Page 248 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

MYTHIC APPROACH

involvement in the adventure fulfill his own search for his identity—all
his dreams of the space adventures come to fruition and give him a chance
to be heroic in his own right.

Galaxy Quest Reveals Mythic Archetypes

Galaxy Quest also offers a virtual myriad of mythic archetypes:

• The Hero as warrior: Nesmith is overmatched physically by the
Rock Monster and Sarris, but wins through courage, quick-witted-
ness, and resourcefulness—a true David and Goliath reference.
• The Villain as usurper: Sarris externalizes our desire to seize power
by force; he also shows himself to be a shapeshifter in the tradition
of mythological witches and wizards when he infiltrates the bridge
during the final scenes.
• The Savior: The Thermians believe that Nesmith is their savior;
however, in truth, they are his.
• The Mentor: Nesmith becomes a mentor to Wheeger; at a pivotal
moment, the mentor expresses a revelation (“it’s all real”) that al-
lows the young hero to act.
• The Divine Child: Wheeger is immature but pure in his devotion to
the cultural myths represented by TV Galaxy Quest. His devotion
is what enables him to help Nesmith by safely guiding him through
the bowels of the Protector to locate the legendary weapon—the
Omega 13.

Mythic Symbols and Motifs Abound in Galaxy Quest

Other notable mythic aspects of Galaxy Quest include the following:

• Ancient myths divided the universe into cosmic spheres of hell, earth
and heaven; proximity to these conveys a symbolic association. In
Galaxy Quest the skies/outer space are obviously associated with
the characters’ experiencing their individual epiphanies and finding
themselves.
• The aliens are personified, much like mythic gods and creatures.
There is a hilarious scene in which the Thermians forget to adopt
their human forms and inadvertently terrorize the newly arrived hu-
man crew. Their alien forms allow them enough distance to comment

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