

Galaxy Quest (1999) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney
Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell.

 Imagine that the cast of the original "Star Trek" series were recruited by
a group of aliens who thought what they saw on TV was the real thing to
help them battle an evil alien menace.

 How do you think William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan and the rest
would react?

 Well, that is the one-joke premise of "Galaxy Quest," a movie that is
funnier than its flimsy concept.

 The humor of "Galaxy Quest" is not so much in the situations, but in the
recognition.

 The story by David Howard, who co-authored the screenplay with Robert
Gordon, relies on our familiarity not so much with "Star Trek" but with a
culture that blurs the line between reality and fiction as well as the
concept of cultdom and fanaticism.

 The funniest scenes in "Galaxy Quest" are not those in space, but the ones
on Earth in which the "crew" of the NSEA Protector attend an annual
convention and are besieged by fans who ask questions about minutiae
concerning that old TV series that the bored and humiliated actors don't
know or even care about.

 The cast is headed by Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith, alias Commander Peter
Quincy Taggart, who is abducted by the childlike Thermians from the Klatu
Nebula to help them defeat the evil Sarris.

 Allen does not do a Shatner impersonation, but he exudes the right amount
of ego and hambone to remind you of the flamboyant "Star Trek" actor.

 Nesmith then recruits his co-stars to help out. His crew is played by
Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell and Sam
Rockwell.

 Shalhoub and Rockwell walk away with the film. Shalhoub is Fred Kwan,
alias Tech. Sgt. Chen, a laid-back kind of guy who goes along with the
flow. For the most part he remains cool and unflustered by the
extraordinary circumstances in which he his thrown.

 Rockwell, seen recently as the psychotic killer Billy the Kid in "The
Green Mile", plays Guy, who appeared in one episode of the "Galaxy Quest"
TV show and was killed off in the first five minutes.

 He fears that real life will imitate art during this mission and that he
will be the one to die in battle with the Sarris. After all, he reasons,
his character didn't even have a last name.

 The entire cast seems to have fun with their roles. Rickman as the
resident alien continually complains about how he used to be a serious
actor. And, shades of "Star Trek," he always carps about Allen's
Nesmith/Taggart stealing his best lines and earning all the glory.

 "Galaxy Quest" is an enjoyable movie. The special effects are so-so, but
this is more of a character-driven science fiction comedy than one relying
on lasers and explosions to entertain.

 "Star Trek" fans will recognize some of the veiled references and
situations, but you needn't be a Trekker (or even a Trekkie) to have fun
with "Galaxy Quest."

 It may be a bit too violent for the very young moviegoers, but older
children and parents may have a good time together watching some
make-believe heroes transform themselves into the real McCoys.

 Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN.
He can be reached by e-mail at [email-masked] or at
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