Star Trek: The Next Generation Season One
- The Disc:5.0
Available now through Paramount Home Entertainment
Features: The Beginning - doco on the creation of the series; Selected Crew Analysis - first season cast members talk about their roles and careers; The Making Of A Legend - features commentary from first season production staff members; Memorable Missions - cast and crew discuss specific episodes and events.
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Picture: Full Frame
In 1964, writer Gene Roddenberry turned toward producing a new science fiction show by the name of Star Trek. "Now," said Roddenberry, "perhaps I'd be able to talk about love, war, nature, God, sex"¦ and maybe the censors would let it pass because it all seemed so make believe". His first pilot was rejected. The network had found it "too cerebral".
23 years, 3 seasons, an animated series and 5 hit movies later, Roddenberry was given the chance to create Star Trek: The Next Generation, which would go on to become the highest rating show in syndicated history.
Now Star Trek: The Next Generation has finally come to DVD. Featuring all 26 episodes, the 7-Disc Box Set showcases the warmth, humor and the drama that made the series a worldwide success. With intelligent, dynamic and slightly cheesy stories (it was after all the eighties), the first season introduced an ensemble cast lead by English actor Patrick Stewart. With Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Denise Crosby, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton and the brilliant Brent Spiner, Roddenberry had collected a cast whose personal lives found a symmetry with those of their characters. As the show grew and the stories evolved, so did the cast - both on-screen and off.
It was this symmetry that allowed the writers to create a unique blend of action, comedy and melodrama that cemented the show's mantra of exploring the "human condition".
Presented in full screen with a crisp digital transfer, the series still retains a certain nostalgia and 80's charm. These same qualities have been utilized on the Dolby 5.1 sound transfer, which allows the numerous sound effects and the adventurous score to flourish.
Contained on the seventh disc, the extras package is primarily made up of four intriguing micro-documentaries accessed through a Starfleet com-pad. Candid interviews with the cast and production teams (including the late Gene Roddenberry) take you into the heart of the show, from its conception to its creation and through the fears and doubts that you'd find with any first season. With much of the material exclusive to DVD, fans are offered a journey into the world of Roddenberry's vision and the workings of a major Hollywood TV series.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One box set will make the most dedicated Trekker beam, and will introduce a whole new generation to the wonders and ideology of a Starfleet galaxy.
