Many of our jokes are partially true. That's why they're funny in the first place. I would even say that the very best comedies, are deeply revealing about human nature. All of them are, at the very least, a snapshot in time; they work in the context of a certain place, in a certain era.
When you open up a joke book fifty years later, some things will make you laugh and some will confuse you. The thing to remember is they don't lose relevance. You may not even smile at them but they're still valuable. If you can understand them, note the information. Humor is historical, in more ways than one.
Classic Movie Trailers - Galaxy Quest (1999)
I didn't laugh out loud when I watched this film again. That might be harder to do in this case, since the whole thing is a punch line. There are some situations that a Trekkie will appreciate, but the entire theme is a practical joke. They introduced a group that couldn't tell fact from fiction, so any follow up would have been great.
What's even more amusing than that wonderful idea, is the notion that the group is basically correct. If you sit down and really think about it, every fictional story is a historical document. It might not seem that way at first, but the characters and situations are not that important. What's more significant than all of those details, is the cultural norms and values they indicate.
So let's start with the values. "Galaxy Quest" is a Star Trek parody, and The Enterprise is a ship for exploration. They seek "new life and new civilizations", but their real mission is slightly more complicated. According to Wikipedia, Starfleet is a "space-borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada". They want to save lives, eliminate conflict and show the correct way by their example.
Basically, these guys are missionaries. They want to convert all of the war faring barbarians. Consider all the Vulcans and Klingons in each roster; look at all the other races they assimilated You might even say that an end result, would be naive and pacifist aliens, like the ones in this movie.
Maybe that's too much of a long shot for you. So let's look at the credo, "Never give up. Never surrender." It represents a proud and eager commitment to heroism. There's also fear of failure and of admitting defeat; these are very human qualities, that all work together to help us "stay the course".
Plenty of Americans would like to forget those words, but they're indicative of history, just like the "Galaxy" crew. Take a look at the people on board, and then take a moment to consider their positions. The one that's in command of the ship, is the kind of person we would expect.
Sigourney could have easily been cast as the Captain, but that would have been atypical. Instead she's the love interest, with a very simple role on the vessel. In "Alien" she was strong and capable, but here she's ineffectual, shameless eye candy. Her style of clothing says more about our culture than she ever does.
Tommy represents a minority in this country, just as he does so on the ship. It's a really simple thing that many wouldn't think about, but that's because we're so used to it. Give this movie to children in South America, and they will learn a lot about their neighbors up north. The story might be make believe, but there are plenty of subtle facts underneath the surface.
In this way, fiction is a time stamp. It shows more of the state of things than you might have believed. The people we create reflect those we've met. The cultures we depict are simply mirrors of our own. We can change the plot points; that's easy to do. It's a whole lot harder to change your perspective, especially when you don't think about it.
Trailer Here.
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See "Galaxy Quest" on Netflix!
Next week: The Addam's Family
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