That Galaxy Quest TV series might finally be happening and we have mixed feelings
Enlarge / Arriving on the real Protector II. (credit: Dreamworks Pictures)
Never give up, never surrender! That was the mantra of the intrepid crew of the fictional NSEA Protector starship in the 1999 science-fiction action comedy Galaxy Quest. It's also apparently the mantra of Paramount TV, which has been trying to bring a spinoff series to the small screen since 2015. That persistence might finally pay off, as Deadline Hollywood reports that a Galaxy Quest TV series is back in early development for Paramount+. It's early days yet, so there are no details about what this TV series might be about or whether any surviving members of the original cast will be returning, even in cameos. Paramount has thus far declined requests for comment.
As I've written previously, the film is a clear homage to Star Trek, as well as its intensely committed fan base. The premise is deceptively simple: What if aliens watched transmissions of a popular science-fiction TV show from Earth and thought it was real? An alien race called the Thermians models their entire society on the principles of a fictional Galaxy Quest TV show, building real, functional versions of the spaceship and much of the technology from the series. When their existence is threatened by a reptilian humanoid general from another species, named Roth'h'ar Sarris, they travel to Earth to ask their heroes for help-arriving in the middle of a Galaxy Quest fan convention.
Of course, the heroic crew of the NSEA Protector are washed-up actors, eking out a living making personal appearances and selling autographed photos. Suddenly they find themselves aboard an actual spaceship, facing real peril, and must rise to the occasion to save the day-becoming more like the characters they once played.