Dec. 27, 1999 -- There are no more loyal defenders of truth and justice in the sidereal universe than science fiction fans, and of those, the most loyal are Star Trek fans. What could be better then, than for some Star Trek actors and their fans to be called upon to use their vast knowledge of TV series trivia to save the universe?

That is what happens in "Galaxy Quest," a movie starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. Although the words Star Trek are never mentioned in the movie (Paramount owns that franchise and this is a DreamWorks movie), the shadow of Star Trek is everywhere, from the way Tim Allen's shirt comes off to the Trekkie-style conventions. There are all kinds of Trek in-jokes, including the bickering between the show's cast members.

Tim Allen (who starred in "Jungle to Jungle"), plays actor Jason Nesmith, whose most famous role was that of Commander Peter Quincy Taggart on the old TV show Galaxy Quest. Note the middle name, as in James Tiberius Kirk of Star Trek. Like his Trek counterpart, Nesmith has a large ego and his fellow actors don't like him.

The other Galaxy Quest actors are, Sigourney Weaver (of the "Alien" movies), who plays Gwen DeMarco (space babe Lt. Tawny Madison on the TV show); Tony Shalhoub of "The Siege" plays actor Fred Kwan (Tech Sergeant Chen on the show); Daryl Mitchell of "Home Fries" plays actor Tommy Webber (Lt. Laredo on the TV show); Alan Rickman of "Dogma" plays actor Alexander Dane (the Mr. Spock-like Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck on the TV show). Sam Rockwell of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" plays actor Guy Fleegman, who had a bit spot on one of the TV shows and is now an emcee at a convention. He also gets picked up along the way.

During a Quester convention, Nesmith meets a group of people who are dressed up as aliens, but that is not unusual at a convention. They ask him to negotiate a peace treaty between themselves and an alien race. He thinks it is an acting role, so he accepts. Extremely hung over, he acts the part, not knowing it is a real life and death situation. Eventually, the whole troupe, including Fleegman, gets caught up in a desperate struggle with a merciless enemy.

At one point Nesmith enlists the aide of some young Questers on earth to find their way through the maze of passages on the ship, which has been built to look and function exactly like the one on the show. There are such things as Star Trek technical manuals, and it would be just like some kids to have all the specifications in their home computers. Like I said this is just like a Star Trek fan's dream.

The story, by Robert Gordon and David Howard, is very cleverly done, with the TV show characters trying to reprise their roles in real life, and trying to operate machinery which is way beyond their comprehension. They carry over their personal feuds into the larger battles they have to fight. It is all very funny, and there's a little drama to go with it. There's also a slam at Hollywood nuttiness as Fred Kwan calls for a group hug with the aliens after they have mastered a difficult technical problem.

Tim Allen does a good Captain Kirk imitation and Alan Rickman is very good as an actor who has learned to hate his role as much as Nesmith likes his. Rockwell does a great job as a man who is sure his number is up because he was never one of the main characters on the show. At one point he asks, "Does anyone know my last name?" When no one can recall it, he insists that is proof he will die in the adventure. The aliens, led by Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni of "Albino Alligator") are also good. This film rates a B.

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