A Star Trek parody movie has received praise from two former astronauts, with one saying it is just as entertaining as Apollo 13, and another saying the film feels familiar, despite its comedy. There is a new space mission starting after over a 50-year hiatus, and it is making sci-fi space movies popular again. NASA is launching its Artemis II mission as early as February 8, 2026, and this is a chance to send Americans back to the moon and possibly on future missions to Mars. While there is a long way to go before humans can get to Mars, this mission shows NASA’s desire to get back into the space race and explore the great beyond.
In a CNN feature where the site spoke with retired astronauts about their favorite space films, one mentioned a surprising choice. They chose the Star Trek parody sci-fi movie, Galaxy Quest. Garrett Reisman, a retired astronaut who flew on Space Shuttles Endeavour, Discovery, and Atlantis, praised the comedy for several reasons.
According to Reisman, “It might not have the verisimilitude of Apollo 13, the gold standard for technical accuracy in a space movie, but it captures the wonder of space exploration … and it’s very funny.”
Nicole Stott, who flew two space shuttle missions and spent more than 100 days aboard the International Space Station, also praised the parody, including “the human interaction between the characters, which felt so familiar to me.”
Galaxy Quest Remains the Best Love Letter to Star Trek
Image Courtesy of DreamWorks
Galaxy Quest is one of the best Star Trek parody movies ever made, and even as a comedy, it is better than most sci-fi movies involving going into space. The film also pays homage to Star Trek, as it is about the cast of a fictional sci-fi television series, also called Galaxy Quest. It is clear this fictional show is the movie world’s version of Star Trek, and each of the cast members has a quirky disposition that is clearly poking fun at the beloved cast, but in a respectful manner.
However, the film takes a turn when aliens show up and believe the TV series is a documentary, and a conflict occurs because they believe Earth’s society is based on what happens on the show. The cast is spectacular, with the biggest praise going to the great Alan Rickman, who plays Alexander Dane, who played Dr. Lazarus on the show. He is clearly based on Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, and his Shakespearean attitude helps him steal every scene he appears in.
Sigourney Weaver is also fantastic in her performance as Gwen DeMarco, who played Lieutenant Tawny Madison. Add in Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Tim Allen, and everyone delivered fantastic performances, helping elevate this from a cheap parody to something much better. There was even a moment at the 2013 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas where Galaxy Quest received enough support to be listed among the 12 Star Trek films that had been released at that time. It was voted the seventh best at the convention.
In fact, Galaxy Quest was so respectful of Star Trek, despite poking fun at the idea of the show, that it remains a beloved release for even Trekkies. Critics praised the comedy, with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, as being more than a parody and standing as a brilliant comedy on its own. The film even earned a Saturn Award nomination, not for Best Comedy, but for Best Science Fiction Film in general, and Tim Allen even won Best Actor at the ceremony.
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