Featured on the fourth disc of the CBS Paramount animated Star Trek series boxed set, this enjoyable documentary brings together some of the talent behind this often overlooked 1973 addition to the Star Trek franchise. None of the main actors appear, even though all but Walter Koenig did lend their voices (Koenig was one actor too expensive for the notoriously penny pinching Filmation studios, but did contribute a script). As with all the documentaries on the various Trek DVD sets, each clip that is shown (which usually features a bit of dialogue that compliments the words of the interviewees) is accompanied by the title of the episode from which it came on screen. This comes in handy for us IMDb contributors but might seem a bit nerdy and/or anal to others.
It's good to finally see the faces of Lou Sheimer and Hal Sutherland, having grown up with a lot of their work, who seem very amiable and enthusiastic even almost 40 years after the fact. Trek veterans D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold also bring the love and chime in on the 'canonisity' dispute. They are even joined by Enterprise writers Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Mike Sussman who go into some of the references and influences from the first Star Trek spin off (aka TAS) they put into the last (Ent).
Naturally there is nothing but praise for the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Gene Roddenbery, as nobody wants to go into the fact that he later proclaimed the animated series not to be part of the overall continuity any longer (with the possible exception of one episode). But the least said about that the better. The mere fact that you have found this retrospective must mean that you are fond of the series, for anyone who just bought the boxed set for completist sake probably wouldn't even get this far into disc 4.
Speaking as an old school Trek fan, I agree with all the interviewees in seeing TAS as a logical extension of TOS and welcome this 25 minute celebration of the Filmation series.
8 out of 10
It's good to finally see the faces of Lou Sheimer and Hal Sutherland, having grown up with a lot of their work, who seem very amiable and enthusiastic even almost 40 years after the fact. Trek veterans D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold also bring the love and chime in on the 'canonisity' dispute. They are even joined by Enterprise writers Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Mike Sussman who go into some of the references and influences from the first Star Trek spin off (aka TAS) they put into the last (Ent).
Naturally there is nothing but praise for the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Gene Roddenbery, as nobody wants to go into the fact that he later proclaimed the animated series not to be part of the overall continuity any longer (with the possible exception of one episode). But the least said about that the better. The mere fact that you have found this retrospective must mean that you are fond of the series, for anyone who just bought the boxed set for completist sake probably wouldn't even get this far into disc 4.
Speaking as an old school Trek fan, I agree with all the interviewees in seeing TAS as a logical extension of TOS and welcome this 25 minute celebration of the Filmation series.
8 out of 10
