Galaxy Quest: Deluxe Edition DVD Review (2009)

Directed by Dean Parison, written by David Howard and Robert Gordon, 102 minutes, rated PG.

Just re-released to coincide with the opening of today's new Star Trek movie, 1999’s “Galaxy Quest” does what all good satires do--it rises to the level of what it’s skewering. In this case, that leap isn’t exactly Herculean--the film satirizes the “Star Trek” television series and its cast, which, to satirists, is what lambs must be to wolves.

Still, no matter how juicy the targets, satire isn’t easy to pull off. If just the right tone isn’t struck and sustained, if the director and writers don’t understand what made the source material work and what made it fail, all is lost.

In “Quest,” director Dean Parisot and his screenwriters prove they are more than up to the challenge. They understand what made “Star Trek” work and why it became a TV icon--its questionable acting, campy dialogue and ridiculous scenarios, all of which was underscored with a great sense of fun.

“Galaxy Quest” features a troupe of has-been television stars not unlike those in the “Star Trek” series. Typecast after their roles in the fictional, 1970s space opera “Galaxy Quest,” these five bitter, middle-aged misfits now earn their livings through paid appearances at malls, store openings and “Galaxy Quest” conventions.

There, in their old stage costumes and old stage makeup, they sign autographs for their hundreds of cheering fans. As any fan of the documentary “Trekkies” knows, it’s a life that must be like no other--unwanted celebration for a job all would sooner forget.

But when real aliens come to Earth to seek help from the cast of “Galaxy Quest,” who they believe to be authentic space commandos, the cast suddenly is given the opportunity to make their lives and their careers truly meaningful. And so, when they agree to fly to outer space and fight for the freedom of an alien race, this cast of characters hilariously comes into its own.

With Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman, “Galaxy Quest” affectionately slams the space genre while also paying tribute to it. That’s a wise choice in a film that should delight Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike.

Grade: B+