Chaos on the Bridge (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: William Shatner
	Actors: William Shatner, Patrick Steward
	Country: USA, CDN
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: 24.02.2017, VOD, 40" TV
Synopsis: Writer and director of this documentary William Shatner (playing Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series and movies) reconstructs the chaotic story behind the second series The Next Generations.
Review: I am not a Trekkie but I know the legend, I have seen all the movies and the documentary The Captains present on the Blu-ray set, and recently the other Documentary For the Love of Spock available on Netflix like this Chaos on the Bridge. There probably exist countless Documentaries and TV-specials about the cult series and its sequels/spin-offs, and this one focuses on the harsh beginnings of the first series produced after the original: Star Trek: The Next Generation that started in 1987 and that stars Patrick Steward (Professor X in the X-men series) as captain Picard. Some of the many difficulties behind the creation of the series were its low budget, the presence of original creator Gene Roddenberry and his uncommon ideas, his nosy lawyer, the large turn-over in the writer's cast, and the power games between different participants in this whole charade. So the real story is interesting but as usual with Documentaries I have to try to judge it on its own qualities. The main quality of Chaos on the Bridge is that the stories of conflicts are told without double talk (langue de bois) which is rare in Cinema where usually everything is perfect and everybody is friendly. The interviews hosted by Shatner are interleaved with extracts of the series and some animated events reconstitution which make it pleasant to watch, also because it lasts only an hour. The Documentary focuses on the character of Roddenberry among others and on the chaotic creation of the series and its first two seasons, to pass very quickly on the five following ones which apparently reaches excellence. I am almost tempted to start watching the series even knowing that I have to first go through two painful seasons and spend in total some 100 hours to watch it all... maybe not yet...
Rating: 5 /10