Galaxy Quest replaces Star Trek as the gee wizz science fiction hit of the mid 20th century.
The Filmography[]
For the true "Questy" the full run of the Galaxy Quest franchise.
Series[]
Never give up, never surrender!
- Galaxy Quest (TOS 1964-1966) three year run The classic series. (79 Episodes one never aired)
- Galaxy Quest Animated (TAS 1973-1974) The Protector crew gets animated (poorly). Poor production values and a shortened half hour format doom the otherwise well written animated attempt aired Saturday mornings. (23 episodes.)
- Galaxy Quest II (TSS 1987-1994) (same cast but with Guy and Jane) 7 year run. Endless arguments over whether the soul of the show was lost even as it gained with new and better production values. (161 episodes)
- Galaxy Quest: Star Station Andromeda (series with new cast 1993-1999) 7 years With the cast and concept getting long of tooth Hollyweird trys the same thing, but different and harder. (161 episodes)
- Galaxy Quest: Traveler (series with new cast 1995-2001) 7 years With the concept getting even longer of tooth Hollyweird tries again, but with more boobs, more explosions, and harder. (161 episodes)
- Protector Begins (Later Galaxy Quest: Protector 2001-2004) 4 years. With the Galaxy Quest franchise floundering on the rocks Hollyweird tries again with a prequel, dumber with more action and HARDER!!! (90 episodes)
Movies[]
- Galaxy Quest: Reunion (motion picture 1979) The crew of the Protector ride again.
- Galaxy Quest: the Spawn of Sarris (motion picture 1982) The Son of Sarris returns to gain revenge for the death of his Father.
- Galaxy Quest: The Legacy of Lazarus (motion picture 1984) Dr. Lazarus was lost in the last film, or was he? The Crew of the Protector follow the clues he left behind.
- Galaxy Quest: Return to Thermian (motion picture 1984) Having retrieved the clone of Dr. Lazarus the Protector crew return to find Thermian under siege by aliens with strange powers.
- Galaxy Quest: The Last Outpost (motion picture 1989) The brother of Dr. Lazarus seizes the Protector and takes them on a quixotic quest to the edge of known space.
- Galaxy Quest: Beyond the Farthest Star (motion picture, original cast wrap picture 1991) Old foes seek rapprochement when there is a disaster on their home world.
- Galaxy Quest: Passage (motion picture 1994) Aging members of the Protector crew aid the crew of the Traveler to over come a galactic madman.
- Galaxy Quest: Mutiny! (motion picture 1998) The Traveler is taken by renegade crew. Can Commander Wayjane save the day?
- Galaxy Quest: Serpent's Tooth (motion picture 2002) Commander Wayjane must face off against his own son turned against the Confederation.
- GALAXY QUEST! (Motion picture 2009) Toss everything that went before and start will new actors in the original roles. Forget everything that made it good to start with and buy out lens flares for the whole year.
- Galaxy Quest: Into Dorkness (Motion Picture 2013) We can make more money off of these, we CAN!
All tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
Non-Film[]
Books[]
Countless books have been written of the adventures of the Protector the Traveler and Star Station Andromeda. Several are churned out a year. Quality varies from very good to "who wrote this dreck?" Also found are technical manuals, chronologies, and encyclopedias for the show. A good sized library could be filled with nothing but the literature written for and of Galaxy Quest.
Games[]
Several role-playing games were likewise been produced. At least four professional efforts, none of any great success, but all with dedicated fans. A Galaxy Quest Monopoly edition was also produced. Finding any of this is near impossible.
A number of computer games have been made with Galaxy Quest as the theme. None has done well. An attempt at an MMORG fell flat. The genre and computer technology ofthe time did not lend itself to the kind of play Questys wanted. The code is long lost.
Fan Fiction[]
If the books are many many the fan fiction was legion. Getting your hands on fan fiction is likely impossible. Most never made it into the database project at the end of the 21st century and is lost. A mixed blessing.
Quality wise what goes for the pro books is double for the fan stuff, with a bias towards less than good. Most of the paper fanzines of the pre-computer days are gone never to be seen again. Most were done on mimeograph machines, many of them past their prime. Pity as some were very good indeed. A few like the Quester's Log were semi-pro efforts run on offset presses. Many uncounted efforts were one issue runs of questionable quality and very low numbers.
Technical fandom has produced its share of publications as well. Countless plan sheets, technical orders, and other efforts dating from the 1970s onward. Some are professional slick. Others hand drawn and run on mimeograph machines.
Fan Films[]
Yes this has been done with varied success. The Guardian series was decently written and produced. However the limits of VHS technology show in the production values. The later effort Of Deity and Mortals had two of the TOS cast members in it. Made in a digital format on modern computers the production quality is better than the original series. The Galaxy Quartz animated series is pure parody. A combination of Galaxy Quest and the popular Flintstones animated cartoon of similar vintage. It is a worthy effort in its own genre.
There have been plenty of home made films of less than good quality doubtless never seen outside the circle that made them. We can be grateful.
Epiphany Trek[]
Galaxy Quest was a Popular Science Fiction TV show from 1979 to 1983. Although canceled, it spawned a die hard fandom which influenced areospace and space exploration in subsequent generations. The show returned to air in 1999 and lasted until 2007, and spawned a number of spin off series and movies.
Jerry LaSaille is a Questy. This single fact saved a great deal of the 20th 21st century fan material. At least what he got his hands on. Elizabeth had the material stored in her memory banks when they left for El Nanth. The fragile and even then old paper was scanned into the computer. (He also carried a treasure trove of Heinlein And McCaffery dead tree.)
ST-OM In Game:[]
Galaxy Quest was a Popular Science Fiction TV show from 1979 to 1983. Although canceled, it spawned a die hard fandom which influenced areospace and space exploration in subsequent generations. The show returned to air in 1999 and lasted until 2007, and spawned a number of spin off series and movies.
The fandom of Galaxy Quest and the arguments over canon and the merit of various spin offs formed a rich vein for sociology studies in the first half of the 21st century,
In Modern times, Galaxy Quest has experienced a mild resurgence among Starfleet officers, who view the series as the romantic basis for their workaday jobs.
Meta:[]
Galaxy Quest is a 1999 Science Fiction film that depicts the cast of a cheesy 1980's science fiction show with a loyal fanbase, whisked away into space on a real star ship. The Movie is a pastiche of Star Trek with metaphorical refrerences to other shows.
Meta-Meta:[]
The story was inspired by a piece of Star Trek fan fiction, which in turn was inspired by a first piece of fan fiction, possibly inspired by the Twilight Zone.
The Twilight Zone Episode is "A World of Difference " written byRichard Matheson (A notoriously good author.)
The first fanfic piece was "Visit to a Weird Planet" where Kirk and Spock find themselves transposed with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and cope with the idea of Star Trek as a cheesy science fiction show.
The Second piece of fanfic was "Visit to a Weird Planet, Revisited " Which pictured William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy coping with being transposed to the real starship Enterprise.
Galaxy Quest takes that caveat - actors taken to outer space where their roles reflect reality and turns it into an adventure. And some say the best Star Trek film in years.