Plot: What’s it about?
As time goes by, the debate rages on…who was the better captain of the “Enterprise” – Captain Kirk or Captain Picard? My vote goes with Picard as I found Kirk just a bit too hammy for my taste. Then again, the entire Star Trek original series was embodied in the “hammy” sense, so I suppose Mr. Shatner was the right man for the job. He’s still getting work today based on his portrayal of the fearless leader of the ship. However, when “Star Trek: The Next Generation” came around in 1987, a new face embodied the role of leader and his name was Jean Luc Picard. He was bald, French and had an affinity for Earl Gray Tea (Hot). Shakespearian actor Patrick Stewart portrayed the Captain and was one of the reasons for the success of the show. Though the entire series is already available on DVD, Paramount has seen fit to compile a “Best of…” two-disc set that has some of the greatest episodes featuring none other than Jean Luc Picard. One of my personal favorites is included, “The Inner Light” in which he lives an entire life in the span of 30 minutes on the “Enterprise”. For the true Trekkie, these episodes are already on DVD format and most likely on the shelf. But, for the casual fan, this might be a good starting point to introduce a new generation to “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.
“The Big Goodbye” – Taking a break from the difficult greeting preparations with the Jarada, Captain Picard visits 1941 San Francisco in the fabricated environment of the holodeck. He is soon joined by Data, Dr. Crusher and Whalen, the ship’s historian. But when the holodeck malfunctions, the four crew members are trapped in a 20th century murder adventure in which Whalen is killed and Picard, Data and Crusher are held at gunpoint by gangsters.
“Sarek” – Sarek, the renowned Vulcan Ambassador, is on a mission to establish relations between the Federation and a race of beings known as the Legaran. His arrival on the starship is preceded by his human Chief of Staff, Mendrossen, and a young Vulcan, Sakkath, the Ambassador’s personal assistant. Mendrossen explains to Captain Picard that Sarek’s age has recently caused him to tire easily, and asks him to dispense with the official ceremonies that would normally be accorded a visitor of Sarek’s rank, so that he may rest. Picard is disappointed that Sarek will not be able to attend a concert arranged on his behalf, but defers to Mendrossen’s wishes.
“Family” – After taking the U.S.S. Enterprise to an Earth-orbiting spacedock for repairs, Picard, still recovering from the injuries he suffered at the hands of the Borg, returns for the first time in twenty years to the 19th century French village where he grew up. He is greeted warmly by his sister-in-law and nephew, both of whom he has never met. However, his meeting with his older brother Robert, who feels that Picard is arrogant, is filled with animosity.
“The Drumhead” – When an explosion rips through the U.S.S. Enterprise’s warp engine, a visiting Klingon officer is suspected of causing the disaster by providing the Romulans with schematics of the engine. An investigation begins, and Admiral Norah Satie, renowned for exposing an alien conspiracy against Starfleet, comes out of retirement to help. Based on evidence compiled by Worf, Satie quickly extracts a confession from the Klingon, J’Ddan, regarding his participation in smuggling diagrams off the ship, but he denies responsibility for the explosion. Satie’s Betazoid aid Sabin confirms that J’Ddan is telling the truth, which implies to Satie that there is a co-conspirator aboard the ship.
“Darmok” – The U.S.S. Enterprise receives a signal from “The Children of Tama,” an alien race that has no history of violence, but whose language has been deemed “incomprehensible” to humans. Hovering above an uninhabited planet, Picard and the crew hope to establish relations with the Tamarians. But while he and Dathon, the Tamarian captain, make several attempts to communicate over their viewscreens, neither can understand the other. Suddenly Dathon turns to him, armed with two daggers, and both captains dematerialize and are transported to the surface of the planet below.
“The Inner Light” – An unsophisticated alien probe assumes a relative position, holding steady with the U.S.S. Enterprise, and releases a nucleonic particle stream that penetrates the ship’s shields. Focusing solely on Picard, the beam knocks him unconscious. When he wakes up, Picard finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings, being cared for by an attractive woman. The woman, Eline, tells him his name is “Kamin,” and he is her husband of three years. She also tells him that he has been sick and must be experiencing a memory loss. Picard soon learns that he lives on the planet Kataan, where he works as a simple iron weaver. His confusion is compounded when he notices that Eline wears an exact replica of the alien probe as jewelry…
“Tapestry” – Gravely injured in a Lenarian attack, Picard slips into a white, seamless limbo while Beverly struggles to save his life. There, he encounters Q, who informs Picard that he is dead and this is the afterlife — and that Q himself is God! Picard refuses to believe that he is dead, let alone that Q is the supreme being. But Q is determined to prove otherwise. He produces the artificial heart that failed Picard and caused his death, which triggers Picard’s sense of regret. With Q’s urging, he admits that, given the opportunity to live life over, he would do things differently.
Video: How does it look?
All of the episodes are presented in a full-frame presentation. While this is the fourth 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?
Just like the original Star Trek series, these are re-mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Unlike the original 5.1 series, these actually sound good. 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?
As far as supplements go, there’s just one documentary entitled “From Here to Infinity” that is hosted by Patrick Stewart. It’s more of an astronomy lesson and the focus is on the life have and what life might be out there (you know…essentially the very same plot as the show). It’s interesting and the inclusion of Patrick Stewart is to, no doubt, incur some more mainstream audience members. Also of note is the fact this documentary wasn’t available on any of the season sets of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and is only available on this two-disc set. How clever of Paramount…
