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Galaxy Quest; as a trek parody
Topic Started: Oct 8 2004, 07:24 AM (329 Views)
captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

Galaxy Quest was on TV here tonight, I think its only the second time I've seen this movie, just as boring as the first time. Is it suppose to be a comedy? cos its not very funny. The only joke I laughed at was the minor / miner joke when there are on the rock planet.

Anyway, if its supposed to be a parody of trek, I dont see any similarities to any trek characters, Taggart is most like Kirk, but not very much like Kirk, and the others dont really remind me of anyone else. The Laredo guy might be an 'in' Wesley joke ( teen pilot when the show was on air).

I think if there were some similarities, the movie might have been funnier.


Anyone else see parrallels?


As a reminder - The players.....

Tim Allen .... Jason Nesmith/Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart
Sigourney Weaver .... Gwen DeMarco aka Lt. Tawny Madison
Alan Rickman .... Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus
Tony Shalhoub .... Fred Kwan/Tech Sgt. Chen
Sam Rockwell .... Guy Fleegman/Security Chief 'Roc' Ingersol
Daryl Mitchell .... Tommy Webber/Lt. Laredo
Enrico Colantoni .... Thermian Cmdr. Mathesar
Robin Sachs .... General Sarris
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24thcenstfan
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Something Wicked This Fae Comes
That movie was very funny!!! I can't believe you didn't see more similarities. I don't have much time right now, but I will point you in the right direction of some of the parallels:

Characters:
-Taggart was very Kirk-like: Lead male, ladies man, and ultimately gung-ho like Kirk.
-Madison was very Uhura-like: Pretty eye candy and her main function on the show was communications. Uhura had really short skirts and Madison had the cleavage-revealing top.

Fans/Conventions:
The conventions, the fanatical element of the Trek fanbase, the washed up impression (stereotype) that many have of some of the Trek actors who no longer have anything going for them but the conventions.

Set design/Costumes:
The set design was very much like on TOS (e.g. click buttons on the consoles). Not too mention the costumes where designed to remind you of Trek (not totally look like). The communications devises the actors carried around were similar to those on TOS.

Terminology:
Was different but similar. I would have to go back and see the movie to go into more detail on this one.

Alien Foe:
-Sarris was a classic example of big bad guy Trek enemy. This was mentioned in the Sci-Fi Forum recently, but Enterprise had to of modeled one of the Xindi characters after Sarris.
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captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

Madison = Uhura, thats an insult to Uhura, I didnt see any connection.

The Convention scenes were amusing, Rickman brought a smile, but as for belly laughs, Nooooo
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24thcenstfan
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Something Wicked This Fae Comes
One more character parallel: Guy was supposed to be just like a Red Shirt on TOS. Guy even joked throughout the movie that he knew he was supposed to get killed on the away mission.
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Timbo
Lieutenant Commander
I loved that movie it was hillarious.

Best line:

Guy: 'I'VE GOT IT!!! See if you can form a rudimentary lathe!'

Cracks me up every time.

Also the similarities between it and Trek are quite obvious, here's a few more.

Allen in the Kirk role rips his shirt every time he fights.
Rickman in the Spock role hates his alien stereotype and cult status.
The fans obsess and carry on like the whole thing's real (OK that doesnt apply to most Trekkies)

Etc.
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captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

Timbo
Oct 8 2004, 10:25 AM

Rickman in the Spock role hates his alien stereotype and cult status.

Lazarus is similar to Spock?, I didnt see it
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Minuet
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Fleet Admiral Assistant wRench, Chief Supper Officer
^^^ How about the mere fact that he is the alien first officer?

CP - you must be the only one on earth who does not see the parallels. I suggest you buy the first season of TOS and have yourself a marathon. Once you refamiliarize yourself with the original cast you will see the parallels.
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Timbo
Lieutenant Commander
I went and saw it at the movies when it was new with some mates, they all went 'Tim that is so you!' as soon as the, um, 'Questies' appeared on screen.

How can you NOT see the parallels?
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captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

Minuet
Oct 8 2004, 02:24 PM
^^^ How about the mere fact that he is the alien first officer?

CP - you must be the only one on earth who does not see the parallels. I suggest you buy the first season of TOS and have yourself a marathon. Once you refamiliarize yourself with the original cast you will see the parallels.

As I said in my first post ( the reason for this thread ) was the comparison between the characters, and only the characters.

Then people started to digress in to other parallels, which yes i do see - fans at conventions etc....


But the characters?

So far some have said that

Taggart is like Kirk
Madison like Uhura
and Lazarus like Spock

That is what I dont see.
Some similarities , but a very poor imitation

An insult to Nichols, Shatner and Nimoy!
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TribbleMom
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Commodore
I've heard some people compare Madison more to Deanna Troi, in that her function seemed mainly to be re-stating the obvious. I don't know Madison's quote verbatum, but it was something like, "I've got one job on this ship; it's stupid, but it's my job and I'm gonna do it." Even the cast of Next Gen joked with Marina about her position on board being superfluous.

I though Galaxy Quest was hysterical. Especially loved the scene where the Quest crew is on the planet and Tim Allen's character is doing shoulder rolls from one boulder to another ('cause it's the macho thing to do) while the rest of them are casually sauntering along, and one of them asks, "Does the rolling help?"

I think, by nature, parodies are somewhat insulting to the original people they may be based on -- that's what parodies do, is to poke fun at the original. But we have to be able to laugh at ourselves (and the actors do, too) to get through life.

I'm not sure that Galaxy Quest set out to specifically immitate Star Trek; rather, I think it was poking fun at Sci Fi films and series in general, but certainly Star Trek's influence can be easily seen in it.
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iancook
Unregistered

I would have to say that Galaxy quest takes tons of the Subtleties from star trek. The movie is so jam packed with references to star trek and other Sci-Fi shows (but mostly Star Trek), that I honestly don't see how you cannot see the references to each charicter. They definitely aren't exactly like them, or the movie would have been called something much closer to star trek, although Galaxy Quest is pretty close. This movie is making fun of much more than just the charicters, it is making fun of the fanatics as well.

But I definitely see the correlations between the charicters.

Taggert is clearly modeled after Kirk

Madison is like Uhura and or Troy and not coincidentally many female roles on Sci Fi shows.

Lazarus is like Spock and shows what Leonard Nemoy must have gone through after Star Trek, "Never give up" aka "Live long and Prosper"

Guy is definitely Ensign Redshirt that will die on the away mission.

Laredo was obviously making fun of Westley Crusher.

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Cool Vulcan
Captain
I think Dr. Lazarus was meant to be like Spock and how Lenard Nimoy got tired of being known as Spock.
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Hoss
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Don't make me use my bare hands on you.
Wasn't Lazarus a biblical person who was brought back from the dead after several days?

Didn't the 'red shirt' dude complain that he had no last name and that meant that he was going to die?
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Fesarius
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Quote:
 
Wasn't Lazarus a biblical person who was brought back from the dead after several days?

Yes, but you knew that, oh apocryphal one. ;)
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gdog243
Rear Admiral
Fes,

Did you take up on the recommendation to rent the movie?
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