The Captains

TO BOLDLY GO:
It’s been 45 years since the first series of Star Trek appeared on television sets. Though the original series staring William Shatner as James T. Kirk only lasted for 3 seasons the show has turned out to be one of the most well known show around the world. In the 45 years since it’s airing, Star Trek has had 4 different television series as well as 11 feature films with a 12 in the process of being made. What made these shows so popular and long lasting is a combination of stories, effects, the ship, but most importantly it was the Captains that helped make the shows so much fun to watch. The Captains is a film by William Shatner that gives a insight into what it took to become a Starfleet Captain, what it took out of the actor/actress while being the Captain, and giving a behind the scenes look of what it was to be a captain on Star Trek right from the people that filled the roles.

THE OUTCOME OF THE JOURNEY:
Last month I went to a convention where William Shatner was one of the guest that appeared there. While I was there I watched one of his Q&A sessions that he did where he talked about making this documentary about the captains of Star Trek and how much fun it was to be getting to talk to all these actors that portrayed such memorable characters. From that moment I was interested in watching this documentary from the enthusiasm that William Shatner showed for it as well as being a fan of all the shows and movies.
What I expected The Captains to be was a documentary where all the actors who played a captain on Star Trek talking about being that character. There is this going on in this documentary but there’s a lot more talk about other aspects like what being that character did to the personal life of the actor as well as the actors talking about other aspects of their lives that had nothing to do with being a captain on Star Trek.

One thing that I noticed while watching this documentary, which was not surprising in the least, was how quickly William Shatner was able to make a moment about himself. In fact it happens from the very start when he talks to the own of a plane that he just flew on where William Shatner is told that Star Trek inspired him to be in aeronautics, and very quickly Shatner says oh it was because of me that this man took this course in his life. It’s funny watching him talk to Patrick Stewart, an actor that has a very distinguished career, where Shatner seems to just be waiting to talk about himself. Which it seems like any and every chance that Shatner got he did talk about himself, his career, and what it was like for him. While talking about himself he also walked around different conventions giving a view of what it is like to be him as he walks through the throngs of fans who go ballistic when they see him.

Still, watching this was more fun than I thought it was going to be. Because William Shatner does his normal thing where it’s all about him that is one reason that this documentary was fun to watch, but getting to hear the stories that the other actors told was really interesting. Finding out that Scott Bakula is a singer as well as him saying that he was a fan of the original show when he was in college was something I never knew and it was interesting finding out. Though most of the interview time was used with Patrick Stewart and Scott Bakula, the little time given to Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks, and Chris Pine was enough to keep the documentary interesting. I might not have learned a lot about what it was like being a captain on the show but it was still interesting to listen to these actors talking. And it was cool and funny to watch Shatner walking around the crowds during some of the conventions. Even at a little over an hour and half long this documentary kept a good pace with the interviews making it fun to watch.