10 Must-See Star Trek Documentaries Every Trekkie Should Watch
If you're a Star Trek fan, you probably spend a lot of time revisiting your favorite episodes and movies on Paramount+. However, if you want to experience your favorite franchise through a different lens, you'll need to visit a strange, new streaming world. Specifically, you'll need to beam over to Tubi!
This free streamer has some fascinating (as Spock might say) docs that are completely free to watch. Time to replicate your favorite snacks and check out the essential Star Trek documentaries on Tubi that go where no fan has gone before.
For the Love of Spock
The death of Spock actor Leonard Nimoy understandably hit fans hard. After all, the fandom already mourned the death of his character in The Wrath of Khan and rejoiced at his rebirth in The Search For Spock . Unlike Spock, Nimoy can never return to us, but his spirit lives on in works such as For the Love of Spock .
This documentary is directed by Leonard's son, Adam Nimoy, and it offers the insight and intimacy that can only come from a family member. The doc covers how the Spock character sent so many shockwaves through pop culture, but it doesn't shy away from how Nimoy's fame as an outer-space hero caused some problems for his family here on Earth. And while Spock was not known for his emotions, be warned: this documentary drops some heavy-hitting facts about the sometimes strained relationship between father and son.
What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
While some philistines disagree, the blunt truth is that Deep Space Nine is the greatest Star Trek show ever made. The series gave us franchise firsts, including season-long story arcs and extremely dark episodes focusing on internal character conflict. Those who loved DS9 are sure to love What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , a documentary that closely examines the legacy of Trek's most complex show.
Co-directed by DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr, What We Left Behind extensively features interviews with most of the show's key actors (sadly, no Avery Brooks though). It's truly delightful to hear these actors discuss everything from the motivations of their characters to their own thoughts on the show that made them famous. Plus, those who long for more Deep Space Nine will love the part of the documentary where the show's writers returned to map out what a hypothetical Season 8 would have looked like.
The Captains
As the elder statesman of Star Trek, it only seems fitting for William Shatner to be the de facto voice for the famous franchise. And in The Captains , a feature-length documentary, he sits down to interview everyone who (up to the documentary's 2011 premiere date) had played a leading role in a Star Trek show or spinoff.
Shatner sits down with everyone from Patrick Stewart and Kate Muligrew to Scott Bakula and Chris Pine, with each actor offering unique insight into their role. And as a DS9 superfan, I particularly loved Shatner's interview with the reclusive Avery Brooks. We also learn a bit about Shatner and his mixed feelings about Star Trek, and he delivers some fun surprises, like an interview with Christopher Plummer (best known to franchise fans as General Chang). By the end of the doc, you'll know more about these charismatic captains than ever before.
Additionally, the full doc has also been broken up into individual episodes as a mini-series, under the name The Captains Close-Up , all of which you can watch on Tubi, too.
The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek
If you're in the mood for a broader examination of Star Trek and its rich legacy, you can't go wrong with the documentary series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek . Narrated by Gates McFadden (who played Dr. Crusher on The Next Generation ) and produced by The History Channel, this series of 11 episodes serves as an extended love letter to the franchise, complete with a killer production value that many others lack.
Episode by episode, this doc series lays out the complex history of Star Trek, including its surprising source of funding (thanks, Desilu!) and the origin of the spinoffs, which began with the underrated Animated Series and failed Phase II project laying the groundwork for The Next Generation . The documentary never really gets into the TNG movies or anything beyond Enterprise , but it may be the most comprehensive account of this beloved franchise's venerable history.
Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime
While Kirk and Spock were best buds aboard the Enterprise, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy often had a more contentious relationship off-screen. That's why the documentary Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime is so captivating: it features both actors sitting down and having a frank discussion about Star Trek, including how it impacted their lives and how they felt about franchise creator Gene Roddenberry.
All of this ties into the tongue-in-cheek title, of course. The documentary is a melding of Shatner and Nimoy's minds, giving us a kind of composite view of Star Trek as a whole. It's not without flaws, of course, and some fans may find the focus and runtime both a bit too narrow. But it's fun to see Shatner and Nimoy chopping it up together, all within (minus the fun porch hang) the cozy confines of Nimoy's tastefully appointed home.
Roddenberry's Trek
For better or for worse, most Star Trek documentaries are led by the actors, writers, and directors who brought these shows and films to life. If you're in the mood for something a bit more academic, you should check out Roddenberry's Trek , a doc directed by James Forsher. The doc focuses mostly on Gene Roddenberry, including what motivated him to use The Original Series as a platform to speak out against institutionalized racism and other social ills.
The real Roddenberry was a very complicated figure, and some fans may not love how much this feels like a hagiography at times. Still, none can deny the immense impact that he had on our wider culture, and it's rewarding to see a documentary that tips its hat to his cultural contributions. Shining a lens on the past while charting a better path forward, this doc is wonderfully optimistic.
Get A Life!
In a now-infamous Saturday Night Live sketch, William Shatner implored desperate Trek fans to "get a life!" And the Get A Life! documentary keeps that vibe going, allowing the Kirk actor to examine the more extreme ends of fandom with a lighthearted approach.
Now, you might need a thick (some would say Klingon-like) skin to fully enjoy this quirky doc. From beginning to end, it's designed to poke fun at the same kind of über fans who have kept the Star Trek franchise alive all these years. Those with a good sense of humor, though, will find their laughs multiplying like Tribbles.
Trekkies
Trekkies came out in 1997, which means this documentary focuses on what many consider the golden age of Star Trek. And fans of that era will be delighted to discover the doc is hosted by Denise Crosby, who played Security Chief Tasha Yar in The Next Generation . Fortunately, she didn't have to pull her phaser on any of the titular Trekkies featured in the documentary.
Interestingly, this doc appeals to Trek fans and non-fans alike for different reasons. For nostalgic nerds like me, it's fun to go back and revisit a time when Trek was completely dominating the airwaves. For everyone else, it's fun to see just how crazy fans can get!
Chaos On the Bridge
Even casual fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation know that the show had a remarkably tumultuous first season. But only a few hardcore fans know that the poor early quality stemmed from an entire warp core of behind-the-scenes drama. And if you want in on the secrets of what nearly destroyed this spinoff before it made it out of drydock, you should check out William Shatner's Chaos on the Bridge .
By interviewing surviving writers, staffers, and even a showrunner, Shatner pieces together a strangely operatic tale of Gene Roddenberry trying to retain as much creative control of his famous franchise as possible. There were also alleged incidents involving his lawyer that are darker and stranger than any episode. And credit where credit's due: Shatner reins in his usually boisterous interview style, allowing the trainwreck of The Next Generation 's early seasons to speak for itself.
Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues
Want more nostalgic documentaries? Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues was released in 2000. That was one year before the release of Enterprise and one year after the release of The Phantom Menace . For the filmmakers, this was the perfect time to release a documentary that used old interviews and new narrations to compare these blockbuster sci-fi franchises.
The results aren't exactly conclusive, but the real joy of this documentary is seeing stars from both Star Trek and Star Wars talk smack about their franchise revivals. There's also plenty of charm in the segment featuring the debut of Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. To those of us who miss grabbing drinks in the real-life Quark's Bar, this is the next best thing to time travel.
Every Star Trek season is a mixed bag of episodes. These documentaries are quite similar, with some being of much higher quality than others. Each doc has one important thing in common, though: it helps fans learn more about the most prolific science fiction franchise in history.
