Watch: William Shatner’s Chaos on the Bridge

Chaos on the Bridge tells the tale

Most fans know the difficulties Star Trek: The Next Generation experienced during production of its first season. Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana admitted in a quote included in The Fifty-Year Mission The Next 25 Years, that “there wasn’t a team feeling on The Next Generation at the time.”

The second season saw its fair share of chaos as well, and former Captain Kirk, William Shatner explored the upheaval of the series in the 2014 documentary, William Shatner’s Chaos on the Bridge, which he wrote, directed, and hosted, and co-produced.

Now, thanks to YouTube Movies, you can watch the entire documentary free, and any fan of The Next Generation should jump at this chance. Shatner interviewed many of the behind-the-scenes people, including Maurice Hurley, Ronald D. Moore, and D.C. Fontana, to name a few. And in this documentary, the gloves come off.

Chaos on the Bridge is a tell-all from the people who knew

Originally entitled “Wacky Doodle,” which referred to Maurice Hurley’s description of Gene Roddenberry’s optimism about the future and humanity’s enlightenment, the documentary includes animated graphic art (which really enhances the video) by illustrators Dan Catalin and Daniela Troi to showcase the main events or to show people who are no longer living like Roddenberry himself.

With anecdotes from Patrick Stewart, the casts’ impressions of Roddenberry, and the stories of Leonard Maizlish’s (Roddenberry’s attorney) interference in the show (which most everyone detested), the documentary holds nothing back. It’s 59 minutes of opinions and truth, and it includes details TNG fans might be surprised to learn. A must-watch if you want to know what really happened within the inner circle of the team behind the series.