Galaxy Quest

I used to come home from school every day and turn to channel 59 (Spike) to watch Star Trek: Next Generation. I don’t know what it was about the show that made me love it so much (probably Jean-Luc Picard’s keen intellect and his cool collective nature in the face of danger) but the fact is that the show was great and always a favorite of mine. I never dreamed imagined there would be a parody of such an epic show.
Galaxy Quest came out in 1999. It is the tale of a retired troupe of actors who make a living off of appearing at fan-conventions for their long dead show, Galaxy Quest. The crew commander, Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) enjoys a large fan base, while the rest of the crew walks in his shadow. All of his co-stars are bitter towards him for his enthusiasm at being a worshiped has-been.
At the convention, Jason is approached by an odd group of people claiming to be aliens called Thermians. They ask for the help of Commander Tagert (Jason Nesmith) who they believe is an actual space-commander.
Nesmith goes home and drinks himself to sleep where he is awoken by the Thermians who have come to take him to their ship. Believing that it is just another convention, he goes with them to their ship where he discovers that the Thermians had watched his show and duplicated it, thinking the show was a historical document.
Nesmith returns to earth after having attacked the Thermian’s enemy, Seris, and attempts to convince the rest of his crew that what he experienced was real. At the request of the Thermians, Tagert and his crew travel to the ship to fight the evil Seris.
For someone who watches Star Trek, this film is incredibly funny. It takes every aspect of the show and adds a satirical twist to it. On it’s own, the story is very well written. But as a satire, the film becomes a great parody of an American classic.