The Captains (2011) User Reviews

Probably not much interest to non-Trekkers, but a goldmine for fans.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 1 November 2011]

This is a very odd and meandering little documentary. If you hate Star Trek or have little interest in it, then you should probably avoid it. But, if you like or love the shows, then by all means give it a look--but the film is probably NOT what you are expecting.

William Shatner made this documentary. It consists of him traveling about the globe interviewing the various people who have played the Captain on the various Trek incarnations--"Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Deep Space 9", "Voyager", "Enterprise" and even the latest movie "Star Trek"--where the Kirk character was given a re-boot. But, I was surprised because the flow of the show and the interviews seems rather free-form. And, unlike my expectations, it did NOT consist of the actors reminiscing very much about the show or telling amusing anecdotes (though there are a few). Instead, it's rather philosophical and discusses such unusual topics as death and the afterlife, the effect the shows had on their family lives (it was mostly VERY negative) and the legacy of having been a 'Captain'. The biggest surprise for me was how incredibly grueling the shows were--as 12-14 hour days were the norm. So, being at work 60-75 hours a week was typical--and wrecked a few marriages. How very sad. Yet, despite this, they all seemed very much at peace with the show and their legacy.

Overall, a delightful and slight little film. Worth seeing and thought-provoking.

why APple AnnIE? effect on family relationships--sad; grueling schedule

Oddly engaging, ultimately unfulfilling

[MashedA · 6/10 · 4 January 2012]

If you love Star Trek you will forgive the meandering route this documentary takes, if you are not a fan you will see this as an overindulgent preoccupation of Mr. Shatners one true love... Himself and his impending mortality!

There are truly some heart felt conversations with Patrick Stewart and Scott Bakula regarding the long hours put in and the disintegration of their respective marriages. Scott Bakula seems like a really nice guy who is grounded, he understands the life he has chosen and is grateful for the opportunities given to him, although if I'm honest Enterprise comes second to his success in Quantum Leap.

There is straight talking from Kate Mulgrew whom sees the world from a female perspective in a male dominated industry. I'm not sure Bill got the best out of Kate Mulgrew as I have seen her in other interviews and she was more upbeat and less preoccupied with gender related commentary! I suppose that could be down to the editing, context and questions posed by Mr. Shatner...

The Chris Pine segments are purely incidental, you can't help feeling that William Shatner feels a little embittered at the fact he is in his twilight years and would gladly exchange his position with Pine for another throw of the dice.

Poor old Avery Brooks, this poor chap seems to have lost his marbles! Either his interviews were edited to make him look completely unbalanced or this guy really has taken leave of his senses. Some parts of the interviews with Avery were a little uncomfortable as he just grins like a lunatic and plays the piano rather than respond to simple questions.

Patrick Stewart always comes across in a quiet and considered manner. There were times you could clearly see he was emotional, however he never comes across as bitter or anything other than a dignified true professional.

I have mixed emotions when It comes to William Shatner in this documentary, in parts he reveals emotional content about himself & you feel empathy, for instance the part where he says he fears death! In other parts you feel there is narcissistic tendencies which smother the other interviewee's

What you can take away from this is that all the Captains worked extremely hard in their respective roles and there was a toll paid by each of them. William Shatner seems quite reflective in places and yet self focused in others (not completely unexpected).

Of the five Captains interviewed you wouldn't hesitate to ask Patrick Stewart & Scott Bakula out to lunch, because from this disjointed venture you get the feeling they were the most articulate individuals who have the ability to talk about themselves and you would still like to listen.

an entertaining documentary but Shatner's ego is on display

[mattkpsu-217-721133 · 8/10 · 13 March 2013]

Entertaining? Yes Informative? Yes. Self-serving to Shatner's ego? Definitely.

If you can get past Shatner's huge ego, then this is an enjoyable documentary. Obviously it's a must-watch for any serious fan, but casual ones will find it interesting too. Also, Shatner's questions, while long winded and self-centered, did elicit some great dialog from the other captains. I especially enjoyed the emotional chat with Patrick Stewart. I was particularly surprised with the Christopher Plummer appearance. Then the tables turn and they ask the Shat questions. Sadly, you kinda get to understand why some of the other characters complained about him over the years.

Also, it never really occurred to me the intense commitment and time it takes to be the captain, or the toll it took on their family lives. And, you might be concerned for Avery Brooks, although my Rutgers friends say that theater professors are often like that...

Candid Conversations Among the Star Trek Captains

[Scrooge-3 · 7/10 · 11 December 2011]

This documentary is a series of interviews, actually conversations, between iconic actor William Shatner and the other actors who have played Star Trek captains. Jetting around the country, Shatner talked with Patrick Stewart, Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Avery Brooks, Captain Sisco from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, Scott Bakula, Captain Archer from Enterprise, and Chris Pike, Captain Kirk from the 2009 Star Trek movie.

Interspersed with the interviews were clips from a Star Trek convention Shatner appeared at in Las Vegas, where he met other Star Trek actors, including Rene Auberjonois, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Picardo, Connor Trinneer, and Nana Visitor, among others. Shatner also had a short interview with his old friend Christopher Plummer for whom he understudied at the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario early in his career and who played the villainous Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). The only really obvious omission was Leonard Nimoy.

This documentary was fascinating in how it revealed as much about Shatner as his subjects. Topics ranged from how they got started acting, to how each actor got their Star Trek role, to how the Star Trek experience changed their lives and affected their families, to philosophical musings on death, and many things in between. Most of the captains are classically trained stage actors who weren't necessarily immediately onboard with playing a science fiction character for TV. Bakula and Brooks both have extensive musical backgrounds, Bakula as a singer and Brooks as a jazz pianist. In fact, Brooks provided the documentary with a pleasing smooth jazz score.

All of the captains came off as intelligent, hard working, and frank. It was nice to see that they all still took their roles seriously and were truly humbled by the fan reactions to their work. Shatner, especially, seemed genuinely moved when he found out that the Canadian head of Bombardier Aerospace was inspired to take up aerospace engineering from watching Shatner on Star Trek. There was also a poignant scene at the convention where Shatner greeted a young wheelchair-bound man whose devotion to Star Trek seemed to be about the only thing that kept him going.

The interview with Stewart seemed to have the most resonance. It was obvious that there was genuine rapport between him and Shatner. When they talked about how the long hours playing their roles negatively impacted their marriages, it was heartbreaking. Mulgrew's take on being a single mother during her tenure as captain was also touching.

Shatner turned out to be an excellent interviewer. He kept things light and often humorous, such as when he conducted Pine's interview at a card table on a busy intersection or when he met Mulgrew sitting in a cardboard box. This allowed him to get his subjects relaxed and able to open up about some of the deeper questions. Shatner used his personal experiences to draw out measured responses from the other captains. Shatner has a reputation for being egotistical and antagonistic, but none of that was evident here. Maybe time has mellowed him out.

The Captains is a journey of discovery for Shatner that is an enjoyable look at the world of acting in general and the Star Trek universe in particular. It is a sincere glimpse into the heart and soul of Star Trek.

A Slice Of Nostalgia

[mattwaterhouse · 5 August 2011]

As documentaries go, I admit I don't have a lot of viewing experience. As Star Trek goes however, I found this to be very enjoyable.

Shatner comes across as a pretty decent guy and his interviews with the various actors who have sat in the captain's chair are revealing, often funny, and occasionally very touching, and it is in these moments where The Captains really shines. The contrasting discussions with Scott Bakula and Patrick Stewart over their divorces and the discussion between Shatner and Stewart over their legacies on the show are both fantastic moments. Throughout the documentary there is a lot of insight given into the construction of the captain characters.

My one major complaint is that Avery Brooks gives pretty much nothing. He sits at his piano and plays jazz in a lot of his scenes, which is OK I guess, but we don't really find out anything about his relationship to the Sisko character. The first twenty minutes is also a little tedious.

Really, if you're a Star Trek fan, even in passing, this is worth a look. I definitely recommend it.

The Captains

[phubbs · 7/10 · 19 January 2015]

Or as I refer to it...the William Shatner marathon of self indulgent memories, OK OK I jest. Directed, produced and written by the Shat himself, a one man army exploring the difficulties, struggles, stigmas and sacrifices that accompany the huge responsibility of playing the captain of the starship Enterprise. But as you can guess from the title Shatner travels around the globe (kinda) to seek out the other captains where ever they may be and natter about the past.

So as all Trekkies will know the other captains interviewed in this documentary are Patrick Stewart, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Chris Pine. Obviously this being a Star Trek feature you can't ignore other cast members from the TV shows and movies so you also get to see and hear from people like Christopher Plummer, Johnathan Frakes, Robert Picardo, Rene Auberjonois etc...Its an across the board (across the ages) feature that delves deep...or does it?

One by one Shatner meets up with his fellow acting colleagues to discuss all things Star Trek and portraying the various captains...but actually they don't! To my surprise much of the conversations to begin with tend to revolve around their past work, previous jobs and gigs, how they started in acting etc...One or two of them even chat about their other skills and interests such as singing and playing instruments (Bakula and Brooks). Now don't get me wrong this is all quite interesting for the most part (I never knew Bakula was a singer), but I kinda wanted to hear about all things Star Trek, not their personal lives or backgrounds before hand.

The whole point to this documentary was for Shatner to express how he and his fellow colleagues coped with the daily pressures of playing the captain in a hit show. The long slog of making many episodes with long hours over many years and then the inevitable typecasting that would follow afterwards. We do get this but it takes a bit of time for the cast to get onto this subject. Like I said at first its mostly about what they did before Star Trek which I personally wasn't too bothered about. Eventually all the stars talk about their own personal demons and hindrances along the way with Stewart mentioning how hard it was to follow on from the original series and the character of Kirk, to Mulgrew talking about how tough it was trying to raise her kids whilst making the show.

You do learn some interesting tit bits but nothing overly earth shattering or that you haven't heard before. Its cool to see all the cast members (although this was four years ago now). Bakula still has a youthful energetic persona and looks, Mulgrew is still the same but a little rounder in the face, Stewart never really seems to change, Pine is of course still young so no change there, but the most surprising thing was Brooks coming across as a tad eccentric in his old age...but pleasantly so. He seemed a bit lost in his own world, not really concentrating, distant and as though he was unaware of what was going on, but happy at least.

The odd interviews with other stars briefly cover what they experienced on the TV show or movie, depending, again its not all Star Trek as they do touch on their past careers. There is also some convention footage with Shatner which is cool, we hear how Shatner never used to like the conventions and avoided them, but over time realised how important they were and how much attention he got (yep we all the Shat by now). Even though the feature is suppose to be about all the ex-captains it naturally tends to focus more on Shatner and his issues but I guess it is his production. I did get the impression Shatner was kinda fishing for compliments from the other cast members, almost looking for a shoulder to cry at some points. At the end he reveals how much he disliked the character of Kirk but has now come to accept him and enjoy the notion that he will forever be remembered as Kirk. Did Shatner really need to make an entire documentary supposedly about all the Star Trek captains just to show us this revelation? Well I'll let you decide that one.

Honesty there isn't much that is discussed that will blow you away, its pleasant listening and viewing but overall it feels a little bit unnecessary at times. I really dunno why Shatner didn't just call the doc 'The Captain' whilst including the other cast members as its really all about him. That's not a bad thing as Shatner is a strangely likable guy despite his large ego. None the less its a must watch for any Trekkies and a solid watch for any sci-fi fanboys like myself. It will make you smile and maybe...just possibly bring a lump to your throat on the odd occasion.

7/10

A great look back

[zodden1970 · 9/10 · 23 July 2011]

I have found Shatner to be a great interviewer. He really knows how to get insightful responses from those he questions. In this documentary I found the best parts of it were when he was talking about his own career and looking back and when the person he was interviewing was asking him questions too. You get a good sense from the interviews the personal sacrifices that the "Captains" on each Trek show had to make and how their jobs were certainly different than the rest of the cast.

The highlights were his conversation style interview with Patrick Stewart at Stewart's home as well as his interview with Kate Mulgrew in a theater in New York City.

Overall though the best part of this documentary is Shatner himself. As he describes his long life and career and even discusses his thoughts on the end of life and his closeness to that end. That gave the documentary a slightly sad and nostalgic feel to it. It felt in some ways almost as if he were saying farewell just slightly. I say just slightly because as you will see when watching that Shatner has a zest for living that few his age can muster. He truly is a marvel to watch and I wish him many more years.

If you are a fan of Trek and of Shatner then this documentary is a must see. You will enjoy it immensely.

O'Captain, my captain

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 10 November 2012]

Since the 1960's Star Trek has became one of the most beloved film and television franchises of all times. Each generation has it's own spin off series, with each series having a captain to command the ship to areas where no man has ever gone before. The original series captain, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) goes off to find these actors that play the captains in this darting documentary. The documentary introducts these character actors from their beginnings, how they got to become captain, and how their series has impact the world and it's fans. The first of these captain after the original series, was Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) who captain, the 'Next Generation' Series. The documentary shows how much a serious actor he was, and how he change for the better out of it, with great cost of his personal life. The next captain, William Shatner meets is Avery Brooks who played Benjamin Sisko on 'Deep Space Nine'. Avery, the actor seems a very deep and free thinker, who's mind is out there. Drama came ahead to ahead, with personal philosophy and morals between William Shatner and Kate Mulgrew of 'Star Trek Voyager' captain Katryn Janeaway fame. She nearly bump heads with Shatner over morality, and gender roles issues. It was a bit easier for Shatner to hang out with Scott Bakula, the captain of 'Enterprise' Jonathan Archer. There were a few laughs, and was less taken serious questions. The same goes with his short interview with Chris Pike who plays Captain Kirk in the modern day film 'Star Trek". The interview with both Bakula and Pike were a bit too short. Christoper Plummer guest stars in the documentary talking his part as Chang in the film 'Star Trek VI' was surprising. While his part was interesting, the time he spent on screen would better be serve to explaining more about Bakula and Pike, since the titled is called 'The Captains'. There are a bit weird interjects in the documentary where fans interrupt the filming. It doesn't serve anything to the story, it's better used as a DVD extra then leaving it in the film. There is a bit of a feeling of James Lipton's In the Actor Studio in the interview style. It can be direly, when some of the questions verve off that doesn't have anything to related to 'Star Trek' or their own careers. Last, William Shatner come into the reality about his past as Captain Kirk and overall opinion on himself and 'Star Trek' all together. It's a movie for the die hard Star Trek fans, it's not that interesting for the common fan due to seriousness of the philosophic questions the actors are forced to answer. In the end-- Scotty, have to beam me up to watch it again. It's just felt a one time viewing.

What a great movie...

[hen3d45 · 10/10 · 13 November 2011]

I have fallen in love with the documentaries on Netflix.

I found this movie, and was very pleased with it's insights and depth. People love to have an easy target, and William Shatner has been that for a lot of critics, but I think this movie will show his deeper side. William Shatner seems to have such an easy time talking and getting people to interact with him. Seeing the scene where he walks through the convention floor shows his talent for identifying with people.

It was a wonderful glimpse into the lives of these great actors. Thanks William for making this film.

You should watch this film, and I hope when you do you enjoy it as much as i did.

Most fascinating with the personal stuff

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 10 September 2013]

William Shatner interviews Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard Star Trek: The Next Generation), Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager), Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise), and Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek 2009).

There are some fan stuff, some acting stuff, but it's the personal problems that's the most fascinating. I wish there was even more on-set stuff. I understand it's tough to get into the personal stuff. But everybody loves to dish on the on-set stuff. And Shatner talking to Nimoy would have been mind blowing. I'm sure they have some great stuff to get off their chests.

Strange

[rusty-26 · 5/10 · 12 September 2017]

Worth seeing because of Shatners bizarre "interview" with Avery Brooks. This surpasses most of what I have seen with regard to absurdities. First Shatner and Brooks engages in some sort of word-game or word-duel where they "challenge" each other. Then Brooks sets himself at the piano and with a "mad" facial expression, he comes up with a melody to which both Brooks and Shatner try to "improvise" lyrics. Both at the same time. Truly strange. About the same caliber as Shatner's version of "rocket man".

Great movie!

[prberg2 · 9/10 · 6 November 2011]

What a great movie. Shatner does a great job of finding out who these actors are and what impact it had on their lives. He gets to the heart of what it means to be an actor and also what it means to be a part of Star Trek. I really enjoyed hearing from the Actors (Brooks, Mulgrew, Stewart, Bakula, Pine and Shatner) about their experience as actors and as Captains on Star Trek. We really see what love these actors had for the show and how it effected them.

The movie was shot and edited wonderfully. Great production quality. I was really pleasantly surprised. I wish there were extended interviews on the DVD since I wanted to see even more. It was a really interesting and fun movie and I really enjoyed it!

Not Exactly What I Was Expecting

[sddavis63 · 6/10 · 28 December 2016]

There are definitely some things you learn from this documentary about the various actors who have played "The Captain" on all the various incarnations of Star Trek. They all worked hard. There were lots of references to 12 or 14 or 18 hour days, or being at the studio until 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning. So being the star of a TV show (I assume the same would hold true for any TV show) is hard and demanding work. I get that. And we learn that the gruelling demands on their time lead to a lot of family problems. William Shatner and Patrick Stewart and Scott Bakula were open about the divorces they experienced (Stewart especially expressing great regret about them) and Kate Mulgrew was very candid about the challenges of being a single mother to two children while she was shooting Voyager. (Apparently both of her children still resent the show and won't watch it.) So there are some interesting things here, and I think Shatner did a pretty decent job as an interviewer, drawing some of that material out of the various "captains." Overall, though, I wasn't entirely sure what this documentary was trying to accomplish.

It's basically Shatner interviewing all of those who have played "The Captain" on the various incarnations of Star Trek. So you have Stewart (Picard on TNG) and Bakula (Archer on Enterprise) and Mulgrew (Janeway on Voyager), along with Avery Brooks (Sisko on DS9) and even Chris Pine (Kirk in the Star Trek reboot) talking about their experiences in the captain's chair. But it's more personal than professional. A lot of their chats are more about their lives and Star Trek's impact than on Star Trek itself. You don't learn much "behind the scenes" stuff, for example. In that sense it was a wee bit of a let down. Especially disappointing, I thought, was Shatner's interviews with Brooks. I got very little out of Brooks comments. He spent most of his time playing the piano and singing jazz with Shatner. And even Bakula's focus seemed less on "Star Trek" than it was on "Quantum Leap."

There is some interesting material about the actors respective backgrounds. Most started out on stage, Bakula and Brooks have music backgrounds, and Brooks is a professor of Theatre Arts at Rutgers University. It seemed to me as if most of these actors have had to "come to terms" with their Trek background. It was only Stewart of all of them (who probably has the most accomplished acting background) who was actually able to say that he will be very happy to be remembered mostly as Captain Picard rather than as any of the Shakespearean or other characters he's played.

As might be expected, the documentary centres on Shatner, and I was unconvinced about the need to repeatedly cut back to Shatner at Star Trek conventions being greeted by adoring crowds. It was good to see him working the crowds and interacting with fans (especially the young man in the wheelchair) but the number of times the film cut back to Shatner at the conventions made it seem a little bit self- serving.

Parts of this were interesting. It wasn't exactly what I expected. I was thinking there would be a lot more background, behind the scenes Star Trek material as opposed to the personal stories (often the non-Trek stories) of the actors. Not bad, but to me it fell a little bit short. (6/10)

Missed opportunity at great insight

[userseven · 5/10 · 17 December 2011]

There are several small issues with this production and there is the big one – Will Shatner himself. The documentary is driven in the end by the writer/director obsession with his own mortality – a legendary fact that goes beyond any Star Trek cultural movement boundaries. What this movie is about is Shatner's quest to find meaning and reassurance about the legacy of his work. A desperate cry for an epiphany that in the end comes across as fake and sad at the same time.

The production seems amateurish and uninspired. The music is obtrusive and there is neither pacing nor great method. There is minimal structure, the interviews being chopped up and arranged depending on the subject in question. There is also a major flaw in the concept. Being a documentary about Star Trek captains it HAD to feature Chris Pine, the youngest of the bunch, with only a feature film in the Trek series under his belt, and not much of a career to boast on either. Subsequently his small segment is absolutely out of place and feels like a complete waste of time.

Except for the Christopher Plummer bit – an absolute gem of a few minutes in this production - the rest of the "interviews" all seem a little bit strange. I don't think that Shatner resonates on the same wavelength with any of the coleagues he interviews. I may even go so far as to say that there isn't much show of mutual respect either. Except for a lot of mandatory and empty exchange of praises, of course. In contrast when you have these two old friends, Shatner and Plummer on the same room it just clicks, naturally and beautifully, but the moment comes and goes very fast.

I'm also terribly disappointed with the amount of time this film wastes on the interview with Avery Brooks, that seemed smoked out of his mind. And by interview I mean Shatner and Brooks exchanging a lot of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo and singing along around the piano like schoolgirls. I just don't have the stomach for this amount of naiveté.

This was even more disturbing considering that at the same time Jonathan Frakes and Robert Picardo appear in the film with one liners basically. OK they were not "captains" but Kate Mulgrew was. And she really seems to have a thing or two to say about Star Trek, career, family and loss, and she is dismissed very quickly. Furthermore the little screen time she had is lost on stupid dialogues like "is it possible to be a female captain on the bridge of Star Trek?", "I was, so it's possible", "so it's impossible but you did it"... what?!

That being said there are good things about this film. At least Bakula, Mulgrew and Stewart have something to say when questioned, about any topic, more or less related to Star Trek or acting and life. Patrick Stewart especially has a few surprising moments of openness. At a point I think he was even a little bit choked up remembering things. And you don't even need to be a trekkie to appreciate what these people have to offer.

Unfortunately this was a "feature length" film and that is just not enough to even attempt to poke at their minds and life/career experience. I really hope Will Shatner has some 9 hours of footage on his editing room floor with these people, and he will came back with another version of this film, somewhere in the future. Otherwise these actors were disturbed for far too little.

Very well done

[callie-5 · 6 September 2011]

I agree... Shatner has really found a calling as an interviewer. He asks questions, but he will use personal experiences and draw his questions from them. And oddly enough for someone who is reputed to have a big ego, even those moments do not come off as displaying self-importance. They act as insight as to where his brain is in forming the questions he is asking.

I hope that made sense.

This documentary was really insightful into the people we have watched over the years as they sat in the captain's chair, the trials and joys they went through and how they got there in the first place.

Great for any Star Trek fan.

Great for anyone who enjoys a good interview.

Good moments.. Odd production

[Nagused · 6/10 · 24 February 2012]

The best moments.... Shatner on convention floor with fans. Patrick Stewart interviews and interviews with Scott fun too. The recognition that fame is not worth the price of family... Very touching stuff!!!! Kate reminding me of the imbalance of parenting... She is awesome!

Odd moments... Everything with Avery, my favorite Captain. Stoned? Or just weird? Discontinuity of editing

Bad moments... Crew...from bad cinematography to friggin annoying reflectors blinding the actors during the interviews (the gold reflector is for morning, not middle of the day ya doofases... oh and the piano underscore was too loud and far too dramatic.

As others have said, such golden moments were missed to chat up memories, anecdotal stories, etc. but still, a must see for any trek fan for those great moments here and there :)

Somewhat enlightening take

[jordondave-28085 · 7/10 · 16 May 2023]

(2011) The Captains DOCUMENTARY/ INTERVIEWS

A revealing insight and impact Star Trek has made throughout the entire world. This has actor William Shatner who's famously known as Captain Kirk interviewing and reflecting with other actors also played "Captains" on other Star Trek series including "Deep Space Nine", "Stargate", "Babylon 5" among others etc.... Verbally reflecting the influence and hardships regarding making Star Trek episodes. One can also get the sense of it's rewards as well as it's downfalls once accepting the role as Captain. Written, directed and interviewed by Willaim Shatner.

A fine documentary by William Shatner

[merrywood · 9/10 · 5 November 2011]

Even some of the most enthusiastic Trekkies do not quite understand the unprecedented success of the original Star Trek as created by Gene Roddenberry. The original show, as we all know, ran only for three seasons in a far less literate world. However, its impact was such that it was followed by five successor series, eleven movies, a mountain of merchandise, and a multi-billion dollar industry collectively known as the Star Trek franchise (currently owned by CBS Television Studios, which now owns television properties previously held by Paramount Pictures.

There is only one reason for this, and creative people in the entertainment industry like Rod Serling and Frank Capra who also left legacies on par with Gene Roddenberry, knew the reason. Much like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner and other literature at that level their stories spoke to the sanctity of the human soul and the problems of human progress on Earth. As in the case of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, it masked these problems in allegorical science fiction in order to slip them through entertainment suits whose primary interest is in making money.

Although in his fine documentary, The Captains, William Shatner barely touches on this core mission of Star Trek, his purpose for making the film was to come to terms with the role of Captain Kirk and his latter day realization that it was not a frivolous role, nor superficial. Sir Patrick Stewart is also on hand to help him in this realization.

Along with the engaging backgrounds of other Star Trek Captains, all who came from fine backgrounds as actors, Shatner acknowledges that the role, along with the series, was life changing to millions. Many of the ardent followers of the Star Trek phenomenon are people like the rest of us. We all live a daily life of struggle. Here, show business people whose sole purpose was not just to make money but to make life, pass on a little hope.

Interesting but flawed

[rozza-34691 · 7/10 · 13 June 2020]

An interesting look at the personal stories of each of the actors who portray the star trek captains. Shatner presents the documentary which is great as he relates to a lot of the stories told by the other actors. It focusses on negative aspects of the role for longer than I would have liked. The subject matter and editing can be a bit meandering and it tends to lead back to the focus being on William Shatner quite a bit. However, when focussed, Shatner's charismatic presence and skill for hosting is clear. The Captains is an insightful exploration of the phenomenon that is star trek. The doc includes a lot of behind the scenes stories and candid viewpoints from each actor. Might be harder to appreciate / less accessible for the casual viewer, but I'd recommend to star trek fans. If you like this I'd highly recommend the what we left behind documentary about star trek deep space nine.

Fooled Ya!

[medleystudios72 · 10/10 · 5 November 2011]

This is not the documentary you are expecting to see. Yes, there is convention footage. Yes there are some "behind the scenes" anecdotes. Yes there are some clips from the episodes and movies.

No, this is not a retrospective of the cultural wallpaper of Star Trek.

This is an introspective journey into the actors' lives. Into their experiences. Into their observations. Into their souls.

And here's the biggest surprise. William Shatner set out to do one thing and did another. (At least that's how it looks in the film.) It looked like Shatner wanted to dig into the other Captains and make each of them admit something or reveal something or discover something. And it was a journey of self discovery *for William Shatner.

From the interviews, you will see how strength can be found from within for life. Not just being an actor, and definitely not just being an actor on Star Trek.

I can't say any more without getting dry or revealing spoilers. All I can say is this is a documentary for everyone. I don't care if you're a fan of Star Trek or not. I don't care if you're a fan of William Shatner or not. I don't care if you're an actor or not. Are you a human being? Then see this film. You will be better for it.

The interviewees had some interesting things to say.

[kalinyancy · 5/10 · 4 December 2020]

Other reviews cover that. I'm just here to add this: 0/10 for Shatner 10/10 for Avery Brooks's merciless trolling

Is Shatner still unfairly maligned? He shouldn't be period. Great Documentary

[tomntempe · 9/10 · 5 July 2021]

It seems like Bill Shatner still gets his share of negativity, his ego, etc. I will echo another ego, Scott Adams, if you've accomplished something don't you have a reason to have "ego"? You have to have ego to be writing reviews on IMDB. And you need the ego of Shatner, including the fact that he's also a Captain, to get the other Captains to really be open in answering questions.

Bill does a wonderful job interviewing people and bringing out things they usually don't surface. This is not a new skill for him but I don't think he gets the credit he deserves. At one point Patrick Stewart is almost in tears. Many interviews only treat us to a display of the persona of the person, BIll manages to get the real person to come forward.. except perhaps with Avery Brooks.

Brooks natural persona seems to be that of a philosophy professor leading a class on "Intro to Deep Thoughts". It's not that it's a bad class, it's just that it's not going to be much more then superficial and Avery never goes deeper than superficial. In place of actually saying something meaty he plays jazz riffs on the piano, which he is very good at. He gives off a vibe of having just toked some good weed and shares the same level of insight good weed produces.

Bill commiserates with Stewart and Bakula, and to a degree, Mulagrew over the effects of their career work on their home life and marriages. All got divorced as a result. All realize, some to a greater or lessor degree, that it was a choice and to a greater and lessor degree they accept blame for that choice while acknowledging they would probably do it again. Pine is too young for this to be an issue plus he's never been married. Avery is unique in my view because I view him as the least successful, least invested in the part, captain and my suspicions are that he was the least impacted of all of them by the demands of the show. Nothing he said suggested otherwise.

In the Captains relationship discussions the thing that seemed obvious to me, but which they only obliquely acknowledged, was that their primary relationships where with the show, the other primary cast members and the crew. The show and it's 10 to 18 hour days became their de facto "personal life" and of course their life outside of it suffered greatly.

Mulgrews commiseration is a bit different. She felt the weight of being a woman in a man's world and discusses, with Bill's prompting, the "hormonal" issues that create a different set of hurdles for women in leadership positions inside and outside of Hollywood.

Bakula was the most clear, with Shatner not far behind, that they were incredibly fortunate to have the life they've had. None seem to still feel, as some clearly did at one point, that being "a captain" has been more of a curse than a blessing. Of all of them Avery seems the most removed, his Captaincy seems much more like a past episode from which he has moved on. Shatner admits he tried to, that he fought it but is at peace with it now. Similarly for Stewart, he knows his legacy will not be King Lear but will be Captain Pickard and he's ok with that.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the show was a young man with the illness and appearance of Stephan Hawking. He is a huge trek fan who is attending a ST Convention with his mothers aid. He can speak only a little in a whisper to his mother. Bill talks with him and makes his day. They also appear to have brought him to the behind the scenes area to meet some of the other people.

I recall from Shatners book how he talks about questions like "what did you do after ST ended, you were famous and the world was your oyster right!" . Shatner relates that no, he was divorced and broke and he thought "What now? How will I make a living?" He writes that since he had to eat he was going to do what he needed to do and shove on. And he has. In some ways he's quite underrated. He does wonderful interviews. He has a gift of making people comfortable and opening up. In many ways he's "been there" and people can relate to him.

He closes the show with some musing on death and what happens in a chat with Scott. Neither really quite say.

Beam me up Scotty!

It's important to get the actor's name right.

[kirkmccoy · 5/10 · 26 August 2012]

My comment has to do with the accuracy of a very important name - that of the new Captain Kirk. The actor's actual name is Chris Pine (not Pike); the author confused his name with the character of the original captain on Enterprise Captain Chris Pike in the 2009 movie. Please correct this. As to the film itself; it was delightful, quirky and very much like William Shatner himself in all his charming and endearing ways. I was happy to see him be so nice to young Chris Pine who is a very good actor and who surprised me as being able to take on the iconic role created by Mr. Shatner. I loved his interview with Sir Patrick Stewart and the revelation that Mr. Shatner came to after listening to Sir Patrick. All the interviews brought out something unique in each actor.

Jump aboard as Shatner takes his fans on another Trek...

[Erikwk04 · 27 October 2011]

Being born in '88, the original Star Trek series starring William Shatner had long stopped running and the new series Next Generation starring Sir Patrick Stewart was in full swing. It wasn't until TNG hit the daily reruns on the BBC that I got my first taste of Star Trek, mind you I could not have been more than 8 years old at the time.

As a young adult now I look back at the shows with a great sense of nostalgia and joy and have come to admire the original two Captains of the Enterprise for their influence on previous and current generations. I'm not a trekkie, as I have never been to a convention or felt the need to sport Spock ears, but I am for sure a fan.

So let's be honest about this, would I have watched Shatner's The Captains if it weren't for so many fond childhood memories? No. Would I have enjoyed it if it weren't for said memories? No. Is it a quality documentary by its own right? No. Is William Shatner a talented or even competent interviewer? No, although the other reviewers would disagree with me on that one. From my point of view Shatner makes some basic and rookie mistakes in his technique as an interviewer, best shown during his interview with Avery. So is it all just a wash and 90 mins of my life wasted on a pursuit of childhood nostalgia? No, and here's why.

What Shatner does in The Captains, is to give us a look into his own Star Trek experience. What it was like as the first captain, what it did to him at the time and in the years after. How it affected his personal life (failed marriage with three kids) and how he has struggled to give Kirk a place in his life. Shatner's journey of discovery is deeply personal as he, with the help of his fellow captains and Stewart in particular, comes to terms with the legacy he will eventually leave behind when Scotty beams him up one final time. This theme of mortality works brilliantly as a stark contrast to the immortality of the Star Trek franchise as it lives on to this day still.

The Captains gives us fans a never before seen glimpse into Shatner's mind and heart. It is dirty and messy at times, but always honest and genuine.

Watch this if you are a fan and interested in the man that made the captain that inspired millions to boldly go where no one has gone before…

P.S. To Shatner and all the captains, much love and appreciation for your work.

Amazing philosophic journey through life - ESPECIALLY for non-trekkies!

[enteredapprenticering · 10/10 · 8 April 2012]

Upfront folks: I am not a trekkie and will never become one. But this movie is so much more than just for fans of the Star Trek world: William Shatner takes the viewer through the real-actor's world of Captains of each of the Star Trek series. Shatner discovers an important piece of himself in this movie, namely that he was actually embarrassed to be remembered as "Captain Kirk". As Shatner has played many stage roles in theaters, he always wished to be remembered for that. But as he finds out, not only did all other Star Trek Captains also come from a background of playing on stage, they all put as much hard work and personal sacrifices into acting and recording the series for Star Trek as he did. The viewer finds out that both Shatner's and Sir Patrick Steward's marriages failed due to the time they needed to spend on the set. Sir Patrick Steward, known as a true Shakespearean actor intimates, how serious he took the acting of Star Trek - so serious that he caught himself in the thought of not being allowed have fun while being on the set. This thinking changed over time and the viewer learns that role itself transformed Stewart's personality into being able to enjoy himself on the set while still acting to his very best abilities. Bakula and Shatner discover many, many parallels in their personal life while acting as The Captain, it amazes both so much that the viewer sees literally the actual start of a friendship unfolding. Mulgrew is interviewed by Shatner in a style that cannot be described - it must be seen and heard. It is incredibly scary to see how skillful Shatner peels off the seemingly thick actor's skin of Mulgrew literally in minutes to make her open up for a really personal interview that produces intimate information beyond the expected. Shatner himself is transformed through the production of this movie, as interviewing The Other Captains allows Shatner to not only make peace with himself and his legacy for being remembered mainly as being Captain Kirk, but being able to enjoy the thought without feeling embarrassed as he used to be once in his past. Shatner's movie demonstrates also for the non-trekkie how much joy he has brought into the life of people who meet at Star Trek conventions, which exist historically over 40 years already. Listen to Shatner's conversations with The Other Captains like Avery Brooks, who is now a University Professor, about life and also death as well as personal and philosophical thoughts about a possible afterlife.

Anyone will view this movie with astonishment, joy and gratitude for the intimate insight not only into their personal lives but for their views on life as such. My vote as non-trekkie: 10 of 10