Fans of Star Trek have always had a lot of options to keep them satisfied through the years. From a variety of TV show spinoffs to feature films, Trekkies and Trekkers have had a slew of options to keep their appetites whet. With a box office draw of $76.5 million from the first weekend alone, fans have proven there is still great interest in Captain Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew that we have all grown up with.
For Star Trek fans the first good news is the release of the first season of the original television series, which premiered back in 1966, on hi-def Blu-ray. All 29 episodes are here remastered and offered in both the original network released version and the new enhanced visual versions all in one tidy little package. For a show that didn’t have the biggest budget back in the day, it looks remarkably pristine and beautiful on Blu-ray. The show has never looked better and in fact probably looks superior then when these episodes originally premiered. Now through the process of “branching” you even have the option to bounce back and forth to see the old and new effects by using the angle button on your remote. Although not a seemless transition, the idea is there and is great to see what they did to bring the 60’s TV show up to the kind of special effects fans expect these days.
There are several bonus features included as well. The Spacelift: Transporting Trek Into the 21st Century is a twenty minute featurette on the pain staking efforts they took to update and refresh the look to the series. The Starfleet Access featurette gives indepth information regarding episodes “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” "The Menagerie, Parts 1 & 2," "Balance of Terror," "Space Seed" and "Errand of Mercy." This includes video commentary that will pop-up on screen through the course of the episode all now in HD. Reflections on Spock is a ten plus minute interview with Leonard Nimoy that hits topics from his relationship through the years with William Shatner, to even his inability to escape typecasting from the beloved character. Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner is another ten minute interview with Captain Kirk himself. To Boldly Go: Season One and The Birth of a Timeless Legacy are both roughly twenty minutes in length on making the first season and features mostly interviews from 2003 and 2004. This is a great featurette on the behind the scenes of the difficulty of keeping the show on the air. One of the highlights of the features is Billy Blackburn´s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories that is a collection of home movies shot while filming the episode “Shore Leave.” There is also featurettes including Sci-Fi Visionaries, Interactive Enterprise Inspection, Kiss ´N´ Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century, BD Live and photo galleries to keep you busy after watching season one.
After you’ve caught up on Season One of the original series you are ready for the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection also available for the first time on Blu-ray. This is the first six theatrical films with the original crew of the Enterprise. They included Star Trek the Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country. These are only the original theatrical version and not the Director’s Cut and Special Editions that have also been released in the last few years. It would have been nice to have the “branching” option to bounce back and forth between the two versions (much like they have done recently with the several versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind). However, one suspects that they will be released separately in the not so distant future. Regardless, all the films look surprisingly fantastic, especially since much has been said about the fact that only The Wrath of Khan is listed as being fully restored in high definition. Not sure how much better the other five films can look since they look better then ever in their digital remastered state. Along with the films we have several bonus features with each film to keep you occupied.
Star Trek : The Motion Picture proved that a decade later and against all odds, their was still a strong fan base for the series that was cancelled after only three seasons. Kirk who has since been promoted to Admiral, retakes command of the USS Enterprise when an alien cloud known only as V’ger approaches Earth and threatens to destroy it. Along with the theatrical release, the set includes commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman, The Longest Trek: Writing The Motion Picture, Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind V'ger, BLu-ray exclusives including the Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q.. If that’s not enough there’s even over fifteen minutes of bonus features from previous released editions.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan solidified the success of Star Trek and established the staying power of the franchise. Arguably the best of the Star Trek films, the plot centers around Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) a character that was originally introduced back in 1967 episode “Space Seed,” whom along with his band of followers, are on a quest for revenge. Along with the original theatrical release this disc includes commentary by Director Nicholas Meyer & Manny Coto, James Horner: Composing Genesis, Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics. Also includes Blu-ray exclusives Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q. and over two hours of previous released bonus content.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, directed by Spock himself Leonard Nimoy picks up where Wrath of Khan left off. Dealing with the lost of their fallen friend, Kirk learns that there still may be hope in saving Spock. In his final moments before Spock saved the ship, which in turn meant sacrificing his own life, he transferred his “katra” or his soul into Dr. McCoy. With Spock’s body on the Genesis planet a race against time begins to reunite Spock with his soul while disobeying orders from the fleet. Along with theatrical edition of the film a commentary track by Ronald D, Moore & Michael Taylor, Industrial Light & Magic: Visual Effects, Spock: The Early Years, Star Trek And The Science Fiction Museum And Hall Of Fame, Starfleet: The Vulcan Katra Transfer. Plus Blu-ray exclusives Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q. and over two hours of previous released bonus content.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with its environmental theme was once again directed by Leonard Nimoy. With Spock reunited back with the crew and slowly coming back to normal, the crew head back to Earth to face a court martial. However as they approach Earth they find their planet under attack and realize the only way to save certain destruction, is to travel back in time and retrieve extinct humpback whales. Along with the original theatrical release this disc includes a commentary track by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments, Star Trek For A Cause, Starfleet: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI. Plus Blu-ray exclusives Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q. and over two hours of previous released bonus content.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier finds William Shatner behind the camera directing and also helping in developing the initial storyline for the film. The film centers on Spock’s exiled half-brother Sybok. The crew of the newly created USS Enterprise-A’s shore leave is cut short when they are sent on a rescue mission to save hostages on the planet Nimbus III. Along with the film the disc includes commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens And Daren Dochterman, Star Trek Honors NASA, Hollywood Walk Of Fame: James Doohan, Starfleet Academy: Nimbus III. Plus Blu-ray exclusives Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q. and over two hours of previous released bonus content.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country came out just in time for Star Trek's 25th anniversary and is the sixth film in the series. It is also the last to feature the core cast from the original series. Once again Nicholas Meyer, director of The Wrath of Khan, takes the helm and serves as co-writer of the film that is based on an idea by Leonard Nimoy. When an environmental disaster occurs on the Klingon’s planet, the once enemy of the Federation sets out to make peace. However before the historic summit, the Klingon chancellor is murdered and Kirk and McCoy find themselves on trail. Along with the theatrical release, the disc includes commentary by Larry Nemecek & Ira Steven Behr, Tom Morga: Alien Stuntman, To Be Or Not To Be: Klingons & Shakespeare, Starfleet Academy: Praxis. Plus Blu-ray exclusives Library Computer and Star Trek I.Q. and over two hours of previous released bonus content.
However it’s on the special bonus seventh disc entitled Star Trek: The Captains' Summit, that is only available with this edition, that makes this box set worth the price alone. This recently filmed round table interview features interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. This 70 minute interview is a fun candid chance to see your favorite captains and first officers discuss their favorite moments and behind the scenes experiences with Star Trek.
If you don’t want to shell out that much money for the six films and bonus disc, you can pick up Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy that includes Star Trek II, III and IV. This box set includes all the same bonus features with these films that are included in the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection. This box set within these three films focuses on the relationship between Kirk and Spock and is perfect for the casual fan or the new viewer just getting acquainted with the characters. Of course you lose out on The Captains Summit by going this route.
You can play it even safer and pick up (on DVD only) The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series and The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation to experience the best of the two TV series and educated yourself on the phenomena that is the Star Trek universe. These two discs are perfect DVD’s that include many fan favorite episodes. With The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series the episodes are The City on the Edge of Forever, The Trouble with Tribbles, Balance of Terror and Amok Time. On the The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation the episodes are The Best of Both Worlds (Part I and II), Yesterday’s Enterprise and The Measure of a Man. These two discs are the perfect introduction to both Star Trek series and should get you invigorated to investigated the feature films.
So sit back, set your phasers for stun and get ready to re-experience the wonderful world of Star Trek like you never have before. The Blu-ray releases whether they are from the television series or the feature films, are well worth the upgrade and will have you all worked up waiting for J.J. Abram’s next installment of the Star Trek films.
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