The 1999 film Galaxy Quest has always been embraced by Star Trek fans for its loving spoof of the franchise and fandom. Over the last few decades, there has been regular talk of a sequel or television tie-in to the sci-fi comedy, and that buzz is heating up again with reports that Paramount+ is working with the original producer on a Galaxy Quest streaming television show.
Galaxy Quest TV
Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are reporting that Paramount+ is in the early development stages of a Galaxy Quest show for the streaming service, which also happens to be the exclusive home of Star Trek TV shows. Galaxy Quest producer Mark Johnson is overseeing the project as executive producer and a search for writers is underway. Johnson has had a prolific career; he won an Academy Award producing the 1988 Rain Man and more recently has been an executive producer on a number of critically acclaimed series for AMC, including Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Poster for Galaxy Quest film
There are no details on how the new show would tie into the 1999 movie or if any of the original stars would be involved. The original cast included Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Enrico Colantoni. In 2015 a Galaxy Quest series was in development for Amazon Prime Video; however, that project came to a halt after the death of Rickman in 2016. Since that time, others have been attached to develop the project, including Star Trek’s Simon Pegg in 2021.
Adding a Galaxy Quest TV show to the library of Paramount+ original series is an interesting move for the streamer that is also producing original Star Trek shows. Like the film itself, if done with respect, it could be embraced by Star Trek fans.
Paramount did not respond to a request for comment about these reports, as it’s still early for this latest attempt to return to the NSEA-Protector, but when it comes to this project, it appears the motto is: Never give up, never surrender.
The original film is available now on Paramount+ and you can see the original trailer below.
Keep up with other sci-fi news at TrekMovie.com.
I’d watch it.
I’m still sad that Netflix didn’t renew Space Force. There’s room.
I was sorry to see Space Force get cancelled as well. If you haven’t already you should check out Upload On Amazon Prime which also has Greg Daniels as show runner.
UPLOAD is utterly fantastic and I wish they could turn out 20 a year instead of the snail like pace we get them, but SPACE FORCE just didn’t speak to me at all, barely got through season 1.
I really think GQ has all sorts of series possibilities.
Agreed on Upload, I’d love more episodes and whilst I don’t disagree about GQ the news just feels a bit like a new Star Trek theatrical movie announcement as we’ve been hearing about it for so long without anything actually happening! I realise of course that it was Amazon developing the show originally but it’s not like Paramount have a great record on following through on everything they announce. Put me down as cautiously optimistic on that one!
I saw it. It really wasn’t all that good. Watched the first season. Then bailed.
I heard it will be shot exclusively with a tilted camera so that all the viewers will always subconsciously lean slightly to the right when watching it.
I get it. Allen is a Republican. I doubt this show will be with Allen and Weaver. They may kick the show off but then you will get a younger crew.
Ha ha That would be awesome. Will they have Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, how legendary would that be! Normally I’d say no way, but… I think it could be possible now! Oh and Tony Shalhoub, man that guy was funny in Monk
Legacy characters! What everyone is obsessed with these days.
Unlike the original, I expect it to be dystopian, with great special effects and poor writing. I’m not sure anything else is possible anymore.
You may be on to something in that it could potentially spoof those very things.
The only question is if Paramount will allow one of their shows to mock one of their other shows.
I would guess that would depend on who is making it. Doesn’t look to be Secret Hideout so that’s a bit of a plus. Doesn’t mean it still won’t suck, however. But I still content it’s worth a shot.
Why don’t they instead just buy the rights to The Orville from Hulu and fund that for a couple more seasons. That Trek parody is already developed and they could probably buy it for pennies on the dollar.
Because Disney owns the Orville and there is no way they (or any major studio, really) would just sell Paramount one of their properties. They’d rather let it languish and die than sell it to a competitor, even for a hefty sum.
I am more inclined to believe that The Orville will be renewed based on Paramount’s Galaxy Quest announcement.
The Orville appeals to many Star Trek fans (self-included) and it could compete directly against both Star Trek and Galaxy Quest.
idk, it’s just as likely this convinces them to end it, since it was struggling before even without competition. competition isn’t a good thing when it comes to this sort of thing.
“Why don’t they instead just buy the rights to The Orville”
Mainly because Hulu doesn’t own The Orville. :) Also, because the rights are not for sale. There is no way Disney would sell a Star Trek parody to its main rival, which happens to own Star Trek. It would never happen.
You have a point, but just a quibble: I wouldn’t call Paramount Disney’s “main rival.” Depending on how you count, Netflix and Amazon have more subscribers than Disney, and HBO and YouTube rank between them and Paramount. (Hulu, Lionsgate, Apple, and Peacock are behind Paramount.)
I think The Orville has moved way beyond parody by this point. The last two seasons were pretty serious with some occasional humor.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the whole run, but we’re way beyond the first season by now.
For one thing it never really was truly a pardoy. The first season was perhaps 35-40% parody but then abandoned nearly all of the comedy in ensuing seasons. It became a TNG clone/homage/rip off depending on one’s mood.
Because Galaxy quest is a true parody while the Orville in its past run is an obviously bad rip off pretending to be a parody.
Galaxy Quest was a fun movie, but I’m not sure the premise is sustainable over the length of a series.
I think so too. because they Parodied the TOS area of Star Trek. Will it be some Livce Action “Lower Decks” clone just with TOS?
I dunno.. Let’s see
I think if they embrace it as more of a sci-fi comedy that plays with tropes of the genre, it can works. Like a live action futurama, for example.
I actually think it could be. It just needs the right people in charge and the right people writing it. Yes, that is a bit of a “perfect storm” but stranger things have happened. I feel better about this working than any of the Secret Hideout Treks to be honest.
I agree. I think part of the appeal to the movie was the fact that none of the characters had been on a real space ship or even believed aliens existed. That aspect would be gone for any sequels or TV shows.
You might could pull off one movie sequel because the characters could reluctantly be like “not again. Ok. We’ll save everyone again if you insist.”
But, I can’t see that happening every week and I can’t envision these characters making a believable transition into a full time space exploration crew.
Still haven’t seen this movie.
Make it so!
It’s a must! Its a love letter to Star Trek. Brilliant and hilarious, back then. After watching the movie for the first time, I remember reading an article of Jonathan Frakes telling a hesitant Patrick Stewart to go and watch it. He had zero interest and Frakes strongly pushed for him to go and watch it right away, and have a chat afterwards. Stewart was convinced, and not sure if he or Frakes, not sure who said that (Stewart) have never laughed so hard in his live, in a theater.
I think they have identified themselves very much with the GQ characters, the chaos they behind the scenes. Its a brilliant stand alone sci-fi movie. They also have a large group of fans, always pushing for more movies or tv series. :D
If Paramount is developing this does that mean their could be a Galaxy Quest – Star Trek Crossover. That would be so cool. The new Protector crew (I assume it will be a new younger crew) joins the Star Trek crew to defeat the so and so.
I smell another SNW crossover! ;)
I was just thinking about this. It would be cool to see a Trek-Quest crossover, maybe start in Lower Decks and then do something in live action.
No
It would have to be a time travel episode of some sort because Star Trek is set 400 years in the future.
That could be interesting though if the fictional Galaxy Quest TV show was part of Star Trek’s history. They would have to come up with a reason why the Vulcan’s are considered the first alien contact for humans though.
Wow two exciting announcements in one day. How come they couldn’t put any of this on First Contact day lol. But yeah love the movie and would watch this.
As you have speculated many times, Paramount has lost the ability to market Star Trek! All these new announcements are cool but their timing is weird!
Yeah sad but true. It’s just crazy how tone deaf they still are on some of this stuff.
why would they announce Galaxy Quest on a fictional star trek holiday lol.
So true. After Nemesis, so many missed opportunities, including the 50th Anniversary when they were launching Discovery.
Here’s a set up – Years after the successful reboot of “Galaxy Quest”, which lead to spin-offs and features, the surviving cast is asked back to reprise their roles for a Streaming series…”GALAXY QUEST : TAGGART” where Jason Nesmith returns as now retired Admiral Peter Quincy Taggart who needs to reunite his crew to save the galaxy once again in a comedic sent up of STAR TREK : PICARD.
What? Too Soon…
if they recreate the original bridge set they wont even need to write a script, fans will all get up and clap and call it the best thing ever
Galaxy Quest without Alan Rickman would be like Star Trek the Original Series without Leonard Nimoy.
I like both Quinto and Peck. Nimoy was the master, but they’re good in their own ways.
Agreed.
Rickman played the character once. Recasting shouldn’t be an issue, assuming the original cast is coming back at all ..
Generally I’m not a huge fan of “remakes”. There are exceptions of course but as a general rule if something was really good I’d rather just leave it alone. One of the exceptions is remaking something that wasn’t good to begin with. Like Battlestar Galactica. The remake was so much better. And this is one of those. I know I am in the minority on this one but I never liked Galaxy Quest. It literally had one laugh in the entire move. Granted, that gag was fantastic and I still laugh at it to this day. But that movie never ever worked for me. So the potential for making something better from the concept sounds like it could be worth a try to me.
It could be good — assuming they don’t turn it into another Discovery-style turd.