Plot: What’s it about?
It’s the seventh season and all is well. Gene Roddenberry and his crew had created a show out of a cult hit that aired some thirty years earlier and have grossed countless millions of dollars in the process. Star Trek: The Next Generation took the Enterprise to new levels, both in special effects and plot (no more tribbles). Along the way, it made a new set of idols for all of us to look up to while still delivering the same high-quality of shows. While the constant argument will go on and on (who is the better captain, Kirk or Picard), we have to wonder what is really next? Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and the new Enterprise have all come along in the last ten years and though they’re good shows, they don’t really come close to the “original”.
This being the seventh and last season of the show, Paramount has made good on their commitment to us and delivered the entire series to us in just under a year (with this last season streeting on the last day of the year, hey it still counts). All of us fans now have a very long row of silver boxes adorning our DVD cabinets and lest we forget that there’s content on those discs of ours. What’s most memorable is the last show, “All Good Things…” naturally letting us draw the conclusion and to finish the quote “…must come to an end”. Well, the episode is among my favorites as Picard again meets up with “Q” and once again stands trial for the crimes against humanity. Granted Worf, Riker and LaForge have all put on about thirty pounds since the series started, but in this one episode we can see how much they have changed and even the special effects have come of age. This really isn’t a plot description because, honestly, if you’re reading this then you either have the other seasons or soon will. So in any case, this is no different than that of the other seasons, this is a good way to end it. All Good Things…
Video: How does it look?
I won’t re-invent the wheel here, as the episodes of this season are nearly identical to those of the previous years. They are presented in a full-frame presentation. While this is the final season, the stakes were a bit higher. I have to say that these look just as good as when I first saw them. Though I do have to admit that some episodes look terrible, with artifacting, though it’s mostly limited to indoor shots. The color palette used is very muted, showing that ‘futuristic’ time frame, but the DVD’s bring out everything and make it look better, but they can also make it look worse. Still, I haven’t had the opportunity to review many TV shows on DVD and this is better than I’ve seen them look during their original broadcast. Not much to complain about here, though errors do exist, it’s the best they’ve looked and most likely will.
Audio: How does it sound?
Again, these are re-mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Obviously the twenty year time difference between the two makes most of the difference, but the increased budget does as well. Dialog is very clear, though I felt that some times there was a bit of a “hiss” to it. The surround effects could have been used a bit more, I feel. During the pilot episode, the opening credits had the starship whizzing by and thereby activating the surround channels, but during the rest of the episodes I didn’t notice the same effect. Could have just been me, but I feel that the sound could have used a bit of tweaking. Still, it’s the best these have ever sounded, so you’ll have to trust me when I say you won’t be let down.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Being the last season, this does contain a lot more supplements than those of the other seasons. Actually, they’re the same supplements, just longer in running time. As we can guess, most of these have to do with the fact that the show is ending and there’s a lot of tribute going on. Everyone from Captain Picard down to the crew get a few words in and it is a bit moving, I can see how they were so moved. Naturally, at the time, they were going on to make movies (though Nemesis looks to be the last of them) and the future looked bright. “A Captain’s Tribute” and “The Making of All Good Things…” are pretty self-explanatory as they delve into the last season. It may have had the “Star Trek” name on it, but this was really Patrick Stewart’s show. The last episode is one of the best and this featurette shows the ins and outs of it. Also included are “Starfleet Moments and Memories” which, again, is fairly self-explanatory. Again included are the departmental briefings section along with the Mission Overview: Year Seven. As the show ended, the movies were just beginning. In either case, it’s good to have the entire series (not season) on DVD and ready to watch whenever we so desire.
