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Real world article
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Star Trek The Real Story poster

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Series: The Real Story
Season: 5
Run time: 49 minutes (NTSC)
Director: Phil Stebbing
Release date: 30 June 2013 (Smithsonian Channel)
Language: English
Digital
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 release
Series: Star Trek documentaries and specials
Run time: 49 minutes
Director: Phil Stebbing
Release date: unknown
Rating(s): TV-PG
Language: English

The Real Story was a documentary series that aired on the Smithsonian Channel focusing on the actual historical, production, and scientific background of Hollywood motion picture productions. The series ran for five seasons from 2009 through 2013, encompassing a total of twenty-six episodes, one of which dealing with Star Trek, entitled as such.

Aired on 30 June 2013 as the first episode of Season 5, the "Star Trek" episode was actually the same Star Trek: The True Story documentary that had already been aired on Discovery Channel earlier that year on 5 January 2013, albeit slightly adapted to fit the Smithsonian series format.

It was the Smithsonian version that has seen subsequent home video releases as digital formats by such companies as Prime Video, Google Play, and iTunes, though it was by 2020 no longer featured anymore on any of them.

In 2018, the Smithsonian issued the documentary as a licensed USA-only DVD under its own title, having been produced in 2017 by PBS under the Smithsonian license. [1] [2]

Summary[]

Series blurb
They've thrilled us, horrified us, and devastated us. They've raised questions about our past and given us hope for a brighter future. They are five of Hollywood's biggest hits, all works of fiction, but all inspired by real events more dramatic than anything a screenwriter could dream up. Join us as we go behind the scenes of "Live Free or Die Hard," "Scream," "Platoon," "The Da Vinci Code," and "Star Trek," and uncover the actual characters and true stories that inspired some of Hollywood's most famous blockbusters.
"Star Trek" episode blurb
Imagine a "Star Trek" where Mr. Spock is the lieutenant of SS Yorktown, and he has a tail. Leonard Nimoy and others tell the Real Story.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

Series credits[]

note: for the in the "Star Trek" episode featured interviewees, see here.
  • Crew
    • Phil Stebbing – Director
    • Duncan O'Neill – Editor
    • Clemens Seiz – Colorist
    • Markus Thüne – Online Editor
    • Tobias Fritzsch – Dubbing Mixer
    • James Sandy – Assistant Producer
    • Luc Tremoulet – Assistant Producer
    • Will Pugh – Director of Photography
    • Dave Prevost – Camera Assistant
    • Nick Green – Lighting
    • Alex Ward – Art Director
    • Cara Stevens – Costume Designer
    • Hannah Phillips – Make-Up Artist
    • Oli Bailey – Runner
    • Corey Johnson – Narrator (Mark Bazeley for "Star Trek"' episode)
    • Audio Network – Music
    • Liam Jacobs – Graphics
    • Mani Shirazi – Archive Producer
    • Rapid Pictures – Post Production Services
    • Cine Plus Media Services GmbH – Post Production Services
    • Looks Films – Online Post Production Services
  • Stock Footage and Stills
    • Star Trek – Courtesy of CBS Studios
    • Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
    • Albert Einstein used with permission of HUJ
    • BBC Motion Gallery
    • Corbis Images
    • Harry Chase
    • Los Angeles Times
    • NASA
    • NASA/ESA
    • Astrophotography by Martin Pugh
    • Astrophotography by Robert Gendler
    • A. Fuji, A. Dyer, NASA, ESA, and H. Weaver (the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)
    • A. Nota (ESA/STSCI)
    • Astromania de Yave
    • ESA/Hubble (L. Calçada)
    • ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser)
    • T. Borders, L. Frattare, Z. Levay
  • With thanks to
    • CERN
    • Dr. Harrison Solow
    • Motion Picture & Television Fund
    • New York State Department of Health
    • Wake-Forest Medical Center
  • For Blink Films
    • Deborah Weavers – Production Manager
    • Libby Daker – Production Coordinator
    • Sarah Vaughan – Production Coordinator
    • Georgia Braham – Researcher
    • Sarah Sapper – Head of Production
    • Dan Chambers – Executive Producer
    • Andra Heritage – Executive Producer
  • For LOOKS Filmproduktionen GmbH
    • Jan Müller – Head of Production
    • Cecelia Valensise – Production Coordinator
    • Gunnar Dedio – Executive Producer
    • Martina Haubrich – Executive Producer
  • For Smithsonian Channel
    • Greta S. Pittard – Director of Production Management
    • Addie Moray – Vice President of Production Management
    • Joy Galane – Executive Producer
    • Linda Goldman – Executive Producer
    • Chris Hoelzl – Vice President of Development
    • Charles Poe – Vice President of Production
    • David Royle – Vice President of Programming and Production
  • A Blink Films / LOOKS Filmproduktionen GmbH production in association with Smithsonian Channel, Discovery Europe, ZDF in collaboration with Arte, Channel Five and BBC Worldwide
  • © 2012 Blink Entertainment

External link[]

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