Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #43- “Bread and Circuses” >>> Airdate 3/15/68
After they discover the wrecked remains of starship Beagle, Kirk leads Spock and McCoy to investigate. The three beam down the nearby planet to see what the deal is, when they learn that the former captain has betrayed his once crew members. Merik, once a leader of his crew now forces them to battle in his Romanesque arena, to the death no less. And now that a mean machine like Kirk has arrived, he is doomed by Merik to be killed and at the same, Spock and McCoy are slated to wage war in the arena, against each other. I think we all know how old Spock is when it comes to fighting to the death, so let’s hope Kirk or someone can hatch a plan to save the day, or else, it’s curtains for these three warriors.
Ben-Who? All the epic gladiator flicks have nothing on this classic Trek adventure, in which Kirk and his mates find themselves in an arena with no mercy for the weak. Kind of like that dojo in The Karate Kid, but instead of Daniel-San, we have Spock-San. I like this episode for the premise and cool costumes, but it doesn’t measure up to the really good ones, so don’t expect a lot from this one. It is good and fun to watch of course, but I just wouldn’t rank it among my personal favorite episodes. But it is nice to own it on our beloved format, as I know my collection wouldn’t be complete without Spock vs. McCoy in the arena of doom.
Episode #44- “Journey To Babel” >>> Airdate 11/17/67
It seems as though Kirk and his crew members are always involved in important matters, but this time, they have a ship filled with diplomats from all across the universe. These folks are being taken to Babel, where a massive conference is to take place and of course, who better to transport them than our intrepid crew? This also marks a special moment for Spock, as his father Sarek is on board and the two haven’t spoken in some time, as well as his mother. The reunion soon turns sour however, when a diplomat is found dead and Sarek is named the primary suspect. This shocks Sarek and sends him into a heart attack, which forces Spock to choose between saving his father’s life or remaining at his post, taking over for a wounded Kirk.
As much as I like the idea of meeting Spock’s parents, I’ve never liked this episode much and this time around, things weren’t much different. The episode is more than decent and has some good moments, but I just wasn’t that interested in the storyline, which throws off the whole scheme, of course. Maybe I prefer the spotlight to be on good old Kirk, but Spock’s episodes never light my thrusters, not even as much as the Scotty episodes for Pete’s sake. But if you’re a fan of the series, this episode will be of interest and of course, you have to collect them all and as such, there’s no reason not to own this one.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are shown in their intended full frame format, just as they were seen back in the old days. In a nice gesture, Paramount has remastered and enhanced these episodes, which means the image quality is increased and passed on to you. I’ve never seen the episodes look so good, but then again, I’ve only seen them in reruns, so what do I know. The image here is much better than the television versions, with much richer colors, better contrast levels, and cleaner source materials. In other words, terrific work from Paramount that results in celebrations from fans of this landmark series.
Audio: How does it sound?
In addition to enhancing the video, Paramount has also boosted the audio, via new Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes. I am pleased with the results here, as the audio environment is very immersive and the surrounds see much more action than expected. Of course, the surround channels don’t explode with dynamic sound, but as far as an old television show goes, this is terrific stuff indeed. No issues with vocals however, so as Spock’s father delivers his lines, all the passion burns through, just as it should. This disc also includes English subtitles, should you want to enable them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find promotional previews for each episode, which is pretty cool and adds some value to the disc.
