A funny take on Star Trek is getting positive reviews, even from astronauts! One compared it to the exciting movie Apollo 13, while another said it has a comforting, familiar feel despite being a comedy. This renewed interest in space exploration coincides with a new NASA mission – Artemis II – which will launch as early as February 2026. After more than 50 years, NASA is aiming to send Americans back to the moon, and eventually, to Mars. While a trip to Mars is still a long way off, this mission demonstrates NASA’s commitment to space exploration and regaining a leading role in the cosmos.
CNN recently interviewed retired astronauts about their favorite movies set in space, and one astronaut had an unexpected pick: the comedy Galaxy Quest, a parody of Star Trek. Garrett Reisman, who flew on the Space Shuttles Endeavour, Discovery, and Atlantis, explained why he considers it a great film.
Reisman notes that while the film may not be as technically accurate as Apollo 13 – often considered the benchmark for realism in space movies – it successfully conveys the excitement of space travel and is genuinely humorous.
Astronaut Nicole Stott, a veteran of two space shuttle flights and over 100 days on the International Space Station, also enjoyed the parody, particularly how realistically it portrayed the way people interact with each other.
Galaxy Quest Remains the Best Love Letter to Star Trek
Galaxy Quest is widely considered one of the funniest and most clever parodies of Star Trek ever created. Beyond being a great comedy, it’s actually a better sci-fi adventure than many serious space movies. The film centers around the actors of a cancelled sci-fi TV show, also named Galaxy Quest, which is a clear stand-in for Star Trek. Each character lovingly spoofs the personalities of the original Star Trek cast, offering a humorous but respectful tribute.
The movie takes an unexpected twist when aliens arrive and mistake a popular TV series for real life. This leads to conflict, as they believe human society is modeled after the show’s events. The actors are fantastic, particularly Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane, the actor who played Dr. Lazarus on the series. His character is clearly inspired by Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, and Rickman’s refined, Shakespearean delivery makes every scene he’s in truly memorable.
Sigourney Weaver is excellent as Gwen DeMarco, the actress who plays Lieutenant Tawny Madison. With strong performances from Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Tim Allen, the movie rises above a typical parody and becomes something truly enjoyable. In fact, at the 2013 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, fans showed so much love for Galaxy Quest that it was ranked among the top twelve Star Trek films, even earning the seventh-best spot!
Despite playfully teasing Star Trek, Galaxy Quest showed such genuine respect for the original series that it’s still a favorite among dedicated Star Trek fans. Critics loved the movie’s humor, giving it a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and recognizing it as a fantastic comedy in its own right. In fact, it was nominated for a Saturn Award not as a comedy, but as one of the best science fiction films of the year, and Tim Allen won the award for Best Actor.
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2026-02-08 18:14