STAR TREK The Original Series: The Complete First Season

The original STAR TREK series has been released on home video in several formats over the years, but even those fans that have the entire run on VHS tape (in both official pre-records and taped off of TV) and laserdisc have been salivating for the original series (or TOS to the fans) to make its way to DVD. Others have been dreading it, wondering whether Paramount would drop the ball somehow, and arguing over in what order episodes should be released. Well, the wait is finally over, and with few quibbles the news is good.

The most initially striking thing about this set is the unusual packaging. Though it may have been more obvious to make the packaging look like tricorders, Paramount has chosen to enclose all eight discs in a hard plastic pod that looks something like an oversize bar of soap in distinctive Trek "command gold", with bold relief silver lettering and a few peek holes. (Seasons 2 and 3 will be issued in uniform blue and red, respectively.) It's a weird, impressive, and appropriately retro-future '60s style package, and will definitely stand out on any DVD shelf. Fortunately, there's a photo of how the pod is supposed to open on the back of its cardboard sleeve (which help the pod stand upright on store shelves), but I predict more than one purchaser will end up breaking the thing trying to get the discs out.

Inside the pod is a jewel case album and a small guide booklet held a bit too snugly in another cardboard sleeve. All this packaging is kind of clumsy, but its meant to make this seasoning special which is only right, considering that STAR TREK is arguably the greatest science fiction television series ever. Oh, some of you may say that later Trek series were better, but where would they be without Jim Kirk and company?

It's odd to think that you can remember exactly where you were at a certain point nearly 40 years ago. I'm unsure why my grandparents would tune into this new sci-fi show, except maybe to warm up the set while waiting for THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW to come on, but I was glad they did. It turns out the whole family was glad the adults were surprised at the high level of intelligence displayed in the show's concepts, and liked all the characters and how they interacted like real people, even in an outer space setting. The kids appreciated those same things of course, but were naturally attracted to the f/x and monsters, too. Everybody was shocked that what they thought would be a "silly space show" was really a working format for dramatized speculative fiction. Even me, the sci-fi nut in the family I'd already learned to lower my expectations when SF and TV mixed. We were hooked, and continued to be enthralled throughout the show's three seasons, and were among those that campaigned for its return into the 1970s. Need I examine the series here? Well, for those of you Cinescape readers who may not have ever seen the show, let's just strongly suggest you check it out, and leave it at that.

Many episodes here remind us why we fell in love with this show in the first place, such as the tactical maneuvering in "Balance of Terror" (inspiration for some of the best Trek movies), the earnest character study provided by "Galileo 7", and the memorable monsters on the loose angle of "Operation Annihilate". On the other hand, we can also pick up many reminders of just how quickly and cheaply the show was produced, wonder at some gaffs in continuity and projected technology, and see how the relationships developed over time. Was Lt. Hansen really meant to be a major character?

Paramount has chosen to present the episodes in broadcast order, though the discs also provide each episode's number, designating the order filmed, along with each episode's star date in official Trek chronology, in case viewers want to rearrange them. There is no "play all" function, but each episode is given its own menus, based on 3-D views of the Enterprise. Via these menus, you can choose to enjoy all 29 episodes in digitized good old original mono, but the 5.1 Surround upgrades are recommended. Each episode is given 7 chapters, and the "next week on STAR TREK" previews for each episode are included separately. "Where No Man Has Gone Before", the two part "The Menagerie" and "Conscience of the King" are given factoid pop-up style text annotation options written by current Trek gurus Michael and Denise Okuda. Audio commentraks might have been preferable.

The episodes themselves look incredibly good, with only a few slight scratches visible once in a while. Almost too good, since the clarity of DVD shows some things that weren't apparent before. Special effects shots that were awesome in 1966 now show the grain and strain of the optical printer. And, as the Okudas point out, we can now sometimes see the seams in Spock's ear makeup.

With only one episode left for disc 8, plenty of space is left for documentary featurettes. "Birth of a Timeless Legacy" is a 24-minute heads & clips overview of the series' creation, with input from surviving production and writing personnel, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and even Gene Roddenberry himself via a 1988 interview. This discussion is continued in a 19-minute featurette on season one episodes that includes contributions by guest stars like Ricardo Montalban and William Campbell, and which looks to be the first of a three part featurette continued in the next two sets. A 10-minute featurette has Shatner talking about his equestrian life and doing some demonstrations. Nimoy, as always, also gets his turn in the spotlight in a 12-minute piece on his life as Spock. And finally, a 17-minute featurette discusses the literary aspects of STAR TREK. There's also a small photo gallery of images that we've already seen in the featurettes.

In all, Paramount has made the seasoning of STAR TREK the momentous event it should be, pulling in viewers like me that haven't seen some of these shows in decades, and making us look forward to more.