Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.33:1
1311 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 mono Spanish, DD 2.0 mono French
Subtitles: Optional Spanish, French
Extras: Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories; “More Tribbles, More Troubles” (with optional audio commentary) from TAS; “Trials and Tribble-ations” from DS9; Trials and Tribble-ations: Uniting Two Legends; Trials and Tribble-ations: An Historic Endeavor; To Boldy Go...; Life Beyond Trek: Leonard Nimoy; Kirk, Spock, & Bones: Star Trek’s Great Trio; Designing the Final Frontier; Star Trek’s Divine Diva: Nichelle Nichols; Writer’s Notebook: D.C. Fontana; original episode previews; Star Trek: Favorite Moments
Released: 5 August 2008
custom box set
During the past decade, Star Trek fans have become used to making return trips to video stores (or post offices for e-tailers) because elaborate box sets were damaged and needed to be replaced. Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2 Re-mastered is no different (at least for me). Before I removed the shrinkwrapping plastic, I could hear plastic bits rattling inside the box. After I removed the shrinkwrapping, the box fell apart in my hands. The front half of the case didn’t stay attached to the back half because the hinge was cracked and a plastic latch at the top of the case had snapped off. The plastic shards/dust scratched the discs during shipping.
The discs don’t have any disc art, so they look like combos. Therefore, I was hopeful that maybe these were secretly HD DVD/DVD combos. When you try to play the discs “face down”, the machine gives you an error message. If CBS and Paramount aren’t going to use one side of the disc, then why not put something on that side instead of making it look like the discs have two sides of content??? I can think of only one explanation--the disc manufacturer simply used combo discs that were already set aside for Season 2’s production run but didn’t encode anything on the HD DVD side.
This new box set has eight discs. Most of the discs have four episodes each, though some have only one or two episodes because disc space was required for bonus materials. For example, Disc Five has “The Trouble With Tribbles” from TOS, “More Tribbles, More Troubles” from Star Trek: The Animated Series, and “Trials and Tribble-ations” from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as related featurettes from one of the DS9 box sets.
The original film elements were restored and re-mastered, so the episodes look much cleaner than ever. New computer-generated visuals replace the 1960s’ use of practical effects such as matte paintings, plastic model ships, and optical effects. Much of what the characters see on the viewscreen was also changed. Thus, you no longer see poor quality stock shots and gaffes such as Scotty using a phaser gun that doesn’t shoot a phaser. The new computer effects are surprisingly not intrusive at all and maintain the spirit of the show’s original aesthetics. The opening theme was re-recorded with today’s audio technology, and Shatner’s opening monologue was re-mastered.
Video:
The video transfers are native 1.33:1 encodes of the re-mastered episodes with new computer effects. The only way to get the broadcast versions of these episodes is to buy the previous SD DVD box sets or forty individual SD DVDs.
With the new transfers, some shots now have a little more information on the top, the bottom, or the sides. On the whole, you’ll see a marked improvement compared to the previous DVD releases. The most-noticeable differences are the colors, which are now very saturated. The strong hues and improved clarity emphasize details such as make-up (particularly during close-ups, to the point where Shatner and Nimoy sometimes look like drag queens!). You’ll also notice just how high and revealing those short-short miniskirts are; I was astonished to see that Nichelle Nichols and Grace Lee Whitney wore costumes that were little more than the swimsuits with skirts from the early 20th Century.
On the downside, the film prints aren’t entirely free of damage or debris. The use of soft focus and spotlights make some faces look like they’re melting (usually the women to make them “glow”), and this approach to filming is made very apparent because of the sharp contrast between regular focus and soft focus. Some backgrounds also yield blobbing/blocking.
Audio:
The primary audio is DD 5.1 English. The re-recorded theme song sounds much better than the other music and sound effects that weren’t updated. This is due to the improved dynamic range of today’s audio technology. The Enterprise’s whooshes from in front of the viewer off to the back sides will cause many heads to turn. Shatner’s monologue also sounds more commanding and robust than ever.
The remainder is impressive for a 1960s TV show--clean and intelligible, but bear in mind that the audio was originally mixed in mono. Therefore, some bass response is still rather hollow, and some music cues sound wobbly.
You can also watch the show with DD 2.0 mono Spanish and DD 2.0 mono French dubs. (Alas, you don’t get the original mono English tracks.) Optional Spanish and French subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
The new extras:
“Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories” is a collection of footage that actor Billy Blackburn shot while he was on the set. The footage has been edited with interviews with Billy Blackburn talking about his experiences.
As previously mentioned, you get “More Tribbles, More Troubles” (with optional audio commentary) from TAS and “Trials and Tribble-ations” from DS9. You also get the “Trials and Tribble-ations: Uniting Two Legends” and “Trials and Tribble-ations: An Historic Endeavor” featurettes from one of the DS9 box sets.
The extras ported from the previous box set:
“To Boldy Go...” is an overview of Season 2. “Life Beyond Trek: Leonard Nimoy” allows the real Spock to talk about his passion for photography. “Kirk, Spock, & Bones: Star Trek’s Great Trio” looks at what made the three characters such a great team. “Designing the Final Frontier” reveals how sets, costumes, and other effects are crafted. “Star Trek’s Divine Diva: Nichelle Nichols” is a close look the actress who played Uhura. “Writer’s Notebook: D.C. Fontana” shines a light on a key writing contributor. Finally, you can watch the original episode previews (i.e. “Next week on Star Trek” commercials).
The extra that was on the Best-Buy-exclusive bonus disc:
In “Star Trek: Favorite Moments”, celebrities, cast, crew, and fans recall their favorite memories.
What’s been lost from the previous box set:
You no longer have the text commentaries for “Amok Time” and “The Trouble With Tribbles”, “Production Art”, the Photo Log, and the four Easter Eggs.
--Miscellaneous--
The discs are held in square plastic trays that are bound together like the pages of a book. The tray-book is enclosed within a cardboard slipcase. Instead of a booklet, you get four plastic cards that provide information about the discs’ contents. Everything is housed inside a plastic shell with a front that has to be pulled forward to open the case.
Update (2 August 2008): The CBS PR rep kindly sent me another copy due to the general damage sustained by my original review copy. Unfortunately, the second copy was also damaged. The two halves of the outside case were knocked apart, and some of the disc trays were shattered. Therefore, I had to combine the best elements from both copies in order to have one "good" set.
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