WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Could be clever spoof of the Star Trek franchise or overblown Tim Allen vehicle. Plus: Sigourney goes blond.

THE CAST

SIGOURNEY WEAVER: Sigourney's kick-ass portrayal of Ellen Ripley in the Alien series has made her an 11th Hour object of worship. Past non-genre credits include Working Girl, The Ice Storm, and Dave. Sigourney plays Galaxy Quest character Lt. Tawny Madison, who falls near Seven of Nine on the Trek scale.

TIM ALLEN: Having alternately used his powers for good (Toy Story, Toy Story 2) and evil (Home Improvement, For Richer or Poorer), Tim now plays the ship commander/franchise actor Peter Quincy Taggart. Trek equivalent: James T. Kirk.

ALAN RICKMANN: Most recently seen as Metatron in Dogma, this British actor has also appeared in Sense and Sensibility, Bob Roberts, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Here Alan plays Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck, a seeming cross between Spock and Jean-Luc Picard.

THE CREW

DEAN PARISOT: Shaky list of credits includes Home Fries, The Crew, and the TV series Get a Life!

OTHER

Galaxy Quest is a Dreamworks SKG production, with special FX by Stan Winston Studios and Industrial, Light and Magic.

THE PREMISE: After aliens intercept a broadcast of a very Star Trek-like 1970s series, they kidnap the stars -- now twenty years retired -- to help battle their evil oppressors.

GOSSIP and USELESS FACTS:

• The original script was called, um, "Captain Sunshine."
• If the website is any indication, we're in for a very clever movie. Click on the link below for one dead-on and hilarious parody of sci-fi fan sites. Be sure to check out the impressive resume of "webmaster" Travis Latke.

LINKS
Official Site