Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #41- “I, Mudd” >>> Airdate 11/3/67
As if the duties of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) weren’t hard enough, he once again is forced to deal with Harcourt “Harry Mudd”, whose presence never signals smooth waters. Although he means well, Mudd often ends up getting into trouble and in this case, it’s not him, but his android ambassador. Mudd’s planet is filled with female androids, but he sends up a male one this time with this mission to hijack the U.S.S. Enterprise. Of course, this means Harry will have some company and his legions of androids will have more humans to serve. But when Kirk, Harry, and the other crew members find themselves taken hostage, it sinks in that these androids must be dealt with, and soon if they wish to survive…
Oh, that lovable Harry Mudd and his antics, how can you not like this dude? I mean, anyone who sends some ripples toward Kirk is cool by me, especially if he has a planet loaded down with female androids. And what’s with that anyway? As much of a womanizer as Kirk has proven himself to be, you’d think he would be begging to visit Harry’s pad, but not the case here. I know Spock would hold back of course, but that insane Sulu would hop into bed with a cold turkey sandwich, at least I think he would. This episode is a real barrel of laughs, from Harry’s hilarious hijinks to Kirk and his terrific sense of humor, yeah right. Anyway, this is a solid episode from top to bottom, though not one of my favorites by any means. All in all, a welcome addition to the Star Trek family and of course, Harry Mudd is the main reason it works so well.
Episode #42- “The Trouble With Tribbles” >>> Airdate 12/29/67
Kirk is once again up to his ears in fur, but this time it not by his own choice, as you’ll soon learn. James T. and his loyal crew have been tasked to protect a shipment of grain, but their new friends want to eat the stuff, not preserve it. In his infinite wisdom, Kirk knew the grain would be in danger, but he had no idea it would be these small, furry creatures known as tribbles. The tribbles can eat like there’s no tomorrow and they multiply for no reason, which spells doom for the grain shipment unless a plan is hatched soon. As if the ship full of these little buggers wasn’t enough, now Kirk must also deal with a shady trader and some Klingons who want the grain, or at least whatever’s left of the stuff…
This is my favorite episode of Star Trek, hands down and I am very pleased that it is finally released in this series. I mean, what more can you want than seeing Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the usual stiffs being attacked by the adorable tribbles? Even though I’ve seen this episode many times, I always hope that one of the tribbles will overtake control of the Enterprise, but it never happens, no matter how hard I wish. But even so, this is an awesome episode and easily one of the best known ones, so even casual Star Trek fans will want to look this disc over, for sure. This by far my favorite release in the series and as such, I am going to finish the review on a positive note. George Takei is the best actor to ever grace a television screen, no doubt about it.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are shown in SHATNERVISION, which means the original full frame aspect ratio is used. These episodes have been remastered and enhanced, so the image is much superior to the television editions, which is all you can ask for in this case. The source materials seem in order and aside from some age related flaws, these presentations are superb in all respects. The colors seem bold, flesh tones are normal, and contrast is well balanced, all of the elements are in their proper places here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 form and since William Shatner himself supervised the mixing sessions, I think we’re in good hands here. Ok, so Shatner wasn’t involved in the least, but these tracks still sound terrific and add a lot to the episodes. The surrounds won’t shake off the walls, but there is some good use to be heard and the music, man does it ever sound like sweet butter to my old ears. The vocals, especially those of George “Sulu” Takei are crisp and clean, no volume issues in the least to contend with. This disc also includes English subtitles, just in case you might need them, so there.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a promotional preview for each episode, which is cool in my book. But come on, how awesome would a William Shatner and tribble commentary track be?
