Pipe Dreams – Galaxy Quest

I like to believe that we can all agree that Galaxy Quest is a brilliant movie. It was funny, humorous, hilarious, rib-tickling, witty, and starring Tim Allen. It has been one of the very few films I have endeavoured to buy on VHS, DVD, and Bluray upon release. Galaxy Quest hit us right at the peak of some of the best science fiction movies and television ever seen and showed the world that you can infuse comedy into the genre. However, I think it’s time for Alan Rickman and crew to jump to another medium.

There are many funny video games. There is a plethora of games which have already long since proven that video games can split your side as well as any movie can. That being said though, I couldn’t before writing this Pipe Dreams think of a science fiction/space adventure game that was based around comedy. There are many ridiculously complicated ones (EVE Online), fantastically written ones (Mass Effect), the ‘Oh God, not another ventilation shaft scare’ ones (Dead Space), and even your just plain stupid ones (Star Wars Kinect); none of the ones I could come up with though seemed to be created to help tickle my funny bone. I say we change all that.

Galaxy Quest brought us comedic sci-fi genius before, why not do it again? I could see Telltale Games doing really well with this franchise, but in an ideal world I’d hope for a third person action adventure game. Linear gameplay, maybe a few light RPG elements (upgrading your crew/ship, nothing too hefty), and a thick layer of hilarity just oozed all over it. Video games have a unique advantage in that if you can make the characters feel genuine and the dialogue well written then you practically have funny down. The gameplay, as long as it is reasonably competent, can take care of itself while the developers can focus on making you laugh as hard as possible as you traverse through the galaxy.

I won’t go as far as saying that it HAS to have all the original cast as voice-actors, but can you imagine how incredibly awesome that would be? I’d be happy if Alan Rickman just did a cameo as a tutorial voice-over. Hell, why not go full narrative on this sucker and have Alan Rickman narrate the game in its entirety. Alan Rickman: The Game (featuring space), and don’t give me the whole “maybe there’s an issue with copyright” issue because if I can own a replica of the N.S.E.A Protector then I’m sure some game developer out there can throw enough money at them to make this happen one day. Even the name “Galaxy Quest” sounds like an epic game on it’s own, you wouldn’t even need a re-branding or anything!

Were I to be honest Galaxy Quest is just the basis of an idea here. I want a glorious, big budget, facetious, science fiction, space-based, video game. Is that so much to ask? I want stupid boss fights which I’m heavily unequipped for, a pack of NPC comrades who are better at dry-wit quips then they are at turning the ship left when I ask them too, perhaps with a smart-ass computer voice controlling my ship whenever it disagrees with my command. The simple joys of space exploration, you know? Also, Alan Rickman.

That’s it for this episode of Pipe Dreams, my name’s Duncan Aird and I approve these dreams.

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