The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series

Region 1 CBS/Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.33:1
200 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 mono Spanish, DD 2.0 mono Portuguese
Subtitles: Optional English, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: previews for other products

Released: 12 May 2009

In conjunction with the release of J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek re-boot in movie theatres, CBS and Paramount are flooding the market with new Blu-ray and DVD editions of Star Trek programming. This flood includes two “best of” compilations meant to introduce new fans (whose interest might’ve been piqued by the new movie) to The Original Series and The Next Generation. Each “best of” DVD contains four episodes each from the two series, and they both offer a good mix of fan favorites alongside genuine high points.

The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series includes “The City on the Edge of Forever”, “The Trouble With Tribbles”, “Balance of Terror”, and “Amok Time”.

Kirk, Spock, and Bones are amazing. They are greatest triumvirate/troika/trinity of any and all fiction. Credit must be given to the writing, of course, but the chemistry between William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Deforest Kelley is what raises the characters’ interplay to such great heights.

Of the four episodes on this disc, my favorite is “Balance of Terror”, which introduced viewers to the Romulans (my favorite alien race in Star Trek). This is really Shatner’s show as he goes toe-to-toe with Mark Lenard as a Romulan commander. The two men are equal in cunning and leadership, and they respect each other’s professionalism. This is probably the best example of an under-funded production transcending its production values. The tension is so unrelenting and brutal that you might find yourself curling your toes or gripping your armrests in this space version of submarine warfare.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” is frequently cited as an exemplar of sci-fi writing (by Harlan Ellison, no less), though much of the running time is spent on a developing romance between Kirk and a pacifist played by Joan Collins. “The Trouble With Tribbles” is an exemplar of another Star Trek tendency--the unfortunate temptation to get “cute”.

“Amok Time” is a serious episode, but here’s one instance where I don’t think that the show transcended its production values. Vulcan looks obviously fake and terrible. The props are laughable. The guy who plays Stonn seems perpetually constipated. The Vulcan rituals--especially the gongs--make me giggle. The fight choreography is so goofy that I sometimes find myself gasping for breath after doubling over in laughter.

I love TOS, but I feel affection for it more than any other emotion. Given the choice, though, I tend to reach for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country when I want to watch the original cast.

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 Blu-ray box sets being released this year, the first round of SD DVD box sets, or the 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.

Extras:
The only disc-based extras are previews for other products.

--Miscellaneous--
The keepcase includes two inserts advertising other products.