For one night only — Tuesday, November 26 — fans of the objectively perfect 1999 inside baseball sci-fi comedyGalaxy Questcan find out its wild-but-true behind the scenes stories in a theatrical screening of documentaryNever Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary. Just one month shy ofGalaxy Quest’s 20th anniversary (it premiered Christmas Day of 1999), the doc reunites all your faveGalaxy Queststars likeTim Allen,Sigourney Weaver,Sam Rockwell,Justin Long, and many more for fond reminiscing and heretofore hidden dirt. While the finished product plays with whip-smart precision and tightness,Galaxy Quest’s production was anything but smooth sailing, with set accidents, crew turnover, and an absolutely baffled studio. Always wondered why Weaver is poorly dubbed over in one key scene? This doc shows you the original footage— and it isnotfamily-friendly.
Beyond the folks responsible for the film itself,Never Surrenderboasts interviews with an impressive who’s who of fan culture luminaries, includingGreg Berlanti(the Arrowverse),Damon Lindelof(Lost), andWil Wheaton(Star Trek: The Next Generation). In many ways, the documentary argues,Galaxy Questpredicted the importance and influence of fan interaction on our modern pop culture landscape. These notable creators, plugged into the world of sci-fi storytelling fandom, get into whatGalaxy Questmeant to them when they first saw it, and how it continues to affect their work today.
Dang, doesn’t that make you feel good to be a fan? The power is in your hands! But if you’ve seenGalaxy Quest, you already know that! And if you haven’t,Never Surrenderis still “an amazing homage and an irresistible, wonderfully heartfelt documentary that will delight longtime ‘Galaxy Quest’ fans as well as those new to the phenomenon,” saysBrian Deulley, Fathom Events Sr. Director of Programming.
Wanna strap on your uniform and revisit the world ofGalaxy Quest? Check out the official trailer and synopsis below, andhere’s a list of all the theatres showingNever Surrender. And for other “beloved pop culture documentary” coverage, check out our review ofMEMORY: The Origins of Alien.
The documentary features the film’s stars, including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Justin Long, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, Missi Pyle, Rainn Wilson and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, along with director Dean Parisot, writer Robert Gordon, and a legion of celebrity fans sharing their reminiscences and appreciation for this beloved film. Among the celebrities who appear in “Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary” are Wil Wheaton, Brent Spiner, Greg Berlanti, Damon Lindelof and more than a dozen other notable filmmakers, craftspeople and entertainment-industry observers who offer keen insight into the ways, both big and small, that “Galaxy Quest” has had lasting impact and developed a fan base that extends around the world.
