The Captains (2011)

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

Director:

William Shatner

Writer:

William Shatner

Stars:

William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Himself
Patrick Stewart	...	Himself (as Sir Patrick Stewart)
Avery Brooks	...	Himself
Kate Mulgrew	...	Herself
Scott Bakula	...	Himself
Chris Pine	...	Himself
Christopher Plummer	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rene Auberjonois	...	Himself
Ira Steven Behr	...	Himself
John de Lancie	...	Himself
Paul Duraso	...	Arm Wrestling Referee
Jonathan Frakes	...	Himself
Sally Kellerman	...	Herself
Walter Koenig	...	Himself
Chase Masterson	...	Herself - Convention Guest

Storyline

The Captains takes the audience on a voyage of discovery as pop culture phenom 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). With each of these celebrated actors Shatner explores the pressures and pitfalls that came along with donning the Starfleet uniform and reveals for the first time his own embarrassment over the role which made him a household name. With the help of his fellow captains Shatner learns to respect his work on the original Star Trek and finishes the film with a new perspective on life, death, and the legacy he will leave behind. The Captains also delves into each of the actors' lives and careers leading up to their landmark television performances. The film pays ...

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Plot Keywords:

star trek | independent film

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Taglines:

The final frontier is only the beginning

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 July 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Le Big Boss Productions, Ballinran Productions, 455 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Goofs

Right after the scene showing Captain Sisco on the bridge of the original Enterprise, there's a shot of Voyager dropping out of warp speed. The shot must be running backwards as no ship has even been shown to warp aft end forward.

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Crazy Credits

Head Sci/Fantasy Con Promoter Debbie Hess

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Connections

References Star Trek: Enterprise (2001)

User Reviews

A Slice Of Nostalgia

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.