The Real Reason Galaxy Quest 2 Was Never Made

"Galaxy Quest" is a rare breed of cult classic sci-fi comedy that still arguably holds up more than twenty years after its release. David Mamet, for instance, famously included it alongside "The Godfather" and "A Place in the Sun" as one of the only flawless movies in existence. Even the most obvious targets of its biting satire hold the film in high esteem — George Takei called it "a powerful piece of documentary filmmaking," and Patrick Stewart claimed, "no one laughed louder or longer in the cinema than I did" (via MTV News).

While the film didn't quite set any box office records, earning around $90 million on a $45 million budget, it spent the next couple of decades picking up momentum, becoming a staple of every nerd's Blu-ray collection and a sort of magic bullet that fixes the notorious "every other 'Star Trek' movie is pretty good" hypothesis. Considering that Hollywood has developed a perma-crush on nostalgia-based sequels, "Galaxy Quest" seems like prime real estate for a reboot, remake, or re-something. Asked by MTV News whether or not they'd come back for another round, Sam Rockwell said "f*** yeah," while Sigourney Weaver said "I still have my costume." Tim Allen even started pitching story ideas. So why haven't we been back to the NSEA Protector since 1999?

The answer, sadly, is that we've come close more than once, but a confluence of bad luck has kept "Galaxy Quest 2" from reaching our screens. From boardroom shake ups to untimely deaths, here's a quick look at why we never saw more of this fine ship and its fine crew.

By 2015, "Galaxy Quest" had firmly cemented its place in popular culture, and interested parties started priming the pump for another go 'round. The idea was actually to create a streaming series as a follow-up to the original film, with Entertainment Weekly reporting that Amazon Studios had begun development on the project in conjunction with Paramount. The show was even greenlit directly to series, suggesting that it was at one point a sure thing. These plans were short-lived, however. Tragically, in January of 2016, "Galaxy Quest" star Alan Rickman died at age 69 from pancreatic cancer. Sam Rockwell saw this, along with Tim Allen's difficult-to-parse availability, as a death knell for the project.

Then, in 2017, Deadline reported that Amazon was still developing the series, with Paul Scheer as its head writer. This incarnation was then paused for what was initially supposed to be a year, reportedly the result of Paramount TV president Amy Powell's exit from her post. Word of a potential sequel eventually resurfaced in January of 2021, when Tim Allen stated that a new entry in the series was effectively in limbo. "We talk about it all the time," Allen told EW. "There is constantly a little flicker of a butane torch that we could reboot it with." Translation: never give up. Never surrender.

On April 18, 2023, Paramount+ announced that a new "Galaxy Quest" TV series is currently in the works for the streaming service (via Variety). However, as of this news' circulation, whether this new "Galaxy Quest" show will reboot the original film's story or finally serve as a sequel to the landmark sci-fi comedy has yet to be confirmed.

Currently, the only name attached to this new version of "Galaxy Quest" is Mark Johnson, who worked as a producer on the prior film, and will likewise produce this upcoming project. Tim Allen, for what it's worth, told ComicBook.com about a "Galaxy Quest 2" script he believed could still see the light of day as recently as November of 2022. Nevertheless, with details on this new "Galaxy Quest" show so scarce, it remains unclear if Paramount+ is finally realizing Allen's vision for a sequel, or taking the franchise in a different direction entirely.