Best of Star Trek:TOS: vol 2

Over the decades that television has been a common fixture to the living room many shows have come and gone. Some have faded into memory has treasured favorites and a few managed to achieve that exalted status of cult classic. What is exceedingly rare is for a simple television show to break out of the world of entertainment and exert a profound influence on the very core of our culture. When you consider the rare series that have reached that level one comes to mind that tops the list; ‘Star Trek’ or for the true fan ‘Series. Not only does the series still retain an army of loyal fans even some four decades after the series was cancelled but the franchise has stayed strong and continue to grow adding yet another generation of fans. Needless to say this series has been a major cash cow for Paramount and with the impending home theater release of the new, re-imagined movie they have come out with the second volume of their Best of ‘Star Trek: TOS’ DVD series. Of all the myriad of series that have entered our homes this one was perhaps among the most influential affecting the everyday lives of millions. For any that may doubt the lasting nature of this series just take an afternoon to attend any one of the hundreds of conventions where the diehard followers of the show routinely gather to endlessly discuss the smallest details of every aspect of the franchise this series begat. Many DVD collections make claim to the title ‘Best of’ but this one, as well as the sister set covering ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ the episodes selected for inclusion are indeed representative of the best the series had to offer.

In the case of the original series the episodes are taken from the new re-mastered collection. The video was painstaking revived to be brighter than ever with a color palette that is pure and rich. The matte backgrounds used for shots in space and the planets under their orbit is remarkably realistic but somehow still retains the old school charm that made us fans in the first place. I watched the episodes on a high end plasma TV played on a Blu-ray player that up converted the picture to 1080p it was flawless and revealed details I never imagined existed all the many times I have seen them in the past but never with the look that is presented in this collection. You can see the texture of fabric and stars in space now twinkle in yellows, blues and white. The audio is in a full Dolby stereo that lends itself perfectly for processing by my 7.1 home theater receiver. The theme music now enjoys a boost in bass and a general expansion of the audio range. When the Captain makes a ship wide announcement you can hear the reverberation of his voice as it echoes through the ship.

Season 1 episode 1 September 22, 1966

This was the episode that really started it all off; the premier of a series that would shake the world. The vacant crew of the Starship Enterprise lead by Captain Kirk (William Shatner) encounters a badly damaged probe from another space ship two centuries ago. The data it contains points to a tragedy that lead to the destruction of the ship. The last message had something to do with a frantic inquiry concerning human extrasensory perception; ESP. The Enterprise encounters the same destructive magnetic storm that destroyed the other ship but the Enterprise managers to survive. Two crew members; Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) and long time friend of Kirk Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) are both drastically changed. Due to their unusually high ESP rating they become endowed with god-like powers. Watching this episode you will notice the uniforms are much baggier and for some reason the emotionless Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) always seems to be shouting.

Season 1 Episode 24 February 16, 1967

This was a pivotal episode introducing Kirk’s archenemy Khan (Ricardo Montalban), the genetically engineered tyrant that ruled much of the earth in the late twentieth century. The episode would form the foundation for the second Star Trek feature film; still considered one of the best in the franchise.

Season 2 Episode 20 January 12, 1968

Several episodes are known as lighter, more comical in nature and this is one of the best. The Enterprise travels to a world where a previous ship left a book about the gangsters of old Chicago. The inhabitants took that as a guide to reform their society and Kirk winds up in the middle of an all out gang war.

Season 2 episode 15 November 17, 1967

This is another episode that would become vital to the mythos of the Star Trek universe. The Enterprise is to host a diplomatic summit meeting to bring peace to a particularly troublesome sector of the galaxy. One of the ambassadors in attendance is Vulcan Sarek (Mark Lenard) and his human wife Amanda (Jane Wyatt).

Overall this is a well thought out set that will bring new life to an old favorite.

Posted 11/07/09