Just watched Galaxy Quest for the first time. (Yes, I know. There are a lot of movies that “everyone” has seen that I haven’t seen. I’m not a big movie guy.)
I can see why people love it. Great actors, good script, the parody is affectionate and on point. On the other hand, massive feminism fail. And the guy with a Chinese name, playing a character with a Chinese name, was played by… Tony Shalhoub? Who did an amazing job, but why use Chinese names if you’re going to end up casting a Lebanese actor? (Yes, I spotted the “Kwan isn’t even my real name” joke. Hanging a lampshade on it doesn’t make it OK.)
Star Trek is notable for its contribution to diversity and representation in popular culture. Galaxy Quest is notable for its failure to match this, with the one token woman with no arc who ends up with her clothes half torn off (played by Sigourney freaking Weaver, of all people), and the one token black guy with almost no arc and no real contribution to the plot. Who at least doesn’t die, I suppose.
Otherwise, though, good film.
I haven’t seen a lot of movies either and that is one of them 🙂
I haven’t seen a lot of movies either and that is one of them 🙂
Casting Tony Shalhoub is pretty much always a good move.
Casting Tony Shalhoub is pretty much always a good move.
There is a deleted scene where SW’s character rips into the fact that her uniform falls apart EVERY TIME
There is a deleted scene where SW’s character rips into the fact that her uniform falls apart EVERY TIME
There’s also a deleted scene where she uses that to decoy some guards into a position where she can kill them by having the computer close a door. Which would at least have been something. Not much, but something.
There’s also a deleted scene where she uses that to decoy some guards into a position where she can kill them by having the computer close a door. Which would at least have been something. Not much, but something.
To be fair, the Kirk character (I forget his name) also loses his shirt. Isn’t the point that it is satirising the script conventions of the genre – eg Sigourney complaining that all she does is repeat what the computer has already said, or the guy convinced he is going to be killed because he has no surname. To that end satire has to adopt and exaggerate its object, not go off in a different dimension.
To be fair, the Kirk character (I forget his name) also loses his shirt. Isn’t the point that it is satirising the script conventions of the genre – eg Sigourney complaining that all she does is repeat what the computer has already said, or the guy convinced he is going to be killed because he has no surname. To that end satire has to adopt and exaggerate its object, not go off in a different dimension.
Richard Abbott I’d say really good satire can transcend the genre. See Terry Pratchett’s Disc World.
I’m happy with fun satire like Galaxy Quest. But why not be better?
Richard Abbott I’d say really good satire can transcend the genre. See Terry Pratchett’s Disc World.
I’m happy with fun satire like Galaxy Quest. But why not be better?
Yes – and you could also argue that, as I say above, the original did have at least some moments of decent representation, so the parody shouldn’t be worse.
Yes – and you could also argue that, as I say above, the original did have at least some moments of decent representation, so the parody shouldn’t be worse.