sddavis63 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)

mattkpsu-217-721133 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...

enteredapprenticering 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

Henry (hen3d45) 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.