10 Best Star Trek Documentaries

4. Chaos On The Bridge

Star Trek Chaos On The Bridge
Vision Studios

Chaos on the Bridge is another Shatner-led documentary, though this one focuses on the first and second seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The first live-action spin-off to the Original Series had a tumultuous maiden voyage, which remained an intense, often highly stressful battle just to get through those seasons.

Contributors include Rick Berman, Maurice Hurley, Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden and Diana Muldaur, all of whom are surprisingly frank about their experiences during that time. Patrick Stewart describes the loss of Denise Crosby from the show as a complete failure, while several of them relate stories of Leonard Maizlish, Gene Roddenberry's lawyer, who was frequently found editing scripts without permission.

Diana Muldaur is a particularly fascinating interviewee, discussing her reasons for not returning for The Next Generation's third season. She had appeared with Shatner twice in the Original Series, so her thoughts comparing the two shows are deeply revealing.

This is perhaps one of the more sensational documentaries to be released about Star Trek, making for highly entertaining viewing and a truly engaging experience.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"