Customer Reviews

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two (Remastered Edition)

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Ever since I watched the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" back in 1996 and saw the classic Enterprise displayed with modern effects, I dreamed about one day seeing the entire Orignal Series retouched in such a magnificent way. 10 years later, that dream came true. Granted, the series does still retain that 60's feel (especially with the bombastic style of the music, and of course the "military uniform" mini-skirts), there was so much of it that made for great television even for today. The effects being updated really gives the series credibility and believability for viewers and allows the original series to fit in properly with all the incarnations that came afterward. Bringing it to High-Definition was truly a great idea, and the live-action image quality is drastically improved, so much so that at times it gives the series an entirely new feel!

Agreed by both casual viewers as well as die-hard fans, the second season of "Star Trek" provides us with a multitude of favorite episodes. Two episodes in particular that are given excellent treatment and incredible updating are "The Doomsday Machine" and "The Immunity Syndrome". "The Doomsday Machine", next to "The City on the Edge of Forever" is considered one of the best from the Original Series, even in its unrefined form. The updating on this episode put it into near movie-quality, far surpassing many Star Trek episodes, includng many from other spin-off series, and even perhaps a couple of the motion pictures. An interesting effect, to me, was how the remastering of "The Immunity Syndrome" made a not-so-great episode into a spectacular episode! The 1966 effects were good at the time, but the remastering gives it a whole new sense of realism and scope. Other classic episodes like "Amok Time", "The Trouble With Tribbles", and "Mirror, Mirror" are given good treatments, also.

As of August 6th, I've purchased this set and have been thoroughly enjoying it as much as I knew I would. One of the most common complaints of one-star reviewers is that this season, unlike the previous season's release, is ONLY on DVD, not on Blu-ray or even HD-DVD. Don't let that discourage you. Even in this standard DVD version, Star Trek is given new life unlike ever before. This DVD's visual quality is far better than any previous releases, especially since that this is a down-conversion of the cleaned-up High-Definition source. On a regular 480i/p CRT TV, it looks superb. On an HDTV, a good 1080p DVD up-converter will give you an excellent picture from the DVD; granted of course, it will not be the same as an HD release (no up-converter can do that, but they can get close). The truth of it is that this DVD will be better than what you can see on broadcast TV. I've even noticed that the standard DVD quality is better than the "HD" TV broadcasts.

There have also been those who have wondered what Gene Roddenberry would have thought of this rebuffing of the series. To answer that, here is a segment from an interview with the executive producers of the remastered project on that very question:

"What do you think Gene Roddenberry would think of the remastered effects?

Dave Rossi: When Gene passed away and his estate requested that all memos and paperwork from the Original Series through TNG be turned over, I was the person whose job it was to wade through 27 years of material. One theme that popped up with some regularity in Gene's memos was "What can we do to improve the visual effects?" While that alone isn't an answer, the support the Roddenberry family and people like Bob Justman have shown during this project really reinforces the notion that Gene was always striving to improve the effects to help bring the world of Star Trek alive. We're honored to help fulfill that wish.

Mike Okuda: We had a number of long talks with Matt Jefferies before he died. For understandable reasons, Matt was one of our heroes. He was inwardly very proud of his work on Star Trek, but he was always very apologetic for the limitations of 1960s production techniques. He kept saying how he wished he had the technology that was developed after the show ended. We always responded by reminding him that his designs were a major reason why the show remains successful and watchable to this day. At the same time, it convinced us that he would have been the first to stand in line to update his own work, if he had been able."

Bottom Line -- If you are willing to wait for the Blu-ray versions, that's fine. I'm not. As a lover of the Original Series, it's just too good to pass up. My hat's off to to all those who participated in this extraordinary remastering effort and for turning a dream of mine into reality.

Star trek has been written about probably more than any show. From its countless pop culture references, to it examination of political and social commentaries, Star Trek has been talked about ad nauseam. Given the vast amount of writings, in some ways, its almost arrogant to try and add something new. However, if you're reading this, you're probably not as interested in a review of the series and episodes as much as you're interested in whether the Blu Ray is worth getting. I will say this new Blu-ray is something rather special. The picture is amazing, and I feel almost like I'm watching the show again for the first time, kind of like when you've heard a joke a hundred times, but then one day you hear it a little different and you laugh, like its new but familiar as well.

However, the trouble is that the Blu ray is almost too good. I can tell when the make up meshes with real skint. I can tell when a punch misses the target. In fact, the Blu Ray is so clear that you can actually see and clearly identify the stunt doubles as they are intermixed with the close up of kirk or whoever is fighting. So your interest in the Blu ray may vary. While the show's strengths in story and acting are highlighted, the weaknesses of the technology are made the more apparent. That being said, I love having the ability to watch both the new and old effects addition, as well as the slew of special features included makes this a must have for me.

The second season of "Star Trek: The Original Series" was a particularly strong one with many outstanding episodes but it also had its share of duds as the grind of producing a weekly TV series wore down the production team. This new remaster uses digitally restored episodes along with new visual effects added recently. Episodes such as "The Doomsday Machine" and "Amok Time" both benefit substanially from the new visuals. The former episode a tense one about an ancient artifact from a long forgotten war that destroys planets features new visuals that compliment the story. The original model for the U.S.S. Constellation which is ravaged by the planet eater was an AMC model that looked terrific at home not so terrific when compared to the Enterprise model. The visual effects crew burned and damaged the plastic model but it never looked realistic. Here you can actually see the support beams where the skin was torn off the Constellation in battle.

It makes the episode that much more powerful and the scenes as the Enterprise swiftly moves in to attack the machine look particularly good even if they are in standard definition on this DVD.

We also get duds like "The Omega Glory" where Gene Roddenberry attempts to use a "Trek" episode as a metaphor for the Cold War. Gene L. Coon left during the second season which means the show lost of one its most creative writer-producers. Coon was one of the finest writers on the production team (along with D.C. Fontana and John D.F. Black during the first season)during the first and second season John Meredyth-Lucas (who wrote the classic episode "The Changling" where the Enterprise's fate hinges on a case of mistaken identity by an old space probe and which probably inspired Alan Dean Foster's story "In Thy Image". That story was to be the pilot episode of the new series with most of the original cast. When "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was put into production instead Harold Livingston (with some rewrites by Gene Roddenberry) retooled the episode into a feature film directed by Robert Wise) came on board and wrote/directed a number of very good episodes filling much of the void left by the late Coon.

We get almost all the originals special features ported over from the previous boxed set of the second season except for the text commentary tracks. We also get "Billy Blackburn's Home Movies" which gives us more footage behind-the-scenes narrated by Blackburn that was shot when the show was in production. Additionally, we get the "Star Trek: The Animated Series" episode "More Trouble, More Tribbles" with David Gerrold's optional commentary track and the "Trials and Tribble-ations" amusing tribute episode from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". There are also some extras ported over from the "DS9" set that had this episode on it including two featurettes "Uniting Two Legends" and "An Historic Endeavor" which discusses the challenges of creating this episode, making it work as a "DS9" episode even though it had a "gimmick" and the difficult in combining the "DS9" crew into the old "Trek" episode. We also get previews for the episodes. The menu is the same design as the previous set. Kudos to Paramount for including the other two "Tribble" episodes with the extras. While it didn't cost them much to include they could have given us NOTHING.

In place of a booklet we get the individual plastic cards that have a picuture on the front from an episode on that set along with details on the back about the episodes and extras. I don't like the cards although they are a clever concept. Which brings us to the flimsy packaging. The plastic case would be great if the hinges weren't so delicate and broke so easy. The design is sharp and the intent was good but the execution was lacking.

The problem with this set though is simple--this was originally to be a dual sided DVD/HD-DVD combo. While the HD-DVD format may be dead, Paramount went ahead and used the two sided hybrid discs that they had purchased for the previous season set to manufacture these but didn't put anything on the "HD" side of the disc except the same disc info as on the previous set. I understand that Paramount was reluctant (with their funding from Toshiba pulled who paid Paramount for the exclusive rights to release this to HD-DVD)to continue on but they should have finished what they started for HD-DVD owners. If nothing else, Paramount should have put episodes on the flip side with the original visual effects so fans could view either version of the show.

I'm disappointed that Paramount didn't put together a Blu-ray version in time to coincide with this release but I suspect they recognized that many fans will buy this AND the Blu-ray so they could double dip. The HD masters were probably already prepared so they should have come out at the same time.

Regardless, this is a fine season with some episodes sporting new visual effects that make a difference while others they are mere decoration. The extras are fine but Paramount should have included the original episodes with the original visual effects or the HD-DVD versions. They also should have released this to Blu-ray at the same time. Recommended but with hesitation because you just know a Blu-ray version is in the pipeline.

I reviewed most of The Original Series episodes during the initial DVD release which began in 1999. So, the comments here focus on the new edition.

Doubtless, Paramount will eventually release these episodes on Blu-ray. But even at standard definition, the picture has never looked better. The colors pop off the screen, scratches have been removed, and grain, while noticeable, has been reduced to a bare minimum. Unfortunately, with the improved picture, flaws in the original production are also more noticeable: shadows from boom microphones are detectable, zippers can be clearly seen in many of the uniforms, and 20th Century buildings can be seen in the background of "A Private Little War." Still, the picture shows the obvious care taken with the lighting and composition of the original shots (very different from today's flatly-lit, smash & grab style of television filming).

Of course, the primary focus of this new release is the new CGI visual effects. Season Two had a number of effects heavy episodes, including "The Doomsday Machine" and "The Immunity Syndrome," and they benefit the most from the new effects. Most of the new space shots are very convincing, remaining in the original spirit of the series. Only a few of the shots are major deviations from the originals, such as when the shuttle is seen exiting the Enterprise from the outside. Restraint seems to be the watchword here, and I would have liked to have seen a little bit more done, such as the replacement of some very dated view screen graphics in "The Changeling," and correction to faulty composite shots, such as in "Bread & Circuses." But the enhanced background plate in "By Any Other Name" is simply stunning, and the expanded castle front seen in "Catspaw" (an otherwise weak episode) is subtly done.

The discs also include audio tracks in Spanish and French, although my partner (fluent in Spanish) tells me many of the Spanish translations are not faithful to the English originals. As for bonus features, the real highlight is Billy Blackburn's behind the scenes movies, which show the actors in costume but out of character - a real treat.

Bring on Season Three!

Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Second Season (Remastered)

The shows are great, but don't expect a collector-quality product in the mail. Amazon fails to pack it properly and the plastic case is easily shattered where the two halves come together. That's not a big deal if you're just looking for the DVDs to watch, but if you wanted a collector's item that could increase in value over the years, this is not the way to go.

I recently picked up Season 2 remastered. After the glowing reviews of others, and how much I liked the HD-DVD remastered release of season 1, I thought I couldn't go wrong. Ok, I own the original DVD Season 2 release already, but being a big trekkie fan and never seeing the remastered shows of season 2 on broad cast, I picked it up. P.S. I'm no purist, and I love the new CGI space scenes. (personally, I wish they had pushed it further).

Alright, well the picture quality for me in this set is no where near as good as Season 1 HD-DVD remastered. I'm sure all of it is due to the difference in formats. But,= still, for me it's a big drop off, and compared to many of other recently release DVD's , it doesn't really look as good. I only really see a marginal difference between the original DVD season 2. Further, the special features aren't any different that the original DVD set, and is the area I'm really disappointed. I would have loved some sort of fan commentary track or critic track. There is so much history to these episodes, added commentary tracks would have made it a must buy for me.

So bottom line, if you don't own the first Season 2 DVD's already, and want to see your star trek now...well I recommend. But if your someone who really sees the different in HD over standard pictures and/or own the original DVD season 2 set, then just wait for the inevitable bluray version or for season two to completely come to xbox-live/i-tunes, where you can cherry pick the remastered eps you want.

Like many, I grew up watching Star Trek reruns on TV, but I was too young to watch the series when it originally aired in the mid-1960's. So, I've seen all the episodes many times, but never uncut and complete. (And unlike many, I never went out of my way to collect TOS on DVD).

However, when I saw the new "remastered" Doomsday Machine episode on TV, I was thrilled by the prospect of not only seeing this series uncut, but with many of the effects scened redone using modern CGI.

And yes, they're cool to watch! I'm sure this remastering process will bring an entirely new generation to watch this series who might not otherwise.

The problem I have is with the kooky weird packaging. All I want to do with DVDs is: 1) quickly find the episode I want, 2) get it out of the packaging without causing damage to the DVD, 3) play it, and 4) return it to the package without damaging the DVD.

Instead of using some mundane packaging approach, like individual slim cases in a cardboard box, we have a transparent case that you have to open a certain way, and then slippery cards that you have paw through to find the episode you want, and then leaf through each of the eight disks in what seems an all-to-easy-to-break eight-way jewel case, each with one side exposed, until you find the disk you want. Better keep them in order, or you'll be reading the little tiny fine print on every single disk just to find the one you want. The nature of the packaging makes finger and thumbprints all over the "non-media" sides of the disks inevitable. I imagine I payed extra for this "special" packaging too.

So, love the new series, hate the packaging. There are some areas where "boldly going where none have gone before" isn't necessary.

I have been a Star Trek fan since it first premiered back in the sixties. I taped all the episodes when Sci Fi ran them uncut. Thanks to DVD, and now Blu-Ray, however, you can own a great quality version of your favorite shows. This blu-ray set is fantastic. I am a purist...I don't like the idea that they messed with the classic shows and redid all the special effects. However, I am watching them that way out of curiosity. But the best part of this set is, the originals are still on here, in the same high quality blu-ray can offer. The interface is easy, the picture quality is supurb. I used to watch this in reruns in such bad quality prints, this is refreshing to see them like this. The audio is better than can be expected...truly a great effort in dealing with a classic. Highly recommended for the traditional Trek fan. Even if you don't like the revamped effects, the old ones are still here. Here is looking forward to season two, which I already have on pre-order.

I rate this season box set 5 stars for one reason, the "Doomsday Machine" episode alone. The new the special effects should confince you to pre order right now. When I saw this episode air on TV a few months ago. I kept checking to see if and when the box set will be released. You will not be diappointed when you purchase it.
When I get done with this review I am ordering mine.

I'm a great fan and I must say I never thought it would get such a fantastic treatment. The blu-ray edition is just great.