The Captains

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.1K

YOUR RATING

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Biography Documentary Sci-Fi

The Captains is a feature length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed Starship captains wit... Read allThe Captains is a feature length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed Starship captains within the illustrious science-fiction franchise.The Captains is a feature length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed Starship captains within the illustrious science-fiction franchise.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

3.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

User reviews33

Featured review

7/10

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

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

Trivia
In his 2022 book "Boldly Go", William Shatner recounts that he wanted to interview Leonard Nimoy for this documentary, since the character of Spock was also a captain in the films, but Nimoy declined. At one point Shatner was being filmed for this documentary at a convention appearance he shared with Nimoy, who left the stage as Shatner entered. Feeling he was being filmed against his wishes, Leonard Nimoy became angry and the two men left the convention without speaking again. After this, Nimoy would not return Shatner's calls, which is something Shatner still regrets.

Goofs
The goof about him saying he was 5 or 6 when in a play about the Holocaust is probably wrong (but to by much), he was probably 7 or 8 and it could have been about Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass. A major Antisemitic event in 1938 Germany. Shatner was 7 when that took place. Also, there was numerous Antisemitic violence before that time in Germany.