Star Trek: A Captain's Log (1994 TV Movie) User Reviews

A basic overview of the original series

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 20 April 2017]

If you are looking for an in depth and realistic discussion of the original "Star Trek", this show is definitely not for you. Instead, it's a rather superficial 'hooray for us' sort of film...not bad for the average viewer but lacking depth.

Much of the film is made up of film and TV show clips...often thrown into the documentary somewhat haphazardly. In addition, various series regulars discuss a particular aspect of the show...and it does stand out because all of them are present. But it's highly sanitized and shows none of the simmering undercurrent behind the scenes. So, for example, you could only assume that George Takei and William Shatner are best friends and everything about the show was positive....a simplistic view to say the least. Overall, worth seeing...just don't expect any sort of controversy or behind the scenes dirt or drama.

A fluffy retrospective

[VinnieRattolle · 17 September 2016]

In the 1980s and '90s, it was pretty common for the TV networks to roll out retrospective specials to boost ratings during November and February "sweeps" periods, and this is one of the dozens of Star Trek retrospectives produced over the years. William Shatner hosts from a mock-up of the ship's bridge, introducing a myriad of clips from the show/movies, punctuated by cast interviews.

I watched the original show in syndication when I was a kid, but don't consider myself a Trekker - however, there's virtually nothing in this special that I didn't know already. It's light and fluffy, with remembrances of things such as Nichols' encounter with Martin Luther King, a look at how fictional technology was later actualized, clips, clips and more clips. Also of note, Shatner's segments are nauseating to watch on a large HD TV, with a shaky-cam that rivals the ones used in The Blair Witch Project. Clearly there was some sort of technical problem but they inexplicably used the footage anyway.

I recently caught a rerun of this on the 50th anniversary of Star Trek's debut. For what it is, this isn't a bad special at all - but unless you're a die-hard fan who has to have everything, there isn't much here to warrant seeking out a copy.