A Ramble About Galaxy Quest

I was watching Galaxy Quest again last night. This has to be one of my all-time favorite movies. In short, it is a parody of Star Trek starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, the late and inestimable Alan Rickman, and Tony Shalhoub of Monk fame. In it, the actors who play the bridge crew of the titular television show are transported into space onto a full scale working replica of their fictional starship by aliens, the Thermians, who believe them to be the actual people depicted on the show, which of course they are not, and are nothing like.

What I really like about this movie is the change which occurs in the main characters. They go from being squabbling, has been actors, some of which with apparent substance dependency issues and self doubts, to being the competent heroes the Thermians believe them to be by the end.

What effects this change?

The Thermians believed in them. They believed, not in who they were, but in who they believed them to be and could be. They believed in this better version of them so strongly and so innocently that, through failure, struggle, and loss the crew became who the Thermians always knew they were. 

Jason Nesmith, the Captain Kirk like actor, especially undergoes a transformation from an irresponsible alcoholic to the responsible and competent Commander Peter Quincy Taggert and the change is visible in his eyes and manner. In a way, Jason Nesmith is made to endure his own Kobayashi Maru test, and through this test he becomes the real leader he was always meant to be.

Another thing that stands out is the first person to really accept her role on the ship is the person with the arguably laughable job of repeating the computer. As she says, "I have one job on this lousy ship. It's stupid, but I'm going to do it, okay?" I find a poetic irony that she becomes one of the most important members of the crew. You see, the computer had been keyed to her voice by the Thermians. It wouldn't answer anyone else when they made an inquiry. They wouldn't have been able to locate a new power source for the damaged ship without her.

The more you tell someone who they are, the more they will mold themselves to that expectation. Never underestimate the sheer power of believing in who someone can be. Likewise, never underestimate the position which seems laughable. It could become the most critical of all.