An excellent companion for newcomers converted by STID
No, this small collection of episodes is not at all intended for those who already own the complete Original Series on various formats (though it might end up in some completist's collection for sure)...It's rather a nice introduction to TOS to newcomers who happened to like the new Star Trek Into Darkness movie and want to explore the origins of all the important characters and races in this movie: Pike, Kirk, the Enterprise, Klingons, Tribbles and of course Khan...this 5-episode-selection re-introduces all important elements seen in STID, nothing more, nothing less... If you haven't seen these episodes and don't own the TOS box sets but happened to like STID, this product is for you...a really nice companion for casual viewers who don't want to buy the entire series but still want to understand where the STID elements originated from.
A Good Beginning
"THE CAGE", the first pilot starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. Unfortunately he did not continue, thanks to his controlling wife. I do hope they used the color print and not the black and white that was the first one released on VHS.
"WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE", the second pilot and Pike is replaced by Kirk. Story is very good if scientifically implausible. Not that something like that bothers me but for some reason in this it did.
"SPACE SEED", My number 1 favorite episode of TOS. Ahead of its time story wise as can be seen by the science invoked. We now know 45 years later that eugenics and genetic engineering works differently than what we believed then. Still, a great story although I still don't believe Kirk could have won even by cheating. STID does it better.
"ERRAND OF MERCY", The big bad of the Star Trek Universe 'The Klingons' make their first appearance. Another outstanding story but plot holes are problematic.
"TROUBLE WITH...
Good episodes, but only the CGI versions
This five-episode compilation is obviously aimed at those new to "Star Trek: The Original Series", not those who can quote every episode or already bought all three seasons on Blu-ray. If you enjoyed either of the J.J. Abrams "reboot" movies, this may be of interest as several of the main characters (most notably Khan, and obviously, Kirk, Pike, Spock and company) are seen here for the first time. The season sets represent a much better value (especially since three out of these five episodes are from Season One), but if you're just looking for a quick primer this isn't a bad one. There are also short new episode introductions by Rod Roddenberry (son of Gene, "Star Trek"'s creator) that give a little bit of insight into each one. Nothing major, but new fans may find them helpful.
My problem, though, isn't with the episodes...even though some of them are just here because they're important, not necessarily the best of the series. The A/V quality is fantastic, too. But...
Click to Editorial Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment