George Takei Called This Star Trek Parody A 'Chillingly Realistic Documentary'

Over time, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his starship crew have been targeted with phasers set to fun in various forms. "The Big Bang Theory," sci-fi sitcoms like "Futurama," and, most recently, Netflix hit "Black Mirror" have all parodied or made jokes at the expense of "Star Trek," with one film in particular doing a better job than most.

In 1999, director Dean Parisot introduced the world to a different kind of TV space crew in "Galaxy Quest." Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, and Justin Long, the film followed the former cast of a "Star Trek"-like show, who are enlisted against their will into a mission to save an alien race that believes them to be the real deal.

Besides being an entertaining sci-fi movie, "Galaxy Quest" has become something of a cult classic for its impeccable depiction of "Star Trek" fandom and the tropes it created. Nevertheless, fans of Gene Roddenberry's beloved show adored the film, and even "Trek" legends praised it. One such advocate was George Takei, who made his debut on the iconic Enterprise as Sulu in 1966, and expressed a complicated relationship with the film that he couldn't help but admire. There was another staple of the franchise, however, who didn't see the funny side of things.

Speaking with Syfy (via Questerian), George Takei shared his thoughts on "Galaxy Quest" and its incredible accuracy in depicting what it was like to be a star crew member of "Star Trek" and interact with the audience that adored them. "I think it's a chillingly realistic documentary [laughs]. The details in it, I recognized every one of them," he explained. "It's a powerful piece of documentary filmmaking. And I do believe that when we get kidnapped by aliens, it's going to be the genuine, true 'Star Trek' fans who will save the day. I was rolling in the aisles."

The film's portrayal of diehard fans was one thing, but Takei also admired "Galaxy Quest" for its ex-television stars, who were called back into action and took notes from his old screen partners in the process. "Tim Allen had that Shatner-esque swagger down pat. And I roared when the shirt came off, and Sigourney rolls her eyes and says, 'There goes that shirt again.' ... How often did we hear that on the set?"

But while the movie ticked all the boxes for Takei, the film found a slightly tougher critic when it came to the man behind Captain Kirk, who didn't gel so well with the crew of "Galaxy Quest."

When "Galaxy Quest" originally hit theaters, critics praised the sharp-minded sci-fi comedy on how it handled such a specific era of the genre. There was, however, a Starfleet legend who couldn't see himself or other talents of the original "Star Trek," even if the rest of the world could. "I thought it was very funny, and I thought the audience that they portrayed was totally real, but the actors that they were pretending to be were totally unrecognizable," explained Shatner, who has often shared his views on creative choices linked to "Star Trek," including his own character's demise. In the former captain's eyes, the new leader of these space explorers was missing the mark entirely.

"Certainly, I don't know what Tim Allen was doing. He seemed to be the head of a group of actors, and for the life of me, I was trying to understand who he was imitating. The only one I recognized was the girl playing Nichelle Nichols."

Regardless of Shatner's criticisms, "Galaxy Quest" has remained a hit among fans, becoming almost required viewing for "Trek" fans even if wasn't a part of that universe. Since its original release, there have been numerous efforts to return to "Galaxy Quest" by way of a sequel, or most recently, a potential television series (via Deadline). Who knows, though? With every new chapter of "Star Trek," the Protector from "Galaxy Quest" could conceivably fly again.