Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 2 [Blu-ray] [1988] [Region Free]

In some ways season 2 is an easy target and you often hear more lazy reviewers revelling in criticising it. Having to contend with a The Writers Guild strike, the introduction of the less likeable Doctor Kate Polaski and containing Shades of Gray which is undeniably the worst episode of The Next Generation bar none it is unfortunately encumbered. However whilst watching season 2 you start to encounter episodes that show the writers are starting to hit their stride and are getting much better at writing tight stories and developing the characters, which becomes a more consistent hallmark of the following seasons. Episodes like Where Silence Has Lease, The Measure of a Man, Q Who and others really are excellent (admittedly mixed in with a few duffers).

As mentioned in other reviews the picture quality is more variable in this season 2 release compared with season 1, it should still be stressed however that even when the picture quality is at its worst it is still miles better than the DVD releases. The first episode The Child as well as not being a particularly strong story also has the misfortunate of being one of the worst offenders, the picture can go from heavy grain, to perfect 1080p picture quality to overtly smooth within a few moments from cut to cut, on one of the extras it is mentioned that they experimented more with different types of film stock when filming season 2 and I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but sometimes especially in The Child the sudden shift in picture quality can be jarring. I should point out that this is more the exception than the rule, but you need to be aware that it exists.

One of the many reasons I am treasuring these blu ray releases is that the extra picture clarity really lets you appreciate what amazing actors the main cast are. You can suddenly see with more clarity subtle looks and gestures which were lost on the fuzzy standard definition programmes which almost makes it feel like you're watching a new episode and can really see a cast that is acting it's socks off and giving it 110%, which is no clearer than Patrick Stewart's performance in The Measure of a Man, that man oozes talent. Nagilum looks truly terrifying in high definition, and when Data (with perfect comedy timing) rips up his wrapping paper in The Measure of a Man you can see that the actors playing Wesley and Troi are laughing for real at what has just occurred (which I'd never picked up on before in SD), and it's touches like that that really make releases like this special.

For me the positives of what this blu-ray transfer offers far outweighs the negatives, but you just need to go into this purchase aware that there are negatives there... especially if you're paying full price.

Another worthy TNG release although as mentioned in other reviews I hope CBS learn their lessons from this release to really set the standard on the hallmark season 3 which everyone will be waiting for.

Having purchased Season 1 and seeing how amazing TNG looked on Blu-Ray, I was really looking forward to getting this set. I felt watching the whole thing before I reviewed would be appropriate.

Whilst this is definitely the highest standard this Season has ever been completed too, there are some little niggles that means it only get 4* such as the inconsistent image clean up which came across as grainy in certain shots, not on every episode, but the drop in quality was noticeable for that time. It wasn't for extended periods and certainly did not ruin the episodes.

Watching it with Surround Sound certainly adds to the suspense of some episodes.

I would definitely say buy this set if you have season 1, its a massive improvement over the DVDs and shows TNG in detail never before seen making episodes you've watched before feel brand new. Roll on Season 3.

Well it's finally here and all the concerns about a repeat of the problems experienced with the first season release can be addressed.

The first season of the restored high definition version of Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST: TNG) is a triumph Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 1 [Blu-ray][Region Free]; yes there were the well documented `technical issues' but putting them to one side surely nobody who has seen any of it can deny the stunning visual and audio quality.

I grew up watching the series on television and subsequently spent a small fortune buying them all on VHS and DVD Star Trek the Next Generation: the Complete Seasons 1-7 [DVD], but the huge improvements in these new Blu-ray versions completely justifies purchasing them once more in my opinion.

I'll start with a quick season overview before moving on to details of the set itself.

The second season of ST: TNG ran from 1988 to 1989, and due to his growing popularity following transmission of the first season, Lieutenant Commander Data played an increasingly central role, much as Lieutenant Commander Spock did from the original series. Many of the best episodes centred around the wonderful character that Brent Spiner bought to life, such as "The Measure of a Man", "Elementary, Dear Data" and "Pen Pals".

Lieutenant Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) was promoted to chief engineer, he had frequently shown his technical knowledge as the first season went on and this felt like a very natural progression for the character; I suppose I must not forget to mention young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), yes he was there and in my opinion he was just as annoying!

The beard made its first appearance on Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) reacquainted himself with K'Ehleyr, who would one day provide Worf with his son Alexander.

The fantastic Diana Muldaur came on board as a replacement for Gates McFadden and played the ships new chief medical officer Dr. Katherine Pulaski, I think she was a great addition and it's a shame her character only stayed for the one year, it would have been most interesting to see how her character could have evolved.

The Enterprise's beautiful counselor, Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), continued to be an underused character although she does have some memorable moments with her mother Lwaxana, played brilliantly throughout the season by original series veteran Majel Barrett.

And last, but most certainly not least, we have the peerless Patrick Stewart in his role of Jean-Luc Picard; he built on his work from the first season and further convinced us of his superb leadership qualities, at the same time showing us that along with his intelligence and wisdom he was also an incredibly brave and courageous warrior.

We were once again treated to an appearance from Q (John DeLancie), and we had our first meetings with Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan and the Borg, really showing what the show was capable of producing.

The full list of 22 episodes featured on this Blu-ray box set are:

1. The Child
2. Where Silence Has Lease
3. Elementary, Dear Data
4. The Outrageous Okona
5. Loud as a Whisper
6. The Schizoid Man
7. Unnatural Selection
8. A Matter of Honor
9. The Measure of a Man
10. The Dauphin
11. Contagion
12. The Royale
13. Time Squared
14. The Icarus Factor
15. Pen Pals
16. Q Who
17. Samaritan Snare
18. Up the Long Ladder
19. Manhunt
20. The Emissary
21. Peak Performance
22. Shades of Gray

This was the shortest season of ST: TNG, with all other seasons having 3 or 4 more episodes, and this was due to a writers strike at the time in America.

This is the season that the show really started to take shape; yes, the first season certainly had its moments and laid down many of the important foundations that led to the show's success, but it could be a bit 'hit and miss' with respect to the quality of episodes and several of the stories were copies of ones from the original series.

The second season is far more consistent, it has a much more cinematic feel to it, and it includes some episodes that can stand proudly with the best from the entire cannon; The Measure of a Man, Time Squared and Q Who spring to mind and there is also Peak Performance, one of my personal all-time favourites.

This set is 5 discs, the first season having 6, with the discs having a combination of between three and five episodes and extra material.

The extras featured are largely in line with those in the first season collection, and there are also some really fascinating additions:

1. Episodic Promos
2. 1988 On-Air Season Two Promo
3. Energized! Season Two Tech Update (HD)
4. 1988 Reading Rainbows segment with LeVar Burton
5. 2012 Reading Rainbow iTunes Promo (HD)
6. Archival Mission Log: Departmental Briefing Year Two: Production
7. The Measure of a Man (HD Extended Version)
8. Audio Commentary on 'The Measure of a Man' with Melinda Snodgrass and Mike & Denise Okuda
9. The Measure of a Man (Hybrid Extended Version)
10. Gag Reel
11. Archival Mission Log: Inside Starfleet Archives: Penny Juday - Star Trek Coordinator
12. Archival Mission Log: Selected Crew Analysis Year Two
13. Archival Mission Log: Departmental Analysis Year Two: Memorable Missions
14. Deleted Scenes: The Icarus Factor, Up The Long Ladder
15. Audio Commentary on 'Q Who' with Dan Curry, Rob Bowman and Mike & Denise Okuda
16. REUNIFICATION: 25 Years after Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD)
17. MAKING IT SO: Continuing Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD)
18. Archival Mission Log: Mission Overview Year Two

The extras on this season two set really are excellent, with the two main features running to nearly two and a half hours long.

For me though the most intriguing extra is an extended HD version of the episode 'The Measure of a Man', considered by many to be one of the very best episodes of Star Trek ever.

This is the first time it has ever been made available and is actually a first cut of the episode, featuring deleted scenes and alternative camera angles that were thought lost; it has been found, cleaned up, reconstructed in high definition and has even had new two new visual effects added to integrate the original and the new material.

I would say that although this new version of the episode is probably no better than the original, which is no bad thing, as a long time fan who has seen the episode countless times it is really fascinating seeing it in this new cut.

Both the extended version and the original "network" cut of the episode are included in this Season 2 Blu-ray box set, so you will be able to compare and decide for yourself which one you think is best!

The featurette entitled `REUNIFICATION: 25 Years After Star Trek: The Next Generation' has been specially produced for this set; it features all the main cast members sitting round having a chat about their memories and experiences; it is just over an hour long and it really is fantastic, it is great fun and the cast clearly enjoy the reunion! It reminded me a lot of the excellent featurette 'The Captains Summit' available on the Star Trek Movie Boxset Star Trek: Films 1-10 Remastered Special Edition Box Set [Blu-ray] [2009].

The picture quality is once again simply stunning; but, BUT...... not consistently so.

My initial thoughts were that this second season is as much of a triumph as the preceding one, and for large parts it is.

The textures on the fabrics and other surfaces look almost good enough to touch, the detail on faces and hair also make you realise just how poor the VHS and DVD versions are, and the special effects shots do look far sharper.

However, following on from comments from other reviewers I have looked at the season in more detail and also compared it directly to the Season One (S1) release and I have to admit that some of the criticisms are correct.

On closer examination the effects shots just aren't as impressive as they are in S1, some scenes have varying degree's of clarity and the more I have watched the more I notice a 'fuzziness' with the black areas on screen.

I think the problem for me was that it's been a while since I watched the S1 Blu-ray and I have never before seen footage from S2 on a Blu-ray (I had seen footage prior to release but this was via the internet), so on initial viewing it does look tremendous; it's not until one casts a more critical eye over it that it's inconsistencies are apparent.

I would have thought that the advantage with the second season is that much of the original material has actually been preserved better than that from the first season and so the HD image should be even more astonishing; my thinking therefore followed that the team responsible for its remastering should have had an 'easier' job of things?

I have heard rumours that the team that worked on S2 were different from those who worked on S1; if this is indeed the case I hope this problem is corrected for S3.

Fortunately the sound is once more brilliant, 7. Read more ›