60 Fun Facts About Galaxy Quest

Who directed Galaxy Quest?

Dean Parisot directed Galaxy Quest (1999), taking over after the original director left in pre-production; Parisot later directed Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020).

What was the title of David Howard's original spec script that became Galaxy Quest?

David Howard's spec script was titled Captain Starshine; producer Mark Johnson liked the premise more than the script and brought in Robert Gordon to rewrite it.

Which director left Galaxy Quest in pre-production over the studio's choice of lead actor?

Harold Ramis was the film's first director and left when the studio cast a mainstream comedy star over his preferred leads; Ramis co-wrote Ghostbusters and directed Groundhog Day.

Which actor did the original director want for the lead role of Jason Nesmith?

Alec Baldwin was the original director's first choice for Jason Nesmith; Baldwin passed, and the studio's push for a proven comedy star drove that director off the film.

Which actor was considered for Jason Nesmith but turned the part down for family reasons?

Kevin Kline was considered for Jason Nesmith but declined because of family commitments; Steve Martin was also in the mix for the part before the studio settled on its lead.

What did Sigourney Weaver keep from the production after filming wrapped?

She had lobbied for the role partly because she wanted to work with Tim Allen and Alan Rickman.

Which actor, hoping for a more serious dramatic career, initially considered declining his Galaxy Quest role?

Sam Rockwell nearly passed on Guy Fleegman, worried a comic sidekick part would hurt his serious acting prospects; he took it, and Guy's redshirt panic became the film's running gag.

Which actor originally auditioned for the role of Guy Fleegman before ending up as Fred Kwan?

Tony Shalhoub read for Guy Fleegman but was cast as Fred Kwan instead, playing the character with an unflappable, mellow calm throughout the film.

Which actor offered up the Thermians' distinctive voice at the end of his audition read?

The stilted, over-enunciated delivery became the template for every Thermian in the film.

The alien planet scenes were shot at Goblin Valley State Park in which US state?

Goblin Valley State Park is in Utah; its mushroom-shaped hoodoos gave the alien planet a ready-made landscape with no set dressing.

Which famous modernist Los Angeles residence stood in for Jason Nesmith's home?

The Stahl House, Case Study House #22 in the Hollywood Hills, stood in for Nesmith's home; Pierre Koenig's 1960 glass house is among the most photographed residences in America.

Which Los Angeles venue hosted the Questarian gathering scenes?

The Palladium, a 1940 ballroom on Sunset Boulevard, has hosted everything from big bands to the Grammys.

What rating did Galaxy Quest originally receive before it was recut?

Producers wanted a family audience, so profanity was trimmed and one line famously dubbed over.

Whose profane line in the 'chompers' scene was dubbed to a milder 'Well, screw that!'?

Tawny Madison (Sigourney Weaver) originally said a stronger word; it was dubbed to 'Well, screw that!' for the PG cut, and her lips visibly form the original line.

On what date was Galaxy Quest released in US theaters?

Galaxy Quest opened in US theaters on December 25, 1999, Christmas Day, the same day The Talented Mr. Ripley debuted.

Which studio distributed Galaxy Quest?

DreamWorks Pictures produced and distributed Galaxy Quest; the studio had been founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

What was Galaxy Quest's approximate worldwide box office gross?

Galaxy Quest grossed about $90 million worldwide, roughly $71.6 million of it in the United States and Canada, a solid but not spectacular return for a Christmas release.

How many consecutive weeks did Galaxy Quest spend in the US box-office Top 10?

Solid word of mouth kept it there long after its Christmas opening.

What was Galaxy Quest's production budget?

Galaxy Quest was made for a production budget of $45 million, which covered its visual effects, creature work and a full-scale starship bridge set built on soundstages.

How long is Galaxy Quest's running time?

Galaxy Quest runs 102 minutes, about an hour and three-quarters, a tight length for a comedy that also stages a full space adventure.

Which company created Galaxy Quest's visual effects?

Industrial Light & Magic created Galaxy Quest's visual effects, including the starship battles and digital creature work, while Stan Winston Studio handled the practical creatures and makeup.

Who composed the score for Galaxy Quest?

David Newman composed the score; his main theme deliberately echoes brassy 1960s television space-adventure anthems, and Newman also scored The Brave Little Toaster and Ice Age.

In theaters, what aspect-ratio change occurred once the actors left Earth?

The picture went from 1.85:1 to 2.35:1 the moment the actors left Earth, a widening that made the real adventure look literally bigger than their sad convention lives.

Galaxy Quest won Best Dramatic Presentation at which science-fiction prize?

Galaxy Quest won the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, beating The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, The Iron Giant and Being John Malkovich.

Galaxy Quest won Best Script from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, a prize called the what?

The Nebula Award is given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America; Galaxy Quest's screenplay, by David Howard and Robert Gordon, won the Nebula for Best Script.

Which Thermian idolizes Alexander Dane and dies in his arms?

Quellek is the Thermian who idolizes Alexander Dane and follows him through the ship; shot during the climactic fight, he dies as Dane finally says his catchphrase sincerely.

Which Galaxy Quest cast member won the Saturn Award for Best Actor?

Tim Allen won the Saturn Award for Best Actor for Galaxy Quest; his Jason Nesmith is a thinly veiled riff on William Shatner's Kirk-era ego and later humility.

In a 2013 fan poll ranking the Star Trek films, where did Galaxy Quest place?

Seventh place is where Galaxy Quest landed when fans at the 2013 Las Vegas Star Trek convention ranked the franchise's films, ahead of several official entries.

Which Star Trek actor called Galaxy Quest 'a chillingly realistic documentary'?

George Takei, the original Star Trek's Sulu, called Galaxy Quest 'a chillingly realistic documentary', a nod to how accurately it captured convention life and fandom.

Which Star Trek actor avoided the film thinking it mocked Trek, then loved its tribute to fans?

Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Picard, skipped Galaxy Quest at first, expecting it to mock Star Trek; once he saw it, its affectionate take on devoted fans won him over.

Which playwright-director named Galaxy Quest one of only four 'perfect' films?

David Mamet, in his book Bambi vs. Godzilla, called Galaxy Quest a perfect film, listing it alongside The Godfather, A Place in the Sun and Dodsworth.

Whose death in 2016 stalled a hoped-for Galaxy Quest sequel?

Alan Rickman, who played Alexander Dane, died in January 2016; a sequel script had been in development, and his death stalled it indefinitely.

In 2015, which company announced it was developing a Galaxy Quest television series?

Amazon announced a Galaxy Quest series in 2015 with the film's creative team attached; Paul Scheer was later hired to write it, and Paramount+ began developing its own series in 2023.

What is the title of the 2019 documentary made for the film's 20th anniversary?

Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019) was produced by the wiki company Fandom for the film's 20th anniversary and features most of the surviving cast.

What is the name of Jason Nesmith's in-show character?

Commander Peter Quincy Taggart is Nesmith's role on the show; Taggart's on-screen swagger is exactly what convinces the Thermians he is a real starship commander.

Gwen DeMarco's only real job aboard the ship turns out to be what?

Repeating what the computer says is Gwen's one job: the ship's computer answers only to her character, so she relays its readouts aloud, and she admits the design is stupid.

Alexander Dane, the frustrated Shakespearean actor, played which alien on the show?

Dr. Lazarus is Dane's alien role, played under a head-ridge prosthetic; the character's loathed catchphrase, 'By Grabthar's hammer, you shall be avenged', has clearly worn the actor down over the years.

Fred Kwan played Tech Sergeant Chen, who held which job aboard the Protector?

Chief engineer is Chen's post; Kwan is so unflappable that he cheerfully operates the ship's digital conveyor with almost no idea how it actually works.

Guy Fleegman's short-lived character on the show was credited as what?

Crewman #6 is how Guy's one-episode part was credited; he spends the whole mission convinced that, as the nameless extra, he is destined to die first.

Daryl Mitchell plays Tommy Webber, who as a child actor played which role on the show?

Lieutenant Laredo, the pilot was Webber's childhood role; as an adult he must fly a real starship on skills he only pretended to have, scraping the Protector's hull leaving the dock.

Which actor plays the Thermian Lahnk?

Rainn Wilson, years before playing Dwight Schrute on The Office, appears as the Thermian Lahnk, one of Mathesar's stilted, over-enunciating crew.

Which future star plays Brandon, the teenage superfan who helps the crew?

Justin Long made his film debut as Brandon; he later became the 'I'm a Mac' guy in Apple's Get a Mac ads and starred in Dodgeball and Live Free or Die Hard.

Which Thermian, played by Missi Pyle, becomes Fred Kwan's love interest?

Laliari is the Thermian who falls for Fred Kwan; Missi Pyle plays her, and in the climax she slips back to Earth with the crew and joins the revived show's cast.

Sarris, the villain played by Robin Sachs, is the general of what kind of species?

Reptilian humanoids are Sarris's kind; his scarred, armored look was a practical Stan Winston Studio creature suit worn by Robin Sachs rather than a digital creation.

Why do the Thermians believe the Galaxy Quest episodes are real 'historical documents'?

They have no concept of fiction, so the Thermians took the broadcasts as 'historical documents' and built their society and a working starship on what the reruns showed.

What does the Omega 13 turn out to do?

Send everyone 13 seconds back in time is what the Omega 13 does; in-film fans had debated whether it was a universe-ending bomb or a 'matter re-arranger', and Jason uses it to undo Sarris's final attack.

What powers the Thermians' ship and gets badly damaged, forcing a trip to a nearby planet?

A beryllium sphere powers the Protector; after the battle damages it, the crew lands on a mining planet whose replacement sphere is guarded by ferocious, childlike alien miners.

What does Jason have to fend off when he is left behind on the mining planet?

A rock monster attacks Jason while he is stranded on the mining planet; Alexander's ill-timed advice about the creature's 'motivation' is one of the film's best gags.

What is the Thermians' true form beneath their human disguises?

Giant squid-like beings are what the Thermians really are; they use 'appearance generators' to look human, and the disguise fails whenever the generators are switched off.

How do Brandon and his friends help the crew from Earth?

They talk them through aborting the self-destruct, using fan-made ship blueprints to guide Jason and Gwen to the core; Brandon and Jason had accidentally swapped communicators at the convention.

Where does the ship's separated bridge crash-land at the end of the film?

A room full of Questarians is where the bridge lands: it smashes through the wall of the convention hall, and the crowd assumes it is the greatest stunt ever staged.

What is the title of the revived series shown at the end of the film?

Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues is the revived show seen in the closing sequence; Guy finally joins the regular cast, and Fred's Thermian sweetheart appears alongside him.

Which actor plays the child Tommy Webber in the vintage show footage?

Corbin Bleu, later Chad Danforth in High School Musical, plays the boy Tommy Webber in the vintage Galaxy Quest footage seen in the film.

Which Shakespeare role does Alexander Dane bitterly recall playing to five curtain calls?

Richard III is the role Alexander Dane moans about, complaining he once took five curtain calls in it before being reduced to a rubber-headed alien.

Which Star Trek actor said he wished he had been cast as 'a freaky fanboy' in the film?

As a former Wesley Crusher and lifelong nerd, he was the fandom's most natural fit for the part.

Nesmith's actor said he based the role less on William Shatner than on whose Ramesses II?

Yul Brynner played Ramesses II in Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic The Ten Commandments; Brynner's imperious bearing, not Shatner's, was the model Nesmith's actor cited.

Which science fiction author wrote the November 1999 novelization of Galaxy Quest?

Terry Bisson, the science fiction author best known for the short story 'Bears Discover Fire', wrote the Galaxy Quest novelization published alongside the film's release.

Which animated hit's success pushed DreamWorks to recut Galaxy Quest for a younger audience?

The original cut carried an R rating and included Gwen trying to seduce aliens and a decapitating escape-pod crash.

Which creature does the digital conveyor beam aboard inside out?

A pig-lizard is what Fred beams up with the digital conveyor while trying to rescue Jason; it arrives inside out, then explodes, to Guy's horror.

Which comic-book publisher released the 2008 sequel Galaxy Quest: Global Warning?

IDW Publishing released Galaxy Quest: Global Warning, written by Scott Lobdell, in 2008; the same publisher followed it with another Galaxy Quest miniseries in 2015.