Customer Reviews

Star Trek: Alternate Realities

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Finally, Paramount wrote back and gave a list of episodes - including a 3rd season original series (remastered) episode that won't be out until the November set is released (and a first for these sets)!
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1 - Star Trek: The Alternative Factor
2 - Star Trek: Mirror, Mirror
3 - Star Trek: The Enemy Within
4 - Star Trek: Turnabout Intruder
5 - Star Trek: The Next Generation: Yesterday's Enterprise
6 - Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Inner Light
7 - Star Trek: The Next Generation: Frame of Mind
8 - Star Trek: The Next Generation: Parallels
9 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 43: Crossover
10 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 66: Through The Looking Glass
11 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 76: The Visitor
12 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 92: Shattered Mirror
13 - Star Trek: Voyager: Before & After
14 - Star Trek: Voyager: Timeless
15 - Star Trek: Voyager: Course: Oblivion
16 - Star Trek: Voyager: Shattered
17 - Star Trek: Enterprise: Twilight
18 - Star Trek: Enterprise: EČ
19 - Star Trek: Enterprise: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 1
20 - Star Trek: Enterprise: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 2
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Enjoy, Trekkers!
(or Trekkies, if you've been around as long as I have...)

The latest in the "Collective" sets, Star Trek: Alternative Realities Collective brings fans 20 episodes, from all five series, with a few new special features at a great price- less than $30. The episodes are divided into four categories, which is a bit confusing given the way they're broken up and arranged.

Among five discs you'll find Mirror Universe (six episodes), Parallel Dimensions (two dimensions), Twisted Realities (four episodes), and Alternative Lives (eight episodes; and no, unfortunately these are not the "gay episodes"). Many of the included episodes fall into various top-ten lists among fan and critic favorites, although there are also a couple of episodes that fall flatly with a giant `clunk.'

Visually, this set falls in at about the same level as past Collective sets. The outer packaging is the same- sturdy paper with slimline cases- and each case has its own artwork both inside and out. Missing from this set is disk artwork- these simply include a listings of the disk's contents.

The navigation system is also similar to previous sets- basic and easy to use, but lacking any animation or music. There are no chapter/scene selection options for individual episodes. Episodes of The Original Series are all the remastered versions, which should make fans happy, as this is a first among the Collectives.

SPECIAL FEATURES

What the Special Features lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality. Each of the four categories has its own set of special features, all of which include fantastic discussions of the episodes by Star Trek legends. Although a few of the interviews come from past box sets, most of the content is new, including insight from writers from Enterprise, Voyager, and SD9, Enterprise directors, and other experts from the ST universe. The featurettes are great for providing context into the episodes, but also for the behind-the-scenes glimpses into the making of the shows as well. Fans of audio commentary might be slightly disappointed; only one episode per disk includes that feature.

Unfortunately, as with past Collective sets, there's no behind-the-scenes footage, and no outtakes. Perhaps they're holding back for something to give us down the road...

This set is divided along four themes: Mirror Universe, Twisted Realities, Parallel Dimensions, and Alternative Lives, showcasing some really outstanding stories from the five Trek incarnations.

The "mirror universe" episodes of "Star Trek" allow the respective casts to pursue not just their darker sides but their uninhibited personas, especially in regards to affairs of a sexual nature.

The original series got things started with "Mirror, Mirror," the classic episode with Kirk (William Shatner), Bones (DeForest Kelly), Scotty (James Doohan), and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) trapped in a reality wherein they belong to a totalitarian society of treachery, deceit, and assassination to get ahead. Guest star Barbara Luna gets to emit one of the best lines in Trek history and Uhura gets to bare some skin and show a don't-mess-with-me attitude when approached by an amorous Sulu (George Takei).

"Deep Space Nine" decided to revisit the same universe in three great episodes ("Crossover," "Through the Looking Glass," and "Shattered Mirror" featured in this compilation and the results are just as titillating. Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks), Dax (Terry Farrell, Chief O'Brien (Colm Meany) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig)have alternates that are a lot less-restrained than their counterparts, allowing some wonderful interplay between them. Kira (Nana Vistor) gets to meet her alternate self, a woman that has "interests" in both the male and female of the species. Both Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Worf (Michael Dorn) have evil twins that allow the actors portraying them a change of pace from their regular "goody-goody" roles. Garek's (frequent player Andrew Robinson) doppelganger is probably more akin to the side of the character that has remained a mystery during the show's seven-year run. Counterparts to Quark (Armin Shimmerman) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) are equally intriguing.

Even Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) gets to visit the mirror universe as he is "kidnapped" by the mirror version of his long-dead mother (guest Felecia Bell).

"Enterprise" chooses to have a two-parter whereby ALL of the regular's alternate personnas take center stage. This makes for a lot of fun as the story features a power-hungry Archer (Scott Bakula), a sexually-charged Hoshi (Linda Park), a sadistic Dr.Phlox (John Billingsley), a merciless Reed (Dominic Keating), and Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) as Archer's silent "muscle. T'Pol's (Jolene Blalock) alternate is almost the same as her counterpart but with a little more revealing attire.

"The Twisted Realities" episodes are just as engrossing, with the standouts being the classic "The Enemy Within" from the original to "Frame of Mind" from "The Next Generation, the latter with a bravura performance from Jonathan Frakes as Commander Ryker.

"Alternate Realities" showcase three of the best ever from "The Next Generation." Tony Todd is brilliant as the adult Jake Sisko in "The Visitor" while Patrick Stewart shines in "The Inner Light," an episode with a crafty premise and a wonderful musical score. "Yesterday's Enterprise" is, without a doubt, one of the top ten from the Next Generation. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar was inspired, but not as much as her surprising second "reincarnation" which would happen some years later.

The two installments under the "Parallel Dimensions" heading are a mixed bag. While "Parallels" benefits from the captivating situation that Worf finds himself in as he bounces from one dimension to the next, the original series' "The Alternative Factor" only serves to remind one of the ill-fated theatrical "Star Trek V." Once seen, the viewer will understand the comparison.

Of the remaining episodes, highlights include a spectacular crash of Voyager in "Timeless," a jaw-dropping destruction of Earth in "Twilight" and the tear-jerker "Course: Oblivion."

In addition to the quality of the episodes, the new visuals on the original series are fantastic!

The special features are cast and crew reflections on the episodes featured in the compilation. Particularly touching are the recollections from guest star Tony Todd about "The Visitor."

I was excited when I saw they were finally making a dvd set consisting of all the Star Trek episodes featuring the alternate realities, and of course the first thing I think of is the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek and all the subsequent episodes which carried on the evil universe story in Deep Space Nine. Problem is a lot of these episodes just don't belong... i mean The Inner Light?! How is that an alternate reality story? How is Frame of mind an alternate reality story? How about Turnabout intruder?! That doesn't make a lick of sense! Instead they should have included The DS9 episode "The Emperor's New Cloak" and some other Mirror universe episodes from DS9! I mean what the hell were the people who compiled this mess thinking?! You don't just pick out random episodes just because they kind of, sort of fit the premise! You pick appropriate ones and you cover as much of the given storyline as you can, otherwise what is the point?! Yeah, these are great episodes but the fact of the matter is you're not getting the complete story if you buy this set.

Nobody has wrote an actual review of this product yet, so I guess I'll do it.

This is a pretty neat set, especially compared to the other ones,like the Borg, and Klingon sets that don't give you much more than what you already have if you have the complete season sets. I havn't seen the "Captains" set so I really can't compare it to that. I was skeptical at first when I picked it up because I have all the OST, TNG, and ENT episodes, but the extras were worth it.

The OST episodes are neat in the fact this was the first time I had seen the Remasters on a screen bigger than my ipod.(I downloaded a few for an international flight) And the shots you do see at the begining and end of "Turnabout Intruder" are really cool. There's commentary on quite a few of the episodes. The One for the "Enemy Within" is alot of fun; the Star Trek authors, Judith Reeves-Stevens and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, give alot of fun insight into the mistakes that nitpickers have been point out for years. "Alterantive Factor" is one of my favorites just because it so weird and doesn't really make any sense.

Brana Braga gives commentary on "Parallels", And David Carson gives commentary on "Yesturday's Enterprise". There's a few other commentary's aswell. Sussman on The Enterprise Episode "Twilight" and there's a couple others I think. Each disc has a little documentary on the episodes for that disc.

It's a fun set for fans, who want the Mirror episodes or the better episodes for a particular series but don't like it enough to by the complete sets, for me that would be DS9 and VGR.

And thank god they didn't reissue "All Good Things" again.

The latest in the Trekkers equivalent of a mix-tape, presents episodes from all 5 series, this time each with an "Altered" theme. The actors get to the chance to really let rip and play off each characters' darker side; either as an evil twin, or in circumstances where their life has taken a wrong turn. The most famous of these undoubtedly is a 'goatee' bearded Mr. Spock, a real highlight of original series episode 'Mirror Mirror'. Typically Star Trek is a positive vision of the future, with a multitude of alien races living together - like a futuristic United Nations. The Mirror Universe is the pole opposite of this, more like a corrupt Roman Empire conquering its way across the galaxy. It's into this setting; a transporter accident strands Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura.

'Crossover', 'Through the Looking Glass' and 'Shattered Mirror' are great choices taken from Deep Space Nine. Set in the same location but a century later, we discover a conquered Terran Empire and come face to face with alternate versions of Sisko, Kira and the inhabitants of space station - Terok Nor. Slightly disappointing however that this isn't the complete saga. But rest assured the best ones are present and it works pretty well as a trilogy. For the record (a dull, Kira episode) Resurrection and (a Ferengi) Emperor's New Cloak didn't make the set.

Next up is 'In a Mirror Darkly', a two-parter from prequel series - Enterprise (much maligned, unfairly in my view). Full of knowing references, as well as a subversive take on the movie First Contact, this is a great swashbuckling romp. Here we learn a little about the Empire's history, before Kirk arrived on the scene. Scott Bakula, better known for Quantum Leap, is on top form here... as a downtrodden Archer who finally snaps and mutinies his way to the top. Into this mix, we discover a ship from the original series has fallen through time. Archer & his backstabbing crew have to fight Tholians and Gorn to order to plunder its familiar looking technology.

Moving on, we reach the 23rd Century proper with Kirk and Spock and an early example of a parallel universe story - 'The Alternate Factor'. Here we meet Lazurus, a man on the run from himself... a dangerous anti-matter duplicate. 'Parallels' from the popular Next Generation centres on Worf criss-crossing between different realities. A fun episode with dozens of subtle differences, including a brief scene revealing what might've happened had the Borg won in a classic story.

Two episodes from TOS 'The Enemy Within' & 'Turnabout Intruder' both showcase a different James T. Kirk. One famously involves the transporter splitting him into two beings - one evil and one good. The other is the final episode from 1969, where an ex-lover gains her revenge, by switching bodies with the Captain.

One of the weirdest, psychological episodes of TNG arrives in the shape of 'Frame of Mind'. Here Riker literally gets caught up in his performance, during a stage play set in an asylum. Following this, a decent late entry from Voyager called 'Shattered' finds Chakotay aboard a ship divided into different time zones, each set in a different season of the show.

'Yesterday's Enterprise' can justifiably be proud of its popularity. It's inspired numerous episodes (apparently including JJ Abrams' new film). History has gone badly wrong for the Next Generation crew. The Klingons are still at war with the Federation, thanks to a ship from the past thrown forward in time. Tasha Yar, a notable and long dead character, avoids her earlier unceremonious fate and she, Picard and his crew get to go out in a blaze of glory.

A change of pace presents us with another TNG outing - 'The Inner Light'. Here we see an alternate life for Picard, as he wakes to find himself living on a dying alien world. Named Kamin, he has a family, all the while trying to shrug off the life he's left behind. Made all the more emotionally charged, though a musical lament he plays on the flute throughout the story. Equally tearful is Deep Space Nine's 'The Visitor', a moving tale of Sisko's son who sees his father apparently die in an accident. In true Sci-Fi style, Jake unable to move on from the tragedy, remains linked to his Dad across time and space. Voyager presents us with a neat twist on time travel, in 'Before and After'. Short-lived alien crew member, Kes finds herself jumping back in time and we see portions of her (and the crews') life in reverse.

We're now in the home stretch of this collection, with two episodes apiece from Voyager and Enterprise. 'Timeless' shows us how Janeway and her crew lost far from home, might never reach their destination. Years in the future, Chakotay and a bitter Harry Kim are revealed to be the sole survivors - unhappy with the hand destiny has dealt them and their shipmates. 'Course: Oblivion' finds a crew falling ill and slowly disintegrating. As their D.N.A. begins to unravel, they discover they might not be who they thought they were.

In 'E2', a battle-scarred Enterprise NX-01 is stopped by another ship manned by their descendents. 'Twilight' shows the full horror of the Xindi's aim to exterminate humankind, from an older, injured Archer's point of view. Both episodes show alternate outcomes to this series' year long arc to save Earth from a devastating attack.

Additional to these episodes, there are 5 audio commentaries from behind the scenes staff members - writers Mike Sussman, G & J Reeves-Stevens, Brannon Braga, David Livingston and director David Carson. Six featurettes delve into the making of each episode.

All in all, equal in quality to the last release in this series - Captain's Log. There are a couple of clunkers, notably not-so classic Trek such as 'The Alternate Factor' and 'Turnabout Intruder'. Interestingly how all 4 original series episodes included are the remastered versions, with new CGI replacing the 60's model shots. If you're curious to see if updated FX result in a decent alternative, and assuming the other episodes appeal, then getting this set might be worth your while.

This is one of the best of the Star Trek Collectives; there are four episodes from each of the five series. Most of the past collectives have been pretty bare bones in terms of features, but there are nice featurettes for Mirror Universe (2 parts), Parallel Dimensions, Twisted Realities, and Alternate Lives (2 parts)--that makes one featurette per disc with 2 on disc 2 (though part 2 of Mirror Universe is short). The featurettes are mostly talking heads, clips, and stills--no behind the scenes visuals--and a good bit of the info consists of overviews of the episodes, but I enjoyed them, and compared to earlier sets, they are generous.

There is one audio commentary per disc--the one for "Crossover" was a little dry, the one for Twilight is an old one, but new ones by Brannon Braga (Parallels), the Reeves-Stevens (Enemy Within), and David Carson (Yesterday's Enterprise) were great.

I wasn't a fan of the Enterprise Mirror Universe episodes when they aired because they denied us two hours with our regular characters--but I found myself actually liking them as part of this set. They are good campy fun, and I chuckled a lot watching them. I own the original series seasons as they aired, so I enjoyed the chance to see the remastered versions. Some of my least favorite episodes appear--Turnabout Intruder, Course: Oblivion--but info from the featurettes allowed me to see them with fresh eyes, even if it wasn't enough to make me a fan of them. There are 20 episodes here--and unless I'm mistaken, "Yesterday's Enterprise" is the only repeat from an earlier collective. I won't list them since others have.

All in all this is a very nice set of episodes centered around interesting themes. I might have dropped an episode or two, added a couple, and switched one or two to another of the four sections--but all in all, this is an excellent sampling of Star Trek. Four of the five commentaries are new, viewers get to own a few remastered episodes of the original series, and the featurettes are nice. There's a whole lot of excellent Star Trek here for a fair price. If you don't own any Star Trek at all on dvd, or if you own the other collectives, you will definitely want to buy this set. If you own the episodes already in series sets, you have a tougher choice--but I enjoyed the set quite a bit.

I think these collections of various Star Trek themes and episodes are a wonderful idea. I own all the collections and my family and I enjoy watching them. I own the complete original series and the complete Voyager series as well. This is a great way to collect the best episodes of the other Star Trek series without buying the complete sets.
I would like to see a complete list of episodes on this new collection 'Alternate Realities'. It would be nice if Amazon would do this with the other product info.

I'm really enjoying this set so far, but I am disappointed that two of the five DS9 Mirror Universe episodes were left out of this set ("Resurrection" and "The Emperor's New Cloak").

I'm also happy that the original series episodes have the new and improved special effects.

All incredible episodes with some of the best acting and character development in all Trek. These episodes shows that the angelic portrayal of Star Fleet is not always true, and by doing that these episodes shows their human side. And humanity isn't always pretty. See your favorite characters behaving contrary to type in familiar but odd circumstances. I highly recommended.