''Trek Nation'' is a 2011 documentary film directed by Scott Colthorp examining the positive impact that ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' and creator

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

may have had on people's lives as seen through the eyes of his son, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr. It includes interviews with castmembers and crew from all five ''Star Trek'' incarnations as well as with various fans and celebrities who were markedly influenced by the show while growing up. Rod Roddenberry also visits

Skywalker Ranch Skywalker Ranch is a movie ranch and workplace of film director, writer and producer George Lucas located in a secluded area near Nicasio, California, in Marin County. The ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road, named for an early-20th-century la ...

to learn about the influence ''Star Trek'' had on

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

. The film premiered on November 30, 2011 on

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

Production

The documentary was conceived in 2001, although Rod Roddenberry said in interviews that the concept began with the death of his father, Gene Roddenberry, in 1991. He stated that the film was based on discovering his father rather than ''Star Trek'' in general. It was shot by Rod Roddenberry between 2001 and 2010, he said that "I'd never done a documentary before. This was 10 years of trying to figure out what to do. We made mistakes all the way." ''Trek Nation'' was produced by Roddenberry Entertainment and New Animal Productions, with Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Nicole Rittenmeyer as executive producers. It was created as an antithesis to the 1997 documentary ''Trekkies'', and was intended not to concentrate as heavily on costumed fans of ''Star Trek''. ''Trek Nation'' was first broadcast in the United States on the television channel

on November 30, 2011. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on the channel

Quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...

on July 29, 2012.

Reception

John Tenuto of TrekNews.net wrote " it is rare that after 45 years, any Star Trek documentary could present surprising information or genuine emotional content considering all that has precede it. Trek Nation achieves both results." Jana J. Monji of RogerEbert.com described it as a "somewhat indulgent documentary".

Home media

The documentary was released as two disc DVD on 9 July 2013.

References

External links

*
''Trek Nation''
on

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*
Actor Wil Wheaton elaborating on his participation in the documentary
{{Star Trek, state=expanded Star Trek fandom 2011 television films 2011 films 2011 documentary films Documentary films about Star Trek