Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 [DVD] [1966]

Paramount have previously released the original series on VHS, but we have had to wait some time for the release on DVD, and here we get the entire first season on 7 discs. An eighth disc contains the bonus features.

The outer packaging is bold and imaginative, however the pack is let down by the lack of production notes about the first series itself - all there is inside is a 12-side sleeve, with only 5 of those sides directly mentioning what you've actually bought; the first series of Star Trek. The remainder is essentially advertising for the other DVD Star Trek franchise offerings.

Right, criticism aside. Why is this reviewed as a 5-star item?

Paramount have gone back to the master tapes for this series and have treated each episode to an upgrade for today's age. Comparing this DVD to broadcasted episodes I have on VHS show that the picture quality is improved, though not perfect. Remember that this is a television series cancelled after three years that is nearly forty years old now, and the masters were getting on a bit.

The sound has also been treated to a well-deserved upgrade, episodes are presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround, adding a much-needed depth to the presentation.

Star Trek fans will know that there is a prior pilot episode, "The Cage." This was included in the first VHS release of Star Trek 18 years ago. Strictly not part of the first season, although parts of it were used in the two part episode "The Menagerie," it is conspicuous by it's absence, and the pack looks and feels "incomplete" without it. Episode production numbers shown by the side of each episode title bear witness that there is no episode #1.

The episodes are presented here in airdate order - the order that they were first aired by NBC in the US, not as they were produced by Desilu. This means that the pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is actually the third one on the discs, and it's left to "The Man Trap" kicks things off just as it did in 1966.

This item is a complete series as it was aired. As with any new series, you can tell that scriptwriters, directors and actors are getting into the feel of things and getting aquainted with their roles. Every series have their bad days, and Star Trek was no exception, there are stronger episodes than others - some are very weak indeed, but there are episodes in the first series that even now stand out as televisual gems. Do not miss "The Devil In The Dark", "The City On The Edge of Forever", or the episode that provided the foundation that sparked the Star Trek franchise with the 1982 release of Star Trek II, "Space Seed."

Some people knock the original series for hammy acting, bad plotlines and 1960's vintage SFX, however the original series cannot be ignored, it has influenced science-fiction and indeed life for three generations.

Even if you've seen every episode on television. Even if you've got every episode on VHS. Even if you're a Next Generation or later Star Trek fan, and think of TOS as the kooky uncle family members try and ignore, this DVD is a must-buy. After all, this little yellow box contains the seedlings of what has become a billion-dollar franchise.

While at times the acting was hammy, the plots ridiculous, the special effects laughable, there is a sincerity to the writing that conveys Roddenberry's vision of a more-or-less Utopian future (certainly for the human race) better than the later franchises. What will be lost now is the daring quality that the show had when it was first released, with plot lines addressing relevant social issues, thinly disguised as SF and fooling only the censors. This sincerity gives the show its timeless quality, and the sometimes unsuccessful attempts to maintain these same standards have made the series, and the franchises that followed, watchable over its extended lifespan.

No comments on the technical aspects since the disks are on pre-order, but if you have even the remotest interest in Trek then the cleaned up episodes alone make the purchase price well worth it.

The picture quality is, by and large, excellent and sharp, though a good bit more restoration and elimination of dirt and scratches wouldn't have hurt, especially in any scenes containing optical effects, e.g. any shots of the Enterprise in space. The saturated colours are generally vibrant and the sound of a very acceptable standard. Having grown up with watching the scratchy and edited BBC prints it's good to see the series uncut and in the correct order.

Of course the stories themselves are what matters, and these are generally strong and imaginative, with usually good performances, especially by the regulars. I'd forgotten just how entertaining some of these early episodes were.

OK, the production standards are dated in several aspects, though the effects were remarkable for their time, and they couldn't honestly have got the girls' skirts any shorter without the censor stepping in (I must admit that I'm not complaining at all about this aspect, sexist though it may be, and Yeoman Mears in "The Galileo Seven" looks quite gorgeous in her mini dress!), but I'd far rather watch these stories than the more clinical 80s or 90s equivalent.

The extras too are pretty impressive and I do like the layout of the various menus.

All in all this is an excellent way to see one of the most entertaining series ever to land on the small screen and I'd recommend it to anyone, with the only reservations being about the lack of total picture restoration.