Chaos on the Bridge (2014)

The story of the struggle to create the television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).

Director:

William Shatner

Writer:

William Shatner

Stars:

William Shatner, D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Self - Host
D.C. Fontana	...	Self - Writer & Script Consultant, Star Trek: TOS (as Dorothy 'D.C.' Fontana)
David Gerrold	...	Self - Writer, Star Trek: TOS
Maurice Hurley	...	Self - Television Writer & Producer
Rick Berman	...	Self - Vice President, Paramount Network Television
Jeffrey Katzenberg	...	Self - Executive, Paramount Pictures
Richard Arnold	...	Self - Research Consultant, Star Trek: TNG
Jeffrey M. Hayes	...	Self - Television Producer, Paramount Network Television
John Pike	...	Self - President, Paramount Network Television
Susan Sackett	...	Self - Secretary to Gene Roddenberry
John de Lancie	...	Self - Q, Star Trek: TNG
Denise Crosby	...	Self - Lt. Tasha Yar, Star Trek: TNG
Patrick Stewart	...	Self - Capt. Jean Luc Picard, Star Trek: TNG
Ronald D. Moore	...	Self - Writer, Star Trek: TNG
David Livingston	...	Self - Producer, Star Trek: TNG

Storyline

Canadian acting legend William Shatner takes viewers inside the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the bold attempt in 1986 to recreate the success of the original television series, in which Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk. The documentary, directed, written and presented by Shatner reveals the drama, chaos and controversy behind the scenes as producers tried to make lighting strike twice. Not only were the beloved original characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy excluded from the new series, the studio also attempted to block the involvement of the creator of the original series - Gene Roddenberry. Few believed it would work including those closest to the production. Yet Star Trek: The Next Generation went on to enormous success lasting seven seasons and spawning the multi-billion dollar Star Trek franchise, which continues to the present day. Now, more than 25 years later, William Shatner brings together the cast, crew and fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation to present...

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Plot Keywords:

trek | star trek | next generation | captain | writer | 

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Taglines:

The Untold Story Behind an Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an interview with Larry King, William Shatner's original title for this documentary was "Wacky Doodle". He heard the phrase used by one of the show's writer-producers, to describe the intensity of the conflicts that occurred during the making of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

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Quotes

William Shatner: Did you realize that the Next Generation it possible to characterize it as Gene Roddenberry's dream of Heaven?
Brannon Braga: I would never have thought that at the time, but now that we're talking, with his conception of the future and human beings in the future and Q, Q is GOD. Just look at the character, look at everything about the character

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Connections

References Star Trek (1979)

User Reviews

Rushed and overstyled but with a look nonetheless

This documentary rushes through separate lines spoken by former TNG actors, writers and directors, edited together to form a narrative of the creative and production problems behind TNG starting out.

To glue this narrative together and not just have people talking on screen, it is full of cartoon animation and animated photos too support the storyline of what the old crew is sharing.

The pace and production style of distraction makes it a little hard to follow, but if you're a true TNG fan, you'll still appreciate the back story of the first seasons of TNG and learn about a few interesting decisions that made TNG turn around and become a sustained success.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 2014 (Canada)

Also Known As:

William Shatner Presents: Chaos on the Bridge

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wacky Doodle Productions, Ballinran Entertainment, 455 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color