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copyright 2006-2010 by Star Traveler Publications
copyright 2006-2010 by Star Traveler Publications
There are two things which Trekkies know about Paramount: they have no idea why the
franchise is still popular after 43 years, and they will never let an opportunity pass to
try to sell Trekkies some new version of the same Trek merchandise they have already.
As this new spring rolls around Star Trek is once again in theatres, so fans were already
braced for the onslaught of new collectibles - even dieting as they saved up their
“Kellogg’s” and “Burger King” coupons in anticipation.
With a new cast in the familiar TOS roles and a completely re-imagined universe for
them to bound around in the sweeping variety of merchandise was inevitable. What was
not inevitable, and what comes as a welcome surprise, is that the studio is still reaching
out to the original series fans that have kept the franchise alive for all these decades
with new tempting treats to feed their long running obsession with Star Trek and the
original cast. Given Paramount’s misunderstanding of what drives Trekkies and their
obsession with milking the cash cow the question that looms is...
“Is any of this worth it?”
READ ON>>>>
franchise is still popular after 43 years, and they will never let an opportunity pass to
try to sell Trekkies some new version of the same Trek merchandise they have already.
As this new spring rolls around Star Trek is once again in theatres, so fans were already
braced for the onslaught of new collectibles - even dieting as they saved up their
“Kellogg’s” and “Burger King” coupons in anticipation.
With a new cast in the familiar TOS roles and a completely re-imagined universe for
them to bound around in the sweeping variety of merchandise was inevitable. What was
not inevitable, and what comes as a welcome surprise, is that the studio is still reaching
out to the original series fans that have kept the franchise alive for all these decades
with new tempting treats to feed their long running obsession with Star Trek and the
original cast. Given Paramount’s misunderstanding of what drives Trekkies and their
obsession with milking the cash cow the question that looms is...
“Is any of this worth it?”
READ ON>>>>
The answer is: resoundingly “yes”.
Simply, here’s why:
This set has it all, no matter what type of Trekkie you are... and it interacts in a
way that will allow Trekkies in different camps to actually watch the episodes
together without mayhem breaking out.
THE CONTENT:
This seven disc set includes all 29 first season episodes of Star Trek: The
Original Series, starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard
Nimoy as Commander Spock, DeForest Kelley as Doctor Leonard McCoy, James
Doohan as Chief Engineer “Scotty”, Walter Koenig as Ensign Chekov, George Takei
as Lt. Sulu, and Nichele Nichols as Lt. Uhura. These classic first season episodes
laid the groundwork for the rest of the iconic series with some of the best
episodes of the 79. (Three of them, in fact, are included on the “Best of TOS”
collection: “Balance of Terror”, “Amok Time”, and “City on the Edge of Forever”.)
Two of the episodes spawned sequels (“Space Seed” and “I, Mudd”) and all of
them featured the unwavering hope for the future, the hidden social commentary,
the “family” dynamic in great science fiction which made TOS great. The disc also
contains a host of special features, presented in the original 4:3 aspect ratio with
English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Original 2.0 Mono, Spanish 2.0 Mono
and French 2.0 Mono sound.
If you are a fan of the series that started it all, you probably already have all
three seasons of TOS on DVD: and you may have the HD remastered set that
was released in 2007. Either way, you have glimpsed the “enhanced” special
editions of the TOS episodes and you either love them or hate them: and you’re
probably willing to fight your position until you lose your voice.
What cannot be argued by any fan is the visually stunning picture quality which
“remastering” gives viewers - quality that was never seen, not even in the 1960's.
Restored from the original film negatives, the colors are vibrant, the contrast
remarkable and the focus sharp. Details are so evident it is even distracting in
some instances. While you can now appreciate textures and read the monitors,
you can also see makeup problems and both zippers and loose threads on
costumes. The remastered audio is crisp and clear in 7.1 DTS Master-Audio.
What is argued by fans is the one step further the team of visual effects folks
went in updating the 1960's effects with 21st century digital masterpieces. To
some fans this is blasphemy, and oftentimes the brilliant “space” shots seem
discordant with the original shots on the ship itself...almost as if they are from
two different shows. The one thing fans agree on are the replacement matte
paintings of planets and their surfaces. The new depth and detail (including folks
walking across a new bridge in “Requiem for Methusala:) add a dimension of
reality to these landscapes that take ones breath away.
For the first time fans on both sides of the “remastered” arguement can watch
the first season episodes together: and gather on-the-spot fodder for their
intellectual debate. The Blu-ray release of Season One features brand-new
technology that allows viewers to seamlessly to toggle back and forth between
the newly enhanced visual effects/audio and the original broadcast
effects/audio.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
On All Discs:
* “Preview trailers” - included for each episode are the original promo spots that
aired in the 1960's and they give fans a true flavor of “being there”.
* “Starfleet Access” - included on 7 of the episodes, this feature provides a
split-screen option to get extra information and trivia about what you are seeing
on screen through the use of a stack of icons. The icon labeled “Genesis” loads a
parallel video clip with commentary by a host of different Trek alumni. While
distracting from the episode, the clips are a treasure to of information for the
loyal fan.
Disc One:
* “Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century” - This 20 minute feature
consists of interviews with the team that remastered the special effects, and
gives fans an insight into everything from the process to the finite details of
accomplishing the transformation.
Disc Three:
* “Reflections on Spock” - For 12 minutes Leonard Nimoy reflects on playing
Spock and the public’s reaction to his 1970's book, "I am Not Spock".
Disc Four:
* “Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner” - the first of the “Life Beyond Trek”
features, Shatner talks about his (and Elizabeth’s) love of horses and competitive
equestrian sports in this 11 minute piece.
Disc Five:
* “To Boldly Go ... Season One” - One of the best added features, this 19 minute
retrospective of the first season includes video clips of Trek alumni and guest
stars.
* “Birth of a Timeless Legacy” - 24 minutes of archival interview footage with
principal actors and producers of the series. Their discussion of the genesis of
the series includes plenty of information organized well.
Disc Six:
* “Interactive Enterprise Inspection”- an interactive feature which grants you an
extensive video and audio tour of the Enterprise. From the vantage point of a
shuttlecraft, you can access computer information on the purpose and
functionality of different sections of the ship.
* “Sci-Fi Visionaries” - A 16 minute discussion by Producer Robert Justman and
story editor Dorothy C. Fontana of their efforts to commission scripts from
renowned sci-fi writers in order to give the show substance.
Disc Seven:
* “Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories” -
Who thought people would be interested in Star Trek in 40 years? No one, but
Billy Blackburn (a supporting player in nearly every episode) spent his free time
on the sets shooting personal 8mm film. This 13 minutes of his recollections of
working on the set and his home footage is a treasure beyond compare.
* “Kiss 'n' Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century” (SD 8 min.) - an 8 minute feature
of clips and interviews about the many love interests of Kirk, and the other
characters.
WHY YOU NEED TO BUY THE BLU-RAY SET:
* Bu-ray - it’s here to stay, and visual quality of the episodes is stunning.
* BD-Live - planned as a feature on all Star Trek Blu-ray releases is this online
portal which includes a diverse collection of photo galleries, data bases, video
clips, games and other features.
* An exclusive collectible Sulu figure from Diamond Select Toys is also offered
free with purchase of this Blu-ray set for shipping and handling charges.
WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR 2007 HD DVD’s:
Several features on the HD version of this set did not make it in the transfer to
the Blu-ray version. If you have a HD player still, you will have exclusive access to
the “Five Collector Data Cards” (a table of contents which identifies which
episodes and features are on which discs), the “Star Trek Online Game Preview”,
the “Trekker Connections” menu-navigation game, the “Starfleet Access” for the
"The Galileo Seven"episode, and the 90-minute “Star Trek: Beyond the Final
Frontier” documentary hosted by Leonard Nimoy (originally aired on the History
Channel in conjunction with the 40th Anniversary auction at Christie's).
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (Blu-ray)
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Pricing: $118.00 US/ $136.00 CAN
Catalog #: 142414
Runtime: 24 Hrs., 20 Min.
U.S. Rating: NR
Canadian Rating: G
Subtitles in English SDH, French, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish.
| Star Trek on Blu-Ray TOS 2009 |
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON ONE on Blu-Ray |
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES THE MOVIE COLLECTION on Blu-Ray |