Star Trek: TNG – Season Three

Plot: What’s it about?

We’re now onto the third season of one of the most popular shows in the history of television. Yes, it’s produced in syndication, but that still can’t hamper the effect of Star Trek. "Star Trek"…just the name of it should send chills down your spine. It, along with James Bond, are the only movie franchises in history that have done so many, so successfully. Granted James Bond never started out as a television show, but let’s give credit where credit is due. The first and second season were trying for the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, with the first season being a "tester" and the second not being much more successful. With the third season, we finally started to see what the crew of the Enterprise was up to and finally saw some different, more effective, storylines. Riker dies…sort of, and we get to see another glimpse of Tasha Yar in "Yesterday’s Enterprise". Is that giving away too much? I don’t think so. The picture and sound are a bit better as well, as we might expect from a series that was going into the early nineties. Sit back and relax and here’s what you have in store for you in Season Three.

Disc 1:

Video: How does it look?

All of the episodes are presented in a full-frame presentation. While this is the second 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 out the wazoo, 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?

Just like Season One (but unlike Season Two), this contains four featurettes, but none of any great length. First up is "Mission Overview" followed by "Memorable Missions" both of which are essentially alike. They are very new, recorded on the set of the new Trek movie and they recount the best episodes of the season ("Yesterday’s Enterprise" and "The Best of Both Worlds: Part I" naturally). The main crew members are featured, as always, but since they were a part of the original series, it makes sense that they’re a part of this. There is another "Selected Crew Analysis" just like the previous seasons and this time it focuses on Ira Stephen Behr who divulges some of the plots to the "key" episodes during the season. Lastly, we find "Departmental Briefings: Production" which focuses on, naturally, the production. Actually three featurettes in one, this isn’t to be missed as many of the key plot points are discussed and some footage with the head Trekker (Gene Roddenberry) are shown. While the featurettes were one short of the previous season, we do get 26 episodes as opposed to the 22 we got last season. Well worth it in my own opinion. Trekkers, get ready to purchase Season Three!