Galaxy Quest

by Ellen Weiss

For years, the intrepid crew of the NSEA Protector valiantly entertained millions of television viewers with their voyages through space. Now the crew is on another adventure-bravely touring the sci-fi convention circuit and making guest appearance at two-bit computer stores. But their dull existence gets a quantum rocket boost when a group of aliens-believing the television episodes to be true "historical documents"-enlist the crew's help to save them from an evil alien empire. Now these washed-up TV actors find themselves deep in space, playing their roles as if their lives-and the lives of an entire alien race-depend on it!

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Ellen Weiss has written lots of books for kids, from board books through middle grade. She often works with her husband, Mel Friedman.

Reviews

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book version of the popular movie "Galaxy Quest" and is reasonably faithful to that very entertaining movie.

"A group of has been TV performers cash-in on their past glory by attendings Sci-Fi Conventions and signing memorabilia for their still enthusiastic fans. A fond tribute to the Star Trek phenomenon - that is until real aliens from Thermia, who have mistaken the TV show's episodes for reality (referring to them as the 'Historical Documents'), appear at a convention to ask the former crew of the N.S.E.P. Protector for help against a malignant enemy named Saris, who has already wiped out the rest of the Thermians' squid-like species.

The ensuing complications derive from the Thermians' awesome literal-mindedness, and from their incorporation of every single aspect of the Protector's design whether it mde any sense or not, because that's what had been aired and interpreted by them as "Historical Documents."

As tag-along cast member/fan, Guy Fleegmann, who had once appeared on the show as an extra in red who had been killed (a comment on Star Trek's 'redshirt phenomenon'), comments when Captain Peter Quincy Taggert proposed walking right into a scene without scanning first, "Did you guys ever *watch* the show?" Later on Guy has an anxiety attack because he's just a red shirt extra and doomed to be killed, at which point Engineering Tech Sgt. Chen, one of the regular cast, suggests "Maybe - you're the plucky comedy relief. Did you ever think of that?"

Needless to say, the cast and crew manage to save the day, with technical help supplied by a group of die-hard, ultra-nerd Galaxy Quest fans, and then return to Earth just in time for the last day of the convention. Their arrival creates such a splash that the series is re-born with Guy the former extra as the ship's new Security Chief 'Rock' Ingersol, and with one of the female Termian's as a new crewmember as well.

A very enjoyable romp with a fun group of surrogates for the cast and fans of Star Trek."

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

best underrated movie ever

[Jeff Youngstrom]

My review from April 28, 2000

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would it feel to be a commander of a star ship. The Book Galaxy Quest by Ellen Weiss is a good example.

[Paula Finley]

I love the Galaxy Quest movie so when my daughter found this at a second hand shop, she picked it up for me. The story is spot on for the movie so I enjoyed it immensely. However, they had a horrible proof reader. The book is filled with annoying mistakes with words missing or in the wrong order. This is disappointing because it is a junior novelization, and how can we expect children to learn good sentence structure when the books we offer them are such poor examples.

[Spock42, Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well how it feel like to in a tv for years and not have a job? So all sudden it is all real not fake to real like the ship and the aliens and everything else. The characters in this book are very funny and cool at the same time because some of fight and some have agreements. But the main cases is the some other alien is getting destroyed by another race and they want to destroy them. The humans are helping them to fight back the crew from the tv don't think it is real but it is. All the stuff from the tv is real the alien make it and the humans don't how they but they did and that's what's funny. So after the point after being actors for a long time it my have worth it for them to that even tho it was a tv show and it was real all long. So don't underestimate the humans or the aliens the made everything from the tv show because it not be fun. So after all the conflict between the two aliens the good aliens win and the bad aliens get destroyed and losses.