@Pat In Galaxy Quest it was the 'pedal on the metal' black pilot, who was a tiny kid when the "original Galaxy Quest" (in the movie) aired.
Mind you, Galaxy Quest is one of my favorite scifi movies... it's just so perfectly executed.
It's one my favorites, too. It was a funny premise, and as you say, it was well executed.
I vaguely remember the character. I think he was the pilot who scraped the paint off the real spaceship when they were pulling out of spaceport.
@Pat Yes, that one. *Leans to the right to will it into that direction*
Guy: "You gotta move to the right. More to the right."
Tommy: "Would you sit your ass down?"
Guy: "Hit parallel."
Tommy: "Move! You wanna drive this thing?"
*SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE*
Ye gods, that was a painful scene lol.
@trinsec
Yeah, I didn't think of those. They were 1997 and 1999. I don't remember any black characters in Galaxy Quest, must have been a minor role. I think of GQ and MIB as comedies, but if I can say that "The Absent-Minded Professor" is a scifi, then those certainly are.
Will Smith is kind of an exception, having done many great scifi films.
I actually found one that was done back in the mid-20th century that had a black character. Maybe I'll include it in this series.