50 Years of Star Trek, 2016.
Directed by Ian Roumain.
SYNOPSIS:
50 Years of Star Trek isn’t an exhaustive documentary, since you can only cram so much into 85 minutes, but it is a nice look back at a franchise that has endured for half a century. It’s also notable for containing Leonard Nimoy’s last interview.
I’ve always been more of a Star Wars guy than a Star Trek one, but I have fond memories of watching repeated episodes of the original series during the early 1970s, when I was a young kid immersing myself in a lot of TV science-fiction, including Lost in Space, Space: 1999, and many other series.
Even though Star Wars became my favorite, I still eagerly looked forward to each new Trek film and saw many of them in the theater when they were released. I admit to having mixed feelings about the new reboot – maybe I’ve just become a cranky old man who wants those kids off my lawn.
If you grew up with Trek too, you’ll probably enjoy this 50 Years of Star Trek documentary on DVD from the History Channel. If you’re a major fan, you probably won’t learn anything new, but you’ll likely still enjoy hearing not only from many of the people involved in the Trek TV series and movies but also some prominent fans, such as Bruce Campbell, actor and comedian Kevin Pollak, and others. (No Neil deGrasse Tyson, unfortunately. William Shatner doesn’t show up either, nor does Patrick Stewart.) This turned out to be Leonard Nimoy’s last interview, so you might find this worth watching just for that reason.
Pollak, Nerdist podcast co-host Matt Mira, history professor John Putman, actress Jeri Ryan, NASA engineer Bobak Ferdowsi, and make-up effects artist Doug Drexler sat down at the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to talk about Trek – the documentary returns to them many times as it moves from the franchise’s beginning through the last movie of the original run. The new reboot isn’t mentioned much, which I suppose says something about its impact that it doesn’t factor into the discussion of Trek‘s influence on so many people, as well as on science and technology.
Trek‘s social commentary factors into the proceedings too, of course, especially the original show’s many groundbreaking moments that probably seem quaint today. While the most controversial moments, such as Kirk and Uhura kissing, weren’t as big of a deal when I watched the show in the 70s, I can remember being struck by the other bits of social commentary, such as the alien who is black on the wrong side of his face.
Unfortunately, there are no special features on this DVD. It would have been nice to see some interview outtakes or other footage, but this one is worth a rental at the very least. If you buy it, you’ll get a code for a digital copy too.
Brad Cook
Originally published November 1, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
