Originally released shortly after the movie’s premiere, but only in a semi-official capacity on an obscure (and now extinct) label specializing in private-label releases for film and TVcomposers, Galaxy Quest has always been one of my favorite things on my soundtrack shelf. With David Newman tackling the movie as a serious SF film (and the cast and crew doing the same thing, keeping up kayfabe for nearly the entire show), the soundtrack was positively epic – the best science fiction film score of the ’90s. Yes, better than The Matrix.
La La Land Records has rescued Galaxy Quest from obscurity, finally giving the soundtrack a fresh remastering and a wide (if limited-edition) release. There are also a few extra minutes of music, but there was plenty of meat on the bones of the earlier release: this is full-bodied, full-orchestra film music at its finest.
The highlights are still the same as they were before: “Red Thingie, Green Thingie… RUN!” is still one of the best pieces of action movie music since the heyday of Star Wars. What this new La La Land edition has over the old Supertracks release is its copious liner notes booklet, telling me more in just a few pages than I ever knew about Galaxy Quest before, including how hard the studio came down on the writers and director to avoid “offending” the Star Trek franchise’s power players and fans. (As it turns out, Star Trek’s power players were among Galaxy Quest‘s biggest fans – Patrick Stewart, in particular, found the movie uproariously funny.) Also revealed is that David Newman was a mere session orchestra player on the first two Star Trek films, which explains how he nails the all of the little Goldsmith and Horner stylistic tricks so perfectly with Galaxy Quest. This score was Newman’s final exam in how closely he was paying attention in 1979 and 1982. 
I think he passed.
Galaxy Quest has faded into relative obscurity as a theatrical event, so this soundtrack is getting only a limited release. That’s the only less-than-perfect thing about the whole package. It’s still the best sci-fi movie score of the 1990s.
- Galaxy Quest: The Classic TV Theme (0:57)
- TV Clip (1:32)
- Pathetic Nesmith (0:57)
- Galaxy Quest TV Clip #3 / Introducing Sarris / Revealing the Universe (1:50)
- Transporting the Crew / Meet the Thermians (1:33)
- The N.S.E.A. Protector (0:43)
- Crew Quarters & The Bridge / The Launch (3:24)
- Jason Takes Action / Sarris Tortures Captain (1:41)
- Red Thingie, Green Thingie… Run! (3:30)
- Shuttle to Planet / Trek Across Planet (4:26)
- Rolling the Sphere / Pig Lizard / Rock Monster (6:05)
- “Digitize Me Fred” (1:13)
- “I’m So Sorry” (1:42)
- Fight, Episode 17 (1:15)
- The Hallway Sneak / Alex Finds Quellek (2:16)
- Angry Sarris / Into the Ducts / Omega 13 / Heroic Guy / Reveal Chompers / Opening the Airlock (3:31)
- Big Kiss / Happy Rock Monster / Dying Thermians / Quellek’s Death / Into Reactor Room / Push the Button / A Hug Before Dying (4:08)
- Sarris Orders Attack / The Battle (3:34)
- Mathesar Takes Command / Sarris Kills Everybody (2:18)
- Mathesar, Hero / Goodbye My Friends / Crash Landing (1:45)
- Goodbye Sarris / Happy Ending (2:04)
- The New Galaxy Quest (0:59)
Released by: La La Land Records
Release date: 2012
Total running time: 53:07
