| Title: The Sixty-Year Mission (2026) Director: Mark A. Altman Writer: Mark A. Altman Studio: Altman Entertainment // Galaxie Pictures IMDb Plot: The Sixty-Year Mission charts the remarkable voyage of an iconic cultural phenomenon proving that truth is stranger than science-fiction. Joe Says: Warp-speed storytelling, fascinating behind-the-scenes insights, and a whole lot of love for Star Trek. Mark A. Altman’s The Sixty-Year Mission is an entertaining, accessible tribute to the franchise, though the original series boldly goes where the documentary spends most of its time. |
The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World is a celebration of Star Trek, particularly the original series, spearheaded by Mark A. Altman. Altman, co-author of the acclaimed oral history The Fifty-Year Mission and co-host of the award-winning “Inglorious Treksperts” podcast, knows a thing or two about Trek. But unlike Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, or the nerds in that classic Saturday Night Live sketch who are told to get a life, Altman presents his Treksperts knowledge with warmth and generosity. His enthusiasm is infectious, and The Sixty-Year Mission is an inviting celebration that welcomes everyone from the fan who knows every color of a Horta to the newcomer who mistakenly calls Leonard Nimoy’s iconic character “Doctor” Spock.
Starring and executive produced by William Shatner – James T. Kirk himself – The Sixty-Year Mission boldly explores the importance and enduring relevance of Star Trek, from its 1960s origins to its place in popular culture today. The original series was never merely about purple backdrops, rubber-suited aliens, and green women. Their stories used science fiction to confront real-world anxieties: from the political tensions of the Cold War and the shadow of Vietnam, to questions of race, equality, and humanity’s future. The casting of Nichelle Nichols as communications officer Uhura and George Takei as helmsman Sulu helped make a more inclusive future visible on American television.
Star Trek offered audiences both escapism and an invitation to imagine something better. Altman and Shatner set out to remind us why that vision mattered then, and why it still matters now.
The documentary is packed with interviews and archival footage. Shatner, Takei, and Walter Koenig provide immediate connections to the original series, while writers, producers, and creative minds from across the franchise help illuminate the show’s legacy. Even familiar faces from outside the Trek universe, including actor Wayne Knight and comedian Dana Gould, add perspective. The result is a lively mix of history, personal recollection, behind-the-scenes insight, and unabashed fandom. There is plenty here for longtime Trekkies to savor, but Altman never makes the material feel like an exclusive club whose membership requires a degree from the Daystrom Institute.
The Sixty-Year Mission moves at warp speed, keeping its interviews and historical material zooming without getting slowed down in the Neutral Zone. The original cast receives its due, as do creator Gene Roddenberry, second-season showrunner Gene L. Coon, and cinematographer Jerry Finnerman. The documentary soundly recognizes that Star Trek was not the product of one man’s vision alone, but the result of a creative collaboration that brought an extraordinary fictional universe to life.
Yet, despite a title promising a journey through six decades of Star Trek, the original series is clearly the star of this particular voyage. The Next Generation, the theatrical films, and the subsequent television series are only given a Vulcan salute of acknowledgement. For a franchise that has expanded into so many spin-offs, characters, and creative eras, there is a lot of history left in the transporter buffer. A teased follow-up focused on the theatrical films, presented in a mid-credits sequence worthy of a Marvel production, suggests that Altman has more stories to tell.
The Sixty-Year Mission is a fast-moving, thoroughly enjoyable tribute created with the affection of a filmmaker who understands that Star Trek is about more than starships and phasers. Rather, it is a show, a vision, about what we might become if we choose to do better.
There are still plenty of strange new worlds left to explore, but as a celebration of the series that started it all, Altman’s documentary is a mission well accomplished. Indeed, one can say that it is… fascinating.
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