While it doesn’t technically belong on the list of best Star Trek movies, I think we can all agree that Galaxy Quest at least deserves an honorable mention on there. The 1998 movie effectively served as equal parts homage and parody to both that franchise and the science fiction genre as a whole, and it now rests comfortably as a cult classic. Enrico Colantoni was among the many actors who appeared in Galaxy Quest, and while speaking with CinemaBlend, he told us what he considers the movie to be a “badge of honor” for him.
During my interview with Colantoni tied to his recent guest appearance on Suits LA, I brought up how in the episode, he says at one point to Josh McDermitt’s Stuart Lane, “How dare you speak to me like that?! I was in Galaxy Quest!” After hearing that line, I asked Colantoni, who played Mathesar, how often he is recognized for that role when out in the world vs. his other projects, like the TV shows Just Shoot Me! and Veronica Mars. He answered:
I think often enough, but not to the point where… I’ve only been to one convention since Galaxy Quest, and I was sort of surprised. I thought maybe Galaxy Quest would just be in all these conventions. What it does give me, it actually legitimized me as an actor. Actors look at that piece of work and go, ‘Oh, he’s a real actor. He’s not just…’ So that I hold that as a badge of honor, that movie for me, when other actors hold that movie in such high esteem.
