Kids, this might not be a galloping shock to you, but I'm a nerd. And I love Star Trek. So when I heard about this fascinating little documentary, I was hoping, hoping, hoping that it would end up streaming on Netflix and lo and behold, it has. And it rocks.
What is it? Basically, William Shatner (the original Captain Kirk) goes around and interviews all the other Star Trek captains (Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula and Chris Pine) to find out how they got their start in acting, what drives them and how they brought their own unique perspective to the role- in other words, the original Captain is out to see what makes all the other tick and how Star Trek (and it's various incarnations) changed their careers and their lives. Even if you're not a fan of Star Trek, it's a fascinating little portrait of, whether you dig that sort of thing or not, a bona-fide piece of pop culture.
You don't think about it when you watch television, but a full-time weekly television show is one hell of a time commitment and the personal cost of throwing that much of yourself into your job is something you don't really think about it. Bakula's been divorced, so has Shatner and Stewart. Mulgrew had kids (and was a single mom) while she was on Voyager and they resented the hell out of her job and it's time commitments. (Shatner and Mulgrew have a fascinating discussion about gender identities in Hollywood-- motherhood and nature versus nurture, Shatner seems like he doesn't get it, but he finally gets Mulgrew to admit that she could have done more- and wanted to do more its almost heart breaking.)
Could I just say: I love Avery Brooks in this- he comes off a little strangely at first, but it's amazing to realize that the guy's life centers around music. Once you twig to that, you get it: he's a laid back, jazz musician with a touch of new age guru about it. (And he's the only one of the Captain not to have been divorced, interestingly enough. I don't know if that means something, but it's interesting to note.)
The other thing that was fascinating to watch was the ties of commonality between all of these actors- Stewart points out that Shatner originated the role and the rest of them just developed off of what he did. These are all hardcore actors who've done some heavy, heavy things over the years and with Shatner aboard for the ride, things get a little heavy- Shatner speaks of his fear of death, they discuss what comes after and Avery Brooks, wow, this guy steals the whole show, really- because he's so connected to music and so musical in a very real sense, he speaks more with his piano than with his voice.
Overall: **** out of ****! This is a fascinating little movie- I love it. It's an absolute must-see for any fan of Star Trek- but more importantly, I think, it's a quiet journey by Shatner to come to grips with the big, career defining role of Captain Kirk and gain insight into just what makes the Captains that followed him, tick.
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