was canceled close to twenty years ago. Now in his typecast role as Commander Taggart of the starship Protector, he and the rest of the Protector’s crew are the main attraction at sci-fi conventions. With thousands of fans dressed in the garb that goes with the part, these dead-end actors make their living by dutifully signing autographs and reciting Galaxy Quest trivia.

A legend in his own mind, Nesmith still leads the group by handling bookings for these conventions. But he is at odds with the others due to poor punctuality and an egotistical nature. When he overhears a negative conversation about his “has-been” performance, even he realizes that his quest may be over - until he meets his biggest fans.

Galaxy Quest - Official Site A group of aliens have seen Nesmith’s show and consider his work an “historical document”. They need a pilot for their starship and a hero to save them from their enemies. Having no comprehension of dramatic television, they assume Commander Taggart and his crew are real. Things get off to a rocky start when Taggart tells helmsman Laredo (Daryl Mitchell) to take the ship out of space-dock. Of course he hasn’t a clue how to steer the ship. “Go right! Go right!” the crew shouts. Things aren’t much better with the"digital conveyor” (read transporter). Their practice try results in an inside out creature (this somewhat gory scene and other comedic violence may be disturbing to young children).

Galaxy Quest - Official Site Except for a female crew member (played by Sigourney Weaver) wearing a ripped top (we see her bra) and a couple of minor sexual innuendoes, I found this well written spoof full of subtle humor that’s surprisingly inoffensive. There are certain questions you just can’t ask if you want to be a true trekkie. This movie boldly asks the questions no man ever dared to ask before.

Directed by Dean Parisot. Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell. Running time: 102 minutes. Theatrical release December 23, 1999. Updated

Watch the trailer for Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest Parents' Guide

This film pokes fun at obsessive fans. Can these obsessions be dangerous? Celebrities may risk ruining their careers if they are strongly typecast in a particular role. Is this a fair price for fame?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

Looking for light reads about outer space? Start with Gareth Wronski’s Holly Farb and the Princess of the Galaxy. Top student Holly Farb is mistakenly kidnapped by aliens who think she is a princess. Riotous fun and mayhem ensue before Holly and her friends return to Earth.

Crazy space action is the defining feature of Jason Fry’s novels Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra and The Curse of the Iris. Set in a future where humanity has settled the solar system, the novels feature a family who act as space pirates, capturing and looting earth ships.

The classic novel for laugh-out-loud space books is Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But this novel is more than just a bunch of laughs…it has something to say.

Home Video

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If you enjoy Galaxy Quest, you will likely get a kick out of the more lighthearted Star Trek films, from which this movie draws some of its inspiration. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is usually considered to be the funniest film in the series. However, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon also has plenty of fans.

More violent, but still heavily comic, is Guardians of the Galaxy. And Monsters vs Aliens brings space comedy into the family-friendly realm.

 

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