While 1998’s Galaxy Quest is first and foremost a parody of science fiction movies and TV shows, particularly Star Trek, it’s collected its own passionate fanbase over the years. So much so that ever since 2014, there have been efforts to deliver a Galaxy Quest follow-up, whether it’s in movie form or as a TV series. While the project has dealt with various setbacks, according to Sigourney Weaver, who played Gwen DeMarco/Lieutenant Tawny Madison in the original movie, a Galaxy Quest sequel is still on the table.
While promoting her new movie My Salinger Day, Sigourney Weaver provided an update to Collider on where things currently stand with Galaxy Quest 2. First, she went over how much progress the sequel had made before the passing of Alan Rickman, another one of the original movie’s main cast members:
They were in the middle of reviving it. First of all, there was another script. There was a sequel written by our writer, Bob Gordon. The movie was so witty, and when they released it, DreamWorks cut a lot of the wittiest scenes because they wanted to put it out as a children's movie at Christmas. I think that was disappointing for everybody, so he decided not to let them have the second one. However, it was about four years ago, Bob and (producer) Mark Johnson and the whole group, started to develop a series. We lost the wonderful Alan [Rickman] unexpectedly, so that was put in mothballs, but I think they are finally now reviving it.
Galaxy Quest certainly wouldn’t be as beloved without Alan Rickman’s performance as Alexander Dane, the exasperated actor who played Dr. Lazarus in the fictional Galaxy Quest TV series. Sadly, Rickman passed away in early 2016 from terminal pancreatic cancer, just six months shy of turning 70. So understandably, that impeded the efforts to get the real-world Galaxy Quest show off the ground. Tim Allen, who played leading man Jason Nesmith, said as much earlier this year, noting how Lazarus and Nesmith’s Galaxy Quest character, Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, would be the focal protagonists.
However, even with one of the main cast members gone, the continuation of the Galaxy Quest story is still in the cards. So what can we expect from this next chapter? Here’s what Sigourney Weaver had to say:
It will be the story of the old ancient Galaxy Questers being brought into this series with another young cast. I haven't read them, so I don't know the details, but I think that everyone in Galaxy Quest would love to participate because it was such a wonderful experience for us. How they will find someone to play Alan's part, don't know, but I think that they have a very good idea of who to do it. He's irreplaceable, eternally. I think there may be good news on that front, but I haven't heard about it in these six months, so when it's gonna happen, I'm not sure.
The original Galaxy Quest movie ended with the launch of a new TV series called Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues, which saw the main cast members reprising their roles, as well as Sam Rockwell’s Guy Fleegman and Missi Pyle’s Laliari playing new characters. But if Galaxy Quest is following in the footsteps of the Star Trek franchise, then it makes sense that over two decades later, there’d be a new show, either on a traditional channel or a streaming service, starring a completely new cast of main characters, with the original cast now being looked at as the old guard. And judging by Sigourney Weaver’s comment, it sounds like Tony Shaloub, Sam Rockwell and others would also be game to return alongside her and Tim Allen. As for Alan Rickman’s character, evidently the plan is to recast the role rather than remove the character from the story.
So while the exact status of Galaxy Quest 2 is still up in the air, it appears that the project is more likely to happen than not at this stage of the game, although naturally that’s subject to change. Whether or not the sequel comes anywhere close to the quality level of its predecessor obviously can’t be judged until the final product is released, but in this age where movie and TV revivals are all the rage, you can’t blame the Galaxy Quest folks for wanting to get in on that brand of fun, especially considering how they’ve been trying to make this happen for over half a decade.
Let us know if you’re interested in a Galaxy Quest sequel with the poll below, and browse through our 2021 release schedule to learn what movies are expected to arrive later this year.
