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 who 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 | Biography

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Капитаны

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Le Big Boss Productions, Ballinran Entertainment, Ballinran Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was a series of books which had each of the captains walk through a door/portal that led them into a bar where they each spoke of the travails of being a captain, called "Captains Table" . Very interesting as how they created the entrance no matter where the captains were at the moment and captains could cross paths of past captains before they were or even ones past dead. But all captains, no matter the ship.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Head Sci/Fantasy Con Promoter Debbie Hess

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Connections

References Star Trek: Voyager (1995)

User Reviews

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

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.