Let's face it - there are millions of us on this planet for whom William Shatner was and has been a key part of something very, very special indeed - life-changing and life-shaping. While the voice is very much what it was, the face is obviously a little different. But still, at age more or less 90 when this episode was made, Shatner is looking good and has presence. Our expectations of Shatner - as of Captain Kirk, his most durable creation - are of somebody lively, sassy, charismatic, emotional, a little pushy, able to think (but also think on his feet), with a certain sense of humour and an element of brusqueness that so famously rubbed so many of his fellow cast-members up the wrong way. That's Shatner/Kirk and this is whom we encounter in this episode, and at some level anyone who loves Trek (and therefore Shatner) will actually find themselves thanking the Lord that the man-icon is still with us.
Really and truly that is the feeling, and it would be a good starting point for any review, not least for a series like Shatner's "Unexplained" also shown on History Channel.
But here it's far more of an enjoyable ride, as - given the pandemic-format "Ancient Aliens" (studio-bound, recaping, going back to old footage, making contacts online), we have here the genius idea of getting WS around the table with many of the talking heads. This is male-only company as it happens, and there's a touch of the "Officers' Mess" about it. Occasionally even "laddishness". But - believe or believe not in the "Ancient Alien Hypothesis" - it IS possible to accept that Childress, Henry, Taylor, Pope, Tsoukalos and the others are LIKEABLE. And in the lively banter we see here, in the attempts of one to even scramble over the others in seeking to best convince Shatner (portrayed as the open-minded sceptic) of what they believe, the pundits only reinforce an image of (boyish?) enthusiasm coupled with basic decency. If these guys are frustrated that the mainstreamers ridicule them (as they may indeed be), the desire to present and enlighten overcomes any aspect of bitterness and resentment in them, and it is quite a pleasure to see it.
While the odd ribald remark comes out, there is no sourness and sarcasm here, and these people give a warm and pleasing account of themselves and their beliefs. They want Shatner to believe too, they produce quite strong arguments, and a lot of fun and laughter and - yes indeed - humanity - is on display.
While it is somewhat incorrect to pin this whole concept on Eric Von Daniken (See Harold Wilkins, Walter Drake, Robert Charroux and Peter Kolosimo - who were all out in print before Eric, in the '50s and ealy '60s), it again has to be said that von Daniken called up online for this episode does himself plenty of maestro-type favours with his evident gentleness matching neatly with that surprisingly soothing voice. Many, many times the man has been portrayed in a hugely negative light, yet none of that really comes across - surprisingly enough.
The more I watched, the more I found it priceless. While plenty of stuff from the series (even over many years) is rehashed here, and while the science is stronger and weaker, the round-the-table idea WAS a wise one, and it makes for a surprisingly compelling and fun TV experience.
Really and truly that is the feeling, and it would be a good starting point for any review, not least for a series like Shatner's "Unexplained" also shown on History Channel.
But here it's far more of an enjoyable ride, as - given the pandemic-format "Ancient Aliens" (studio-bound, recaping, going back to old footage, making contacts online), we have here the genius idea of getting WS around the table with many of the talking heads. This is male-only company as it happens, and there's a touch of the "Officers' Mess" about it. Occasionally even "laddishness". But - believe or believe not in the "Ancient Alien Hypothesis" - it IS possible to accept that Childress, Henry, Taylor, Pope, Tsoukalos and the others are LIKEABLE. And in the lively banter we see here, in the attempts of one to even scramble over the others in seeking to best convince Shatner (portrayed as the open-minded sceptic) of what they believe, the pundits only reinforce an image of (boyish?) enthusiasm coupled with basic decency. If these guys are frustrated that the mainstreamers ridicule them (as they may indeed be), the desire to present and enlighten overcomes any aspect of bitterness and resentment in them, and it is quite a pleasure to see it.
While the odd ribald remark comes out, there is no sourness and sarcasm here, and these people give a warm and pleasing account of themselves and their beliefs. They want Shatner to believe too, they produce quite strong arguments, and a lot of fun and laughter and - yes indeed - humanity - is on display.
While it is somewhat incorrect to pin this whole concept on Eric Von Daniken (See Harold Wilkins, Walter Drake, Robert Charroux and Peter Kolosimo - who were all out in print before Eric, in the '50s and ealy '60s), it again has to be said that von Daniken called up online for this episode does himself plenty of maestro-type favours with his evident gentleness matching neatly with that surprisingly soothing voice. Many, many times the man has been portrayed in a hugely negative light, yet none of that really comes across - surprisingly enough.
The more I watched, the more I found it priceless. While plenty of stuff from the series (even over many years) is rehashed here, and while the science is stronger and weaker, the round-the-table idea WAS a wise one, and it makes for a surprisingly compelling and fun TV experience.