Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #33- “Who Mourns For Adonais”>>> Airdate 9/22/67
In the middle of a normal trek through space, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise comes across a massive hand within the stars. Of course, they think it is wise to follow this strange hand and it ends up leading them to a place called Pollux IV. Soon they run into Apollo, who claims to be the last of the Olympian gods. It seems he has called the Enterprise in to worship him, which doesn’t sit well with the crew members. But he has powers they’ve never seen before, so escape will be difficult indeed. Is this the final docking port for our intrepid crew?
This is one of the more unusual episodes within this series, which to me makes it one of the better ones. The storyline is downright bizarre even within the context of this series, but it unfolds in a concise manner and never seems too out of place. But then again, can anything with master thespian William Shatner at the helm be out of place? This one has a lot of special effects in it, which is good and they’re up to the usual Star Trek standards. I think fun and creativity are the main reasons to watch this show and this episode fulfills both of those requirements. This is a terrific episode and it might be weird, but I think it’s cool.
Episode #34- “Amok Time”>>> Airdate 9/15/67
It seems like Spock has some serious problems to deal with, as he is right in the fevered pitch of Pon farr. What’s that? Well, it is the Vulcan mating cycle and that means Spock is a bundle of hormones and unless he returns to his home planet, he will perish. Seems like a lot of trouble, but the U.S.S. Enterprise turns course and heads to Vulcan so Spock can satisfy his primal needs. Once they arrive, Spock is given his promised wife and all seems well and good, but there is still the matter of the combat rite. That means Spock has to fight whomever she chooses, until one of the men has died in battle. But the twist is thus…she picks Captain Kirk. This is the one, my all time favorite Star Trek episode and a real barrel of monkeys, chock full of fun. There’s nothing quite like seeing Kirk and Spock going toe to toe with sharp objects, which is just what this classic episode delivers. Even if you’ve never seen this episode, chances are you’ve seen the spoof of it in The Cable Guy, when Steve and Chip duke it out. I think this fight is funnier though, since it tries to be too serious and that adds a lot of humor. Plus, William Shatner is awesome and it’s fun to see him swinging weapons at Leonard Nimoy, right? Run to your retailer and purchase this disc, it is a must own in no uncertain terms.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, which preserve the original broadcast ratio of the series. These look better than you’d expect from a television show that’s over thirty years old, but still lack the shine and polish we expect from this format. This looks like a sharper, remastered edition of the television show and in a strange twist, that’s exactly what these are! The colors look bold, contrast is even handed, and detail is always right on the money. This is as good as these episodes can look, which is a testament to Paramount’s commitment to the series.
Audio: How does it sound?
These episodes sport new Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes, but this show uses such cheese filled effects, the surround sound is almost unused. It is fun to hear some of these primitive sounds in a modern mix, but on the whole the front channels handle all the audio pressure. This works well though, as no problems emerge and the overall experience is a very good one. The sound effects and music come through without a hitch, while dialogue is clean and sounds very crisp also. This disc also includes English subtitles, just in case you might need them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes preview “trailer” for each of the episodes, which is a nice touch.
