Plot: What’s it about?
”You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”
“Star Trek” gave us many unforgettable enemies throughout the cycle of its shows: the Romulans, the Ferengi, the Klingons and of course – the Borg. Now that all of the “Star Trek” episodes (this includes the original Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) have been released on DVD, Paramount had to think of a way to re-market the shows and it looks like this “Fan Collective” is it. This first installment is aptly-titled “Star Trek Fan Collective: Borg” and quite simply, it showcases the best episodes from all the series’ in which the collective is featured. From their introduction in “Q Who” from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to the subsequent episodes in the other “Star Trek” television shows, the Borg were the standard by which all the other villains were compared to. Naturally if you own all of the “Star Trek” DVD’s, then you have these episodes already but Paramount is banking that you don’t – hence this series. Here’s what you can expect on this four-disc set.
Disc 1
“Regeneration”– Star Trek: Enterprise # 049.
“Q Who?” – Star Trek: The Next Generation # 142
“The Best of Both Worlds, Part I” – Star Trek: The Next Generation # 174.
“The Best of Both Worlds, Part II” – Star Trek: The Next Generation # 175.
Disc 2
“I, Borg” – Star Trek: The Next Generation # 223
“Descent, Part I” – Star Trek: The Next Generation # 252
“Descent, Part II”– Star Trek: The Next Generation # 253
“Scorpion, Part I” – Star Trek: Voyager # 168
Disc 3
“Scorpion, Part II” – Star Trek: Voyager # 169
“Drone” – Star Trek: Voyager # 196
“Dark Frontier” – Star Trek: Voyager # 824
Disc 4
“Unimatrix Zero, Part I” – Star Trek: Voyager # 246
“Unimatrix Zero, Part II” – Star Trek: Voyager # 247
“Endgame” – Star Trek: Voyager # 828
Video: How does it look?
All of the episodes are shown in their original full-frame ratio except for the very first episode on the first disc (Star Trek: Enterprise) which is shown in anamorphic widescreen. For those of you that have these on DVD, the transfer is identical to their previous release. There is a big difference between “Enterprise” and the others, which make me, wish they’d have shot these in 16:9, but that’s not to say they don’t look good. Colors are strong and vibrant and the somewhat lifeless atmosphere of the Borg ship looks great.
Audio: How does it sound?
All of the episodes are presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and they vary from episode to episode and series. One thing that I’ve always noticed about the “Star Trek” shows is that there’s always a background ambiance that you don’t realize. There’s always a background hum (if you will) that really helps set the stage. The episodes are dialogue-driven and as the seasons progress (Enterprise sounds the best of the lot), the sound gets a lot more robust.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As far as supplements go, there’s not a whole lot here. There’s a commentary on “Enterprise” by Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong and three text commentaries “The Best of Both Worlds: Parts I and II” (best-known as the one where Picard becomes a member of the Borg) and another text commentary on “Unimatrix Zero: Part II”. All of the text commentaries are by Michael and Denise Okuda. This doesn’t quite qualify as the definitive collection without the addition of “Star Trek: First Contact”, the second movie featuring the Next Generation cast. For those that don’t already own all of the “Star Trek” series on DVD, this is a good way to see some of the better episodes and if you do own these, there’s no reason to pick this up.
