Galaxy Quest (1999) Reminds Us That Even Jerks Can Be Heroes

Hey folks! Jeremy here. Today, you’re getting a special October treat, which is great for you (because it’s good reading) and also great for me (because I didn’t have to write it). My comrade Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, who possesses no fewer than five capital letters in her name, volunteered to write about the hero’s identity crisis within Galaxy Quest, and of course I said yes because I’m the hero of this newsletter, obviously. Maybe it’ll inspire your to take a little break from horror this month and walk just down the block to the sci-fi neighborhood. Take it away, Mary Catherine!

Last time you heard from me, I gave you shirtless Brendan Fraser (and I can’t overstate how early this newsletter was to the #Brenaissance). This time, I’d like to discuss Alan Rickman in a big weird prosthetic tentacle head. Basically the same thing.

My middle school years were largely spent watching and rewatching off-beat movies, and Galaxy Quest ranks high among them. Besides having a stacked cast—Tim Allen fresh off his Home Improvement era, past Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver, future Oscar winner Sam Rockwell, the always iconic Alan Rickman, and the weirdest little weirdo Tony Shalhoub)—it’s hysterical, it’s zany, and (my favorite) it’s deeply earnest.*

For those unlucky souls who haven’t seen Galaxy Quest, it’s about to get meta as hell up in this bitch. Walk with me.

This movie focuses on the cast of a fictional TV show, also called Galaxy Quest, a space opera pretty similar to (if not outright spoofing) Star Trek.** Allen’s character, Jason Nesmith, plays Commander Taggart, the Shatner-esque captain of the spaceship, and the rest of the principal cast members from the TV show round out the cast of the film. (Still with me?) So, years after the show’s cancellation, the cast is still connected by dining out on their fame at various versions of Comicon. Jason is maintaining his reputation as an all-around jerk, and the rest of the cast is eye-rolling their way through meet-and-greets and signings with him to take home their shekels.

Everything changes when a real alien ship abducts Jason. The aliens are being persecuted by an evil galactic overlord (Sarris) and, through watching “historical documents” they’ve found, they’ve decided that the cast of Galaxy Quest is their only hope. Of course, unbeknownst to them, those historical documents are actually just episodes of a TV show. (This is hilariously riffed on when Sigourney Weaver’s character says, “Surely you know this is fictional. You can’t possibly think Gilligan’s Island is real!” She is then met with a reverent moment of silence from the alien race. “Those poor people,” they murmur.)

What follows is the fictional TV cast's attempts to actually save this child-like, staggeringly wholesome alien race, and their collective mettle is tested when skills they once mimed dictate real matters of life and death. I won’t spoil the rest for you; let’s just say it’s a triumph.***

The amazing trick of this movie is its Russian nesting doll exploration of the concept of self image and identity. Jason is a jerk who plays a hero, but then he gets thrown into a scenario where he is forced to assume the very role he’s half-assed for years—which requires him to confront his ego and save the day for real this time.

Galaxy Quest plays with the idea of who we are versus who we hope to be by hiding this truth like the soft center of a Tootsie Pop: In the end, we already are who we hope we are, if we can only summon it up. If that feels like a heavy dose of schmaltziness for a weird sci-fi spoof from the late 90s, you’re not wrong. But in an era where things like tragedy porn, Dahmer, and Blonde are the content du jour, it sure is nice to remember how a film can move us with straight-up sincerity.

By interrogating the ways we navigate our real selves and our perceived selves, Galaxy Quest  delineates the traits we share with its protagonist: imposter syndrome, cynicism, hubris, and above all, a deep desire to be and do good. And in the fight for more feel-good movies that are also actually good, I (like Commander Taggart) say: “Never give up, never surrender.”

*There are so many other great performers I had to make a footnote. Missi Pyle! Justin Long! Daryl Mitchell! Even Rainn Wilson before The Office!

**One of this film’s many delights is Easter egg after Easter egg. Real sci-fi fans will appreciate its winks even more.

***I had to delete two large paragraphs about Justin Long’s spectacularly dorky performance in this film. But just know that I feel very strongly about it.

Galaxy Quest is now streaming on Peacock, Paramount+, and Pluto TV, and it is available to rent elsewhere.