"Galaxy Quest": Exploring conventions of the Science Fiction genre
1. Watch extracts from the original “Star Trek” (e.g. YouTube clips)
2. Compare with similar texts set in space: Star Wars, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, etc… Also spoofs such as the Muppets’ Pigs in Space or the Simpsons’ Star Trek 12
3. Discuss: what is similar between them? What is typical of this genre? Some ideas: A diverse crew/team - charismatic captain, alien, pretty girl, etc; the use of jargon (phasers, warp speed, X-wing); a spaceship (Enterprise, Millennium Falcon); a villain; etc.
5. Class discussion: What conventions of the Science Fiction genre did this film make use of? What lessons does it teach us? (About the genre, or life in general).
6. Follow-up task: creative writing story based on exploration of an alien planet. (Use structure/starters for reluctant writers).
1. Watch extracts from the original “Star Trek” (e.g. YouTube clips)
2. Compare with similar texts set in space: Star Wars, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, etc… Also spoofs such as the Muppets’ Pigs in Space or the Simpsons’ Star Trek 12
3. Discuss: what is similar between them? What is typical of this genre? Some ideas: A diverse crew/team - charismatic captain, alien, pretty girl, etc; the use of jargon (phasers, warp speed, X-wing); a spaceship (Enterprise, Millennium Falcon); a villain; etc.
4. Watch “Galaxy Quest”. Answer viewing questions.
5. Class discussion: What conventions of the Science Fiction genre did this film make use of? What lessons does it teach us? (About the genre, or life in general).
6. Follow-up task: creative writing story based on exploration of an alien planet. (Use structure/starters for reluctant writers).