Review of Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Introduction

Whether you love it or hate it, Star Trek is a worldwide phenomenon and the stars of the original series at least are icons. The biggest of all are William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and here is an opportunity to see them talking together about their time together in that series. Set in the garden, and then the study, of Nimoy`s house, this programme explores their feelings as they essentially interview each other.

I was struggling to find anything else to say as an intro, but I find the blurb on the back of the case is a good summary:

The Phenomenon - how Star Trek changed their careers and lives
The Creative Battles - the pressure of both making a landmark weekly series and then re-opening the Star Trek legacy as a movie franchise
The Original Crew - The rivalry, jealousy and conflict between cast members and creators
The Personal Impact - Pressures on families and friends, and the struggles with addiction and personal demons
The Final Frontier - Looking back over their lives, facing death and remembering Deforest Kelley

Video

The picture is an anamorphic 16:9, which kind of surprised me considering the set-up here. The picture quality is good, but then it`s mainly a static shots. There are obviously a few cameras being used as this piece doesn`t feel like set pieces or individual scenes. Some old still shots appear from time to time, but mainly it`s just the two in chairs talking.

Audio

A functional Dolby 2.0 Stereo soundtrack, it`s mainly dialogue so this is perfectly acceptable.

Features

Nothing, bar a web link for Prism Leisure.

Conclusion

When I was a child I thought I was a big Star Trek fan. I watched it whenever I could, but never managed to see it all. I had the annuals and the books of the series, so if I hadn`t seen them I`d probably read the episodes I`d missed. Then as I grew older I started to learn about things like conventions, and I suddenly realised that I wasn`t that much of a fan at all. I found it strange that people can live through a series and allow it to define themselves as people. At this point, I should point out that I have been to one convention, but that was a Babylon 5 one as the series really started to take off in the UK and I went in my own clothes, thank you. Whilst I`m convinced that Galaxy Quest nailed the convention thing to a T, I also believe it gives the stars of yesteryear and their fans an opportunity to connect.

The original Star Trek universe had something that has been lost forever. The Next Gen and DS9 attempts to bring it back were admirable but flawed. I`d rather not talk about Voyager at all, thanks. I had hopes for Enterprise to bring back that feeling, but ultimately that failed as well. I can`t remember most episode titles and I certainly don`t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the USS Enterprise Mk whatever, so I guess ultimately I am an average sci-fi fan. Watch the shows, read a bit and then move on.

Part of this moulding as a fan was the belief that Nimoy and Shatner were sworn enemies of sorts. I`d always believed that Nimoy considered himself the serious actor as per Sam The Eagle from the Muppet Show, who must have been based on Nimoy. Likewise I always thought Shatner considered himself the ultimate hero who spoke in a strange non-acting way, got the stuffing knocked out of him before beating the bad guy and always got the girl, albeit with torn shirt and muddied brow.

So it was a nice surprise to actually find that both these men are very close friends with an obvious affection for one another. Both are relaxed as they talk about not only their days in Trek, but also personal traumas from their personal lives. A lot of what is discussed here is probably not news to serious fans, but it is a nice hour or so to while away listening to the two veterans having a chat. They are never banal and surprisingly often able to finish each others sentences in a way only very close people can.

The biggest surprise for me was that more time, from what I can remember, was spent discussing their personal lives than Star Trek itself. Both Nimoy and Shatner talk about their early careers, the impact that fame and TV work had on their families and ultimately on themselves. This film is essentially a variation on the late night reminisces on the porch that has been a staple of film forever, but it works incredibly well. It helps that the two are different in many ways, but also that they are so comfortable talking with each other and were clearly the star roles in the series. I`m not convinced this would have worked as well with anyone else.

An interesting way to lose about an hour, I just wish it could have lasted longer as I would loved to have heard more.