I found this a while back, its amazing—-just seeing ‘behind the scenes” footage from the sets of TOS makes it valuable in my book. This thing really needs to get a good release…hell I’d pay to get a decent copy….gladly

I agree. One of the best I’ve seen, very sorry it never made it’s way to the states. For an interviewer to actually get Shatner to be serious is worth the price of admission alone. Add to that, the home movies and the cool Enterprise FX shots, and you have some choice material here.

Wow, that behind the scenes footage is priceless, I really hope this is published on DVD somewhere.

Good stuff from the Brits. Thanx for posting it for us all to see.

ITV and BBC have done some great docs in the last several years about a lot of pop culture topics. I didn’t know TOS had been the subject of one but I’d love to see it. I’m sure if there’s enough interest in it, someone will start selling bootlegs of it on eBay. God bless capitalism.

I was not expecting this feature to really hold my attention. I’ve seen so many “behind the scenes” programs over the years. But this was truly excellent! Far Superior to most DVD extras done by Paramount.
Someone needs to get in touch with Bill Blackburn about his footage from the TOS days. If he often took his camera with him over those years he may have tons of footage.

Also, nice model used for the production. It often conveyed mass — something the early efforts of the CBS Digital Department had a problem with.
#2 jonboc — I agree, they really did a nice job interviewing the actors in particular Mr. Shatner.

I wonder… will Blackburn’s Super 8 film finally answer the question of Cestus III and the infamous crumpled steel?!

And yes — fantastic documentary!

Wonderful piece. Great to see the ‘home movies.’ It goes to show how much goes into a TV show, that I’m still learning new things after all these years of being a fan.

Very good, especially the first two segments.

Thank you so much for posting this! I wasn’t expecting much, having been somewhat disappointed by what I thought were somewhat lackluster special features on the Trek DVDs. But this BBC special was quite impressive.

This was fun and I’d love to see some sort of expanded DVD of it. C’mon, someone must see $$$$$ signs………..

Good stuff. Where the hell has this been hiding? It looks like it was made on the 35 anniversary.

Thanks for putting this up. Great fun!

Many reputations are bourne out of jealousy and spite, small-mindedness and simplistic attitudes, remember, we don’t make our own reputations, it is defined by others, and how we are viewed sadly can be at the mercy with those that don’t have our best interest in minds.

Shatner is just damn fine. He was the star of the show, would it be more appropriate to have a closeup of Sulu or Chekov and hear Kirk’s off screen comment?

No

I’m not an actor, but I would imagine being the star of a television series is quite difficult and not entirely as glamourous as one would might think, shit runs downhill from the top, so the star has the burden of creating a happy, fulfilled enviroment for the lower tier actors and frankly those no one tunes in to see.

It was a very good documentary only marred by Matthew Kelly’s OTT voiceover, but this is present-day ITV, so you have to expect them to find some way to dumb it down!!!

Wish I had a DVD recorder when it was shown, because it’s one of those shows worth keeping!

Are the ship scenes digital?

To answer myself, yes - wonder where they are from in 2002?

Nice stuff… I personally wouldn’t buy it. But interesting.

On the one hand, we know Trek needed the big ego of Shatner (and of Nimoy) to handle those impossible lines. You can mumble through talk of the impending destruction of the universe.
On the other… BG does an excellent job of giving us an ensemble cast, yet once Olmos hits the CinC, he IS in command. There’s a good balance there. DS9 did that, too. Enterprise definitely did NOT balance the players.
After 40 years, we should accept that we have the TOS as it is, not as it coulda shoulda been.

make that can’t mumble

Who cares if it was balanced? Who cares if it is a so-called ensemble cast? Why shouldn’t two or three characters stand out from the rest? The spin that the supporting cast puts on their experience with Star Trek is no more valid than that of Shatner and Nimoy. To me, they come across as jealous whiners sometimes. Maybe Shatner did get a little hoggish over things and maybe he didn’t. The only people who ever seem to complain about him are those cast members who had the secondary roles. As much as I like some of those characters, they should realize everything can’t be even all the time just because they think they were promised a bigger part. Maybe they were, but that’s life. The same thing can be said for just about any type of job. Somebody always feels “unappreciated”. Those people should be happy that people are still talking about them 40 years later even though some in episodes they had little to do. They have done very well through the years going to conventions and so forth, for basically doing nothing but showing up and bantering a little.
And for heaven’s sake, I wish people who are interested in Battlescow Galaxative would find the proper forum for their interest.

Leftenant Uhura! Awesome!

The narrator was a bit painful for me to hear. Not that I have a problem with the British, but I just couldn’t take hearing him…

Great piece, over all though

#15, The ship FX sequences in this special, if I remember correctly, were made with one of Jim Key’s fantastic 6 foot replicas. Just goes to show what can be done with a real physical model these days.

Good point Stanky.

Kelly and Nimoy adore/adored the Shat, only those who had no career outside of Trek seemed to resent him.

Patty boy Stewart seemed to enjoy the hell out of Shat as well.

I attribute the hatred of the Shat a few things but larely the following(IMHO). First off lets state the obvious by saying every show needs a star, and for TOS the Shat was clearly the star…quickly it would include Nimoy and then of course De later. There were stars and there were supporting players. Now I think over the years (especially the early 70’s conventions) our friends the TOS supporting cast were frequently inundated with remarks and compliments saying “why werent you freatured more” “you should have had more lines/stories…etc” and with most actors being driven by ego I think they got sucked in and really felt slighted. I mean if you went from week to week with people telling you that you are marvelous and should have the spotlight more…who wouldnt start to believe it? I think the utter adoration of the trekkie sparked this and the balance became distorted.
If TOS Phase II had ever happened, I think things would have been more ensemble. Lol but what happened? The big screen came calling and with it the “big three” getting most of the screen time…and rightly so. Old wounds or the perception of old wounds re-oppened.

I agree with Paul, years of being put high on a pedestal by fandom, combined with comics, books, and fan fiction, fleshing out their characters, no doubt elevated these supporting players own self-importance. I love Uhura and Sulu as much as the next guy, but truth be told, they were in the end credits, if they were there at all. They were supporting players….great supporting players, but that is the extent of their involvement. Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley were hired as the stars that this show would revolved around, and revolve around them it did. And rightfully so.

I’d prefer to see that model filmed and used than the CGI stuff. Seems like it would be cheaper to do, and look better.

Wonder why? I also asked myself the same question during Superman Returns… why not use all the great greenscreen flying shots of Routh rather than replace them with unconvincing CGI?

-Diabolik

The more of this I watch the more amazed I am at the Enterprise footage, and blown away by it. It has real mass, weight and size. Much better than the digital work on ST:R , as good as it has become. But what I am seeing in this special makes me wish they were doing more in the Remastered episodes stuff that looks this good.

According to the bit players, Shatner had an ego. Gee…I’m shocked. lol.

I have always felt they were simple jealous and envious…and it sold tickets and books.

The one thing I really respect and admire about Shatner is that he never once has said a negative thing about his supporting cast. Not once…despite the fact they’ve been blasting him for years. This shows me he is nothing but class and the others are just a bunch of tiny mean spirited little people. Throughout the years, my admiration for him has grown and it has diminished with them.

Great point, StephenMartin. Shatner always struck me as very positive and likable.

But seriously.. those effects shots are very nicely done! That strange pull-up at the end is just gold!