Tuesday, November 1, 2016

50 Years of Star Trek

More notable for all the people not included than those who are a part of the special, The History Channel's 50 Years of Star Trek takes the audience on a mostly cursory look back over Star Trek's history in both television and film. With as much time spent on seemingly randomly put together panels of celebrities and experts as the actual history of the franchise much is glossed over (not much love for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine here). The documentary is interesting, but hardly anything special as the commentary often takes precedence over the history. The result is that comedian Kevin Pollak gets more screentime than any Star Trek actor other than perhaps Jeri Ryan (who is also included on one of the panels).

Star Trek fans can enjoy the special for what it is, but there's nothing special or surprising about what's included here. Feeling more like a fan-made discussion than an actual documentary about now 50 year-old franchise, there's enough to keep your interest but there's nothing included here that that even the most casual Star Trek fan doesn't already know.

[A&E, $14.98]

No comments: