Shatner talks "Star Trek" with former captains

The documentary was written and directed by William Shatner who interviews the various actors who have played "Star Trek" captains through the decades.

For Shatner, the film helped him clarify feelings about the series that he hadn't been aware of. Indeed, the veteran actor recently allowed that while he always loved "Star Trek," it was only recently that he developed a new fondness for his fellow starship commanders. In fact, Shatner called the "Captains" documentary "a work of love" and said "it was a voyage of discovery" because he learned so much about himself during its making.

He interviewed each of the "Trek" actors in different settings, taking actor Scott Bakula horseback riding and arm-wrestling Chris Pine on Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue. Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer on "Star Trek: Enterprise" while Pine inherited the mantle of Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' 2009 film reboot of "Star Trek.")

Shatner talks with Patrick Stewart - Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" The actors relate how each other's evident on-screen passion for his respective role has contributed to the proud legacy both feel for their involvement with "Star Trek" - a high point of the film.

Shatner also talks with "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's" lead, Avery Brooks, who played Captain Benjamin Sisko. Shatner joins Brooks - who comes off as something of an eccentric in the film - in a hilarious ad-lib duet while Brooks plunks away on a piano in his home.

Next, Shatner journeys to the New York City theater district to talk shop with Kate Mulgrew, who starred as Trek's first female captain, Kathryn Janeway, in "Star Trek: Voyager."

"I discovered traits among the six of us that I had no idea about, and I discovered things about myself," said the 80-year-old Shatner. "That's what my voyage was on this film."

The actor said he's also developing a new show about fan conventions because he has been so moved by "Trek" fandom.

At first, he said, "I rejected it... but I finally see that people have taken 'Star Trek' into their hearts."

My hope is to delve deeply into these actors' psyches, find out more about them so you can . . . see what common denominator there is among us as actors that brought [us] to this worldwide renown as part of 'Star Trek,'" Shatner said.

Segments of those interviews are then woven throughout the narrative with clips from the shows and films. Other series actors offer insights as well, while some comic relief comes courtesy of Shatner and company hamming it up at a "Star Trek" convention.

"Look at you - you're me 30 years ago," Shatner said to Pine in the film as the two meet, oddly, at a table placed in the middle of a sidewalk in Los Angeles. The actors then proceed to arm wrestle over who is the better Captain Kirk. You can read more about "The Captains" at Space.com.