Daily Dialogue — July 7, 2016

SARRIS: Explain to him who you all really are. (Taking Nesmith) Tell him! Explain!
NESMITH: Mathesar, there’s no such person as Captain Taggert. My name is Jason Nesmith. I’m a…actor. We’re all actors.
SARRIS: He doesn’t understand. Explain as you would a child.
NESMITH: We, uh, we pretended. We lied.
SARRIS: Yes, you understand that, don’t you Mathesar?
NESMITH: Mathesar…I’m not a commander. I…there’s no National Space Exploration Administration. We…we don’t have a, uh, ship.
MATHESAR: But there it is.
NESMITH: (Chuckles) That ship is that big.
MATHESAR: But inside I’ve seen many rooms.
NESMITH: You’ve seen plywood sets that look like the inside. Our beryllium sphere is…it’s wire with plaster around it. And our…our digital conveyor is a…Christmas tree lights. It’s a decoration. It’s all fake. Just like me.
MATHESAR: But…why?
NESMITH: It’s difficult to explain. On our planet we, uh, we pretend to, uh, to…to entertain, and, uh… Mathesar, I am so sorry. God, I am so sorry.

— Galaxy Quest (1999), screenplay by David Howard and Robert Gordon, story by David Howard

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Apology. Today’s suggestion by Will King.

Trivia: Director Dean Parisot and star Tim Allen have revealed in interviews that the original tone of the film was much darker, with more scenes of violence. After test screenings, the film was recut to emphasize the comedy and obtain a PG rating.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Will: “After successfully gliding through several events almost unscathed thanks mainly to luck, Jason Nesmith’s luck finally runs out when alien commander Sarris takes control of the Thermian-constructed replica Protector starship and forces Nesmith to admit his deception to the trusting Thermian leader. A painfully dramatic moment in a sci-fi spoof/adventure story.”