Chaos on the Bridge & Back in Time Documentaries

I didn't celebrate New Years last night (though I did stay up and watch the ball drop), so I was up early. I started to de-Christmasfy my apartment. I usually put up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving and remove them on New Years Day.  It took me all day to do this as I'd only work for an hour before at a time taking many breaks and watching some TV.

Speaking of TV I watched a few documentaries on Netflix.  The first one I had heard about from friends so when I saw it pop up on my "suggested to watch" list I had to stop what I was doing and watch it. It's called "Chaos on the Bridge"

Canadian acting legend William Shatner takes viewers inside the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the bold attempt in 1986 to recreate the success of the original television series, in which Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk. The documentary, directed, written and presented by Shatner reveals the drama, chaos and controversy behind the scenes as producers tried to make lighting strike twice. Not only were the beloved original characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy excluded from the new series, the studio also attempted to block the involvement of the creator of the original series - Gene Roddenberry. Few believed it would work including those closest to the production. Yet Star Trek: The Next Generation went on to enormous success lasting seven seasons and spawning the multi-billion dollar Star Trek franchise, which continues to the present day. Now, more than 25 years later, William Shatner brings together the cast, crew and fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation to present an intimate look inside the development of a television series that became a benchmark for many of the high profile science fiction series that we enjoy today.

I never knew there was so much turmoil in the first few seasons of TNG. I mean I had heard bits and piece of things that happened during the early years but never imagined how bad it really was. There was some great stories from those days. I think it was pretty well rounded, it painted some folks as the "villains" and rightfully so, but others were able to do interviews as well and defend themselves so we got to hear both sides of the story with the true being somewhere in the middle. Though I really enjoyed the program I kind of wish I didn't see it. It's never a good idea to peak behind the curtain of something that you just completely love. Regardless if you're a Star Trek The Next Generation fan you definitely have to check this doc out.

When this documentary was over one of the suggested moves was another documentary called Back in Time. I remember ready about this.. it started off as a Kickstarter project and did really really well so they doubled the length and got more guests including the main actors. So being a Back to the Future fan I had to watch that next.

Cast, crew, and fans explore the classic time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout our culture 30 years after Marty went Back in Time.

This documentary as was well made but definitely made by fans of the film series. Lot's a great interviews and stories. Not being a die hard fan of Back to the Future series I learned quite a bit. One of my favorite was seeing footage of Eric Stoltz in the lead role. It felt like a completely different movie.  This is definitely a must see if you're a fan of this movie series.