Product Details

• Actors: Levar Burton, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner
• Format: Blu-ray, Box set, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: July 24, 2012
• Run Time: 1184 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (557 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0083TUEHY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,187 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #45 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Science Fiction

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Warping into syndication in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation successfully launched its seven-season "continuing mission" of the starship Enterprise, and this classy DVD boxed set gathers the show's inaugural season in crisp picture clarity and dazzling 5.1-channel sound. A ratings leader with a sharp ensemble cast, this revamped Trek honored series creator Gene Roddenberry's original Trek concept, nurtured by returning veterans like producer Robert H. Justman and writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold. Several first-season episodes have original-series counterparts, and while the season was awkwardly inconsistent for all involved (including Roddenberry's heir apparent, producer Rick Berman), in retrospect the series began on remarkably solid footing.

Patrick Stewart was perfect as Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard, while Marina Sirtis struggled with a wretched hair bun and an ill-defined character, eventually blessing Counselor Troi with delicate nuance. Denise Crosby made a strong but underutilized impression as Security Chief Tasha Yar, and left the series before season's end, allowing writers to develop Klingon Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) into a fan favorite. Brent Spiner transcended Spock comparisons with his triumphant portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data; and while Jonathan Frakes was accepted as First Officer Will Riker, fans ultimately rejected Wil Wheaton as ensign Wesley Crusher, the teenaged son of the ship's doctor (Gates McFadden). Still, these 25 episodes laid a firm foundation for subsequent seasons, and highlights include the Raymond Chandleresque "holo- novel" of "The Big Goodbye," Data's backstory in "Datalore," the Klingon rituals of "Heart of Glory," and a Romulan encounter in "The Neutral Zone." The DVD supplements (all on the seventh disc) are good enough to make anyone wish for more: four featurettes recall myriad first-season challenges, filled with insider perspective and enough NextGen trivia to satiate all but the most obsessive Trekkers back on Earth. Looking back, it's easy to see why NextGen lived long and prospered. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Set in the 24th century, the exploits of the U.S.S. Enterprise continue as it explores the universe, seeking new life and new worlds.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 127 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the TOS Blu-Ray August 6, 2012

By Matthew T. Weflen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

Content

Well, it's Season One. Having watched it many times over the years, I can say that certain episodes (Symbiosis, for instance) do not hold one's attention very well. On the other hand, other episodes (Justice, if you can believe it) really benefit from the HD upgrade, making them more appealing as a whole.

If you are somehow a new fan to the series, I still think you should buy this, with the proviso that things get markedly better even with Season Two, and certainly are totally cooking by Season Three. Season One is still a vital piece of TNG, introducing scads of characters and backstories. And there are still some superb episodes to be found (Encounter at Farpoint, Where No One Has Gone Before, Conspiracy, among others), and plenty of average shows, too.

Video

But these reviews aren't for new fans, are they? The question is - is it worth spending $60 or more to buy something you already own? Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes!

To start with, overall detail has seen a huge boost, on a comparable or better level with the TOS Blu-Ray set. During facial close-ups, small hairs, pores, beads of sweat, and makeup details are easily visible. Costumes take on a new level of 80s cheesiness, with every crenelation, pleat, sequin, jewel, and bead being crisply defined. Buttons and displays leap off the screen. There is a stable sheen of film grain in most shots, which should make you happy, because it means that we're getting most or all of the detail present on the original negative. Color is another area that is light years ahead of the DVD. The DVD had a mushy, muted color scheme. Here, uniforms are bright, lipstick is ruby red, and spacescapes take on a whole new life....

The two areas of the biggest upgrade are any shots with visual effects in general, and space shots in particular. The way that the show was put together in the 80s, video compositing, led to a huge loss of detail, and the introduction of all sorts of jagged edges and blur. Pieces of 35mm film were essentially run through a VCR and cobbled together at that video resolution (480i). Here, all of the original individual film elements, including live action, visual effects, and model shots, have been rescanned separately and re-composited with modern technology. The result is astounding. Visual effects no longer lead to a degradation of the image. Space shots that were swimming with jagged edges and moire now look as good as current movies and television. The detail on the models is superb - as good as the TOS movies. The happy result is discovering how good many of the effects were, especially on an episode like Farpoint that had the budget to back it up.

Now, some purists will dislike the fact that certain planets have been replaced with CG versions. I think it was a good move, because the planet images in question were really the only "bad" effects on the original, and they would have stuck out like a sore thumb on the Blu-Ray. As with the TOS remastered effects, these planets hew close to the original color schemes and whatever details were in the original. I do wish that the originals were available with an angle switch, but it's really not a huge deal. We're getting the original models and visual effects, just played out over a few new planets here and there. It's not obtrusive and the results always look good.

There are a few episodes (Heart of Glory, Lonely Among Us) that featured many dark scenes, and these don't look great. They still, however, are a big upgrade from the DVD. As a rule, the brighter the episode and the more location shots are featured in it, the more spectacular the show looks. Farpoint and Justice, to my mind, are the real lookers of the set. The average episode presentation is at least as good as any modern HD television show, which is a real treat. And, thank goodness, the episodes are presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. Yes, a 35mm film negative is natively about 16:9. But the shots were framed and matted for 4:3, which means that the extra widescreen space would be filled with lights, boom mics, and hairy union worker @$#-cracks. Do you really want to see those things? Not me.

Audio

Audio is presented in a new 7.1 channel DTS-HD mix. It sounds fine on my 5.1 channel set-up. I am not an audiophile by any means. What I want is an engaging presentation with some low frequency (bass) and surround sounds, but that doesn't drown out the dialogue. This fits the bill as far as I'm concerned. There are some reports of audio sync issues on a few episodes. I didn't notice it myself, but happily, CBS/Paramount is running a free disc replacement program for any users who desire it. Pretty cool if you ask me. Your mileage may vary.

Special Features and Packaging

The "Making Of" and Restoration documentaries would be worth paying ten or fifteen bucks for in a standalone release. That says a lot, I think, about the overall value proposition represented by this set. Both are presented in 1080p widescreen with subtitles. The Making Of doc clocks in at 90 minutes broken into three parts, while the restoration doc runs over twenty minutes on its own. Both are comprehensive and offer looks at things that even the hardest core fans (a class of which I consider myself a member) will not have come across before. The hair and makeup tests were a riot, and I loved seeing some of Andrew Probert's original concept sketches - such as a bi-level bridge with a conference table behind the captain's chair. Also very refreshing is some of the candor present in cast and crew interviews, with many reminiscing not just on the high points, but also the low points of getting Season One off the ground. The restoration doc goes into a very nice level of detail concerning how the original film elements were located and recomposited, what was done to alter certain shots (such as the planets) and why, and it provides copious before and after shots of the two editions.

What really shines through in these special features is the love that the creators and the restoration team had for the material. The whole production just oozes detail-oriented care, and really makes you, the viewer, who has just laid down some serious scratch for the set, feel good about what you've purchased. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of all the original DVD featurettes. So basically, you can sell your old DVDs on Amazon, donate them to an old folks' home, or use them as swank coasters.

The packaging is very similar to the TOS sets. The discs are in a blue plastic case with plastic "pages" holding discs. Irritatingly, the same flaw exists from the TOS sets - the discs do not list episodes on them, and the package insert only lists them on the inside, covered by discs in the case. I flipped mine around so that the episode list shows on the outside.

The package graphics are attractive. Picard, Riker and Data are inset on a Federation logo (no love for the ladies yet, alas), with some red graphics in the background. Presumably, the color scheme will match the DVD progression of colors, which will be nice for those of us who were used to them.

Conclusion

I think this is a must-buy for any fan with an HDTV, personally. The experience is markedly better than DVD, and light years beyond the original airing in the 80s and 90s. It looks better now than it ever has, and it looks comparable to a modern television show. The space shots especially look as good as most big budget movies. When you see the opening title sequence of Farpoint and the first in-episode shot of the Enterprise, you will be sold, I promise you.

The extra features are at a very high level of production and content quality, and lead to what I consider to be a strong value proposition. For the price you're likely to find this at online, you're getting an extremely strong audio-visual experience, with enough new material to really feel like a complete package, even for die-hard fans.

So, and you'll forgive me, if the question is "to buy or not to by," the answer is: make it so! Read more ›

360 of 403 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Over 200 customer reviews for a product that isn't released yet? July 5, 2012

By ThunderBlade

Format:Blu-ray

The policy of Amazon to "fold" reviews together for different variants of a product really sucks. How can there be over 200 customer reviews for a product that isn't released yet?

Because most of them are for the DVD release. But this is the BluRay Release and it's a whole different product! Based on what I've seen on the demo disk ("The Next Level") I assume this Season 1 set will be absolutely amazing, but... I can only guess it, because it has not been released yet!

Dear Amazon, please allow separate reviews for this product, because TNG on BluRay is a *completely different experience*! Even the less good episodes are getting better thanks to the spectacular space scenes, plus you'll feel like being part of the action because it's HD (and in correct colors, unlike the DVD release!).

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FIXED discs in stores! September 17, 2012

By John Lindsey

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

We've just heard back from CBS and have the official answer: There will be "a red delta shield symbol near the top of the O-ring spine" on the packaging of the fixed versions. In addition, the corrected discs will have the same delta shield symbol in front of the disc number on each. We expect the fixed sets to start arriving in stores over the next few weeks - certainly well before the time Season Two streets on 12/4. So there you go.

Hope this will help you guys out!

How will we know when Amazon is shipping out the fixed discs? I would like to know before I order it!

Thank you!

Update: I ordered the Blu-Ray and got it today and it has the fixed discs so you are all safe! :)

285 of 349 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All About The Fitst Set January 17, 2002

By "d1andonly9"

Format:DVD

Each season of TNG will be presented in a highly collectable box set, with seven discs and a pull-out booklet of episode information and a panoramic montage of the crew (Season 2 will have only six discs due to the abbreviated season of 22 episodes versus 26). The seven box sets will create an attractive library of the entire series.

"Star Trek is one of our most popular and enduring video franchises," said Eric Doctorow, president, Paramount Home Entertainment Worldwide. "We are very excited to be releasing Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD because we are now offering consumers the ultimate home viewing experience for this immensely popular show."

The contents of the Season One box set are as follows:

Disc 1: Encounter at Farpoint Parts 1 & 2 (episodes 101, 102), The Naked Now (103), Code of Honor (104)

Disc 2: The Last Outpost (107), Where No One Has Gone Before (106), Lonely Among Us (108), Justice (109)

Disc 3: The Battle (110), Hide and Q (111), Haven (105), The Big Goodbye (113)

Disc 4: DataLore (114), Angel One (115), 11001001 (116), Too Short a Season (112)

Disc 5: When the Bough Breaks (118), Home Soil (117), Coming of Age (119), Heart of Glory (120)

Disc 6: The Arsenal of Freedom (121), Symbiosis (123), Skin of Evil (122), We'll Always Have Paris (124)

Disc 7: Conspiracy (125), The Neutral Zone (126), Special Features

Disc 7 includes the following special features:

- The Beginning: focusing on the challenges of creating a new series and keeping to Gene Roddenberry's vision. Includes interviews with Roddenberry, Patrick Stewart, Robert Justman (former producer of the Original Series), Rick Berman (Co-Executive Producer at the time), Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby and other cast members....

- Selected Crew Analysis: features first-season cast members talking about their roles, their acting backgrounds prior to being cast and their impressions of the Star Trek legacy. Also features a comparison between the launch of the series in 1987 and the comments from the cast seven years later (1994), using archive interviews and b-roll to present a fascinating "before-and-after" look from the series cast members.

- The Making of a Legend: features commentary from the first-season production staff members - Michael Westmore (Make-up), Herman Zimmerman (Production Designer), Mike Okuda (Scenic Artist), Richard Stembach (Scenic Artist), Dan Curry (Visual Effects), Peter Lauritson (Co-Producer), Rick Berman and others - as they discuss the making of the new series. Uncovers information on how the beaming effect is achieved, Worf's make up process and how much time and effort goes into creating each episode.

- Memorable Missions: cast and crew discussions of specific episodes and events that occurred during the first season.

The DVD of Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One is presented in a full-frame version, and the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The DVDs are subtitled in English and closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired.

The Season One box set carries no suggested retail price but is expected to be priced by retailers for their customers at under... It is not rated in the U.S. by the Motion Picture Association of America; it is, however, rated G in Canada. Each disc has a running time of approximately 176 minutes, with the exception of Disc 7, which has 88 minutes of features and approximately 60 minutes of special features. All seven discs are encoded with the Macrovision™ AntiCopy process. The above information pertains to the North American release only. Read more ›