Galaxy Quest - Cast

Cast

• Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith, the actor who played Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart, the captain of the Protector, during the original Galaxy Quest television run. Jason remains the putative leader of the Galaxy Quest crew members as they travel to conventions and strip mall dedications. He is prone to removing his shirt at the slightest pretext and is said to have had romantic relations with most of the minor female characters who appeared throughout his television career. (The name of his TV role alludes to Peter Quince, a Shakespeare character who leads a company of bad actors in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Jason's own name recalls a heroic seafarer in Greek mythology who was once voiced by William Shatner. The casting of Tim Allen suggests a wink at his own voice work as space ranger Buzz Lightyear.)
• Sigourney Weaver as Gwen DeMarco, the actress who played Lt. Tawny Madison, the Computer Officer of the Protector, who performed communication duties. As the show's female sex symbol, Tawny's job consists largely of repeating communications to and from the computer. (Gwen and her Thermian counterpart Laliari are the only female members of their respective crews; as such, they spoof countless science-fiction and action-adventure stories in which teams have only one female member. Gwen recalls Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek series and Emma Peel of the The Avengers. Her eye-candy role, Tawny Madison, contrasts outrageously with the no-nonsense warrant officer Ellen Ripley of the Alien series, also played by Weaver.)
• Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane, the actor who portrayed Dr Lazarus of Tev'Meck on the Galaxy Quest TV show. Lazarus is a "Mak'tar", an individual member of an alien species renowned for intellect—and for having fish fins on their heads instead of hair. The character possesses psionic abilities and, if his name is any indication, prodigious powers of healing. His solemn, trademark oath has become a popular catchphrase: "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!". Alexander Dane is an accomplished British actor whose name—or stage name?--reflects his experience in Shakespearean theatre ("the melancholy Dane" is a well-known description of Hamlet). Alexander resents being identified constantly with his fin-headed Dr Lazarus role and wants nothing to do with the catchphrase that he has heard too many fans repeat. (Alexander's resentments make sly reference to Leonard Nimoy's passing frustration with being constantly identified with Spock and Rickman's with being typecast as a villain. Alexander's background recalls the association of both Nimoy and Patrick Stewart with Shakespeare roles, as well as the film turn by Shakespearean Christopher Plummer as a Klingon.)
• Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kwan, the actor who played Tech Sgt. Chen. Chen is in charge of the engine room and operates the "digital conveyor", a variant of the Star Trek transporter. Fred is spectacularly calm in the face of almost any danger and completely lacking in prejudice when interacting with aliens. His mellow, possibly stoned, demeanour contrasts hilariously with the intensity of the corresponding character in the original Star Trek series. His seemingly inapt and never-explained Asian names—Kwan, Chen—spoof oddities of casting, as when a very British actor portrays a very British character with an utterly French name like Jean-Luc Picard).
• Sam Rockwell as Guy Fleegman, the actor who played "Crewman #6" in the original series and whose given name is as generic as his role. Guy begins the story as a "Questerian" (Trekkie) who played a small role as a disposable crewman. He greets the actors familiarly although they don't recognize him, yet he also earns their admiration for his entertaining introduction. Guy interprets everything he sees by the formulas of the series - asking his co-stars, "Didn't you guys ever watch the show?" - and fears his own role will entail his early demise. His concerns based on show tropes sometimes prove to be worth regarding (to the point where Gwen says, in a moment of danger, "We'd better get out of here before one of those things kills Guy!"). Ironically, though, Guy is the only character who goes unharmed in the adventure. Guy ultimately finds his courage when Fred suggests that he think of himself as "the plucky comic relief", and at the end of the story he is given a permanent role in the Galaxy Quest cast as the starship's Security Chief "Roc" Ingersol (a reference to his earlier lament that characters without full names are always killed).
• Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber, the actor who played Lt. Laredo on the TV show as a child. Corbin Bleu played the 9-year-old Tommy in the film. The adult Tommy must constantly bear comparisons with his childhood self. His character on Galaxy Quest had been a Wunderkind pilot, but the real-life Tommy has much more difficulty piloting a real starship and only masters the controls after watching video of his work as a child. Laredo is a parody of "boy wonder" characters like Wesley Crusher of Star Trek TNG.
• Enrico Colantoni as Mathesar, the leader of the Thermians. Mathesar is, like all of his people, an upright octopoid who appears as a white-skinned, gray-clad, black-haired human, speaks in stiff tones of voice, smiles warmly even when in sorrow or fear. As Sarris explains to Jason, Mathesar is incredibly naïve to the truth, as are the others of his crew; however, he remains loyal to Nesmith and the other actors and sees them as heroes. In the end he discovers his own courage and even comes to appreciate the value of a good ruse.
• Robin Sachs as Gen. Roth'h'ar Sarris, a warlike humanoid insectoid-reptilian who destroyed the Thermian home planet and most of their race, being bent on their destruction. He's very cruel, unforgiving, deceitful and sadistic, taking pleasure from others' pain. Robin Sachs described Sarris in an interview for the DVD release as "Attila the Crab".
• Justin Long as Brandon, a devoted Galaxy Quest fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of the show.
• Missi Pyle as a Thermian crew member named Laliari (though her real name is unpronounceable by our species). She eventually falls in love with Fred and joins him in the film's epilogue as a cast member on the revived television series. She then plays a character named "Laliari" while wearing the name Jane Doe as an actress.
• Patrick Breen as Quellek, a Thermian who idolizes Alexander Dane's Dr. Lazarus. He assists Alexander but is firmly cut short when he attempts to utter Lazarus' catchphrase oath. Quellek misinterprets the reaction as an indication of the oath's seriousness. Quellek later confides to Alexander that he has always viewed "Dr. Lazarus" as a father.
• Sam Lloyd as Neru, one of the Thermians
• Rainn Wilson as Lahnk, one of the Thermian engineers