Galaxy Quest

AS GALAXY QUEST TURNS 20, DIRECTOR DEAN PARISOT AND STAR ENRICO COLANTONI REFLECT ON THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THIS META SCI-FI SEND-UP

- Simon Bland

I LOVED THE ABSURDITY OF it,” smiles director Dean Parisot, recalling the creation of his 1999 meta classic Galaxy Quest. “The mantra was to make the best Star Trek movie that we could and not wink to the audience. If we made a great adventure film, then the rest would happen.” Twenty years later, it’s hard to imagine self-referential storytelling as being anywhere near a new concept – but back in ’99, audiences had little clue just how ahead of its time Parisot’s space comedy actually was.

Originally in the hands of director and occasional Ghostbuster Harold Ramis, this sci-fi take on The Magnificent Seven used a familiar trope to tell a new story; one that was simultaneously a celebration of, and tongue-in-cheek poke at, showbiz ego and the power of pop-culture fandom. Two decades on, the film’s unexpected longevity has cemented its status as one of the late ’90s most endearing offerings – but strip away the gift of hindsight, and Galaxy Quest’s rise from left-field crowd-pleaser to prophetic social commentator was hardly guaranteed when production began.

Story-wise, its premise is simple: a group of washed-up actors, famous for their roles on the campy TV space adventure Galaxy Quest, appear doomed to a life of convention hall hell – until a bunch of alien superfans invites them to relive their glory days in real life, by defeating the slimy intergalactic warlord Sarris in deep space.

So far, so sci-fi; however, by dabbling in the overly dramatic arena of thespians and the pointed-ear world of fan geekery, Galaxy Quest’s message became much more potent.