Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1; Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2

DVD: the final frontier. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1: These are the 25 episodes--presented chronologically on seven discs--which launched the 1987 syndicated series that revitalized the franchise and helped Star Trek to live longer and further prosper. As with the first season The Simpsons boxed set, one is struck by the uneven quality of some of the early episodes, as Patrick Stewart's Capt. Jean-Luc Picard becomes, in his own words, "better acquainted with my new command." Some episodes, such as "The Naked Now," merely revisit where the first Star Trek boldly went before (but it's still a hoot to watch these now familiar characters lose their inhibitions). Still, there are also jewels here that promise greater things to come for the series: the virtual environment holodeck-themed episodes "The Big Goodbye" (an entertaining "diversion" as a stressed-out Picard enters the ship's holodeck to act out his fantasies as San Francisco private eye Dixon Hill) and "11001001," in which First Officer Riker's (a beardless Jonathan Frakes) mental vacation at a New Orleans jazz bar runs into trouble; "Hearts of Glory," perhaps Klingon crew member Worf's (Michael Dorn) finest hour; and "Datalore," in which we meet android Data's (Brent Spiner) evil twin. Sparkplug security officer Natasha Yar (Denise Crosby, who pulled a David Caruso and opted out of the series in its inaugural year) gets a touching sendoff in "Skin of Evil." Thanks to a writer's strike, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 2 is three episodes shorter, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality as the crew of the Enterprise settles further into their roles (except for Dr. Crusher, who jumps ship). Highlight episodes include "Elementary, Dear Data," in which Data employs the holodeck and Sherlock Holmes' sleuthing methods to try to save Dr. Pulaski; "A Matter of Honor," which finds Riker's loyalties on trial when he's assigned command of a Klingon ship; "The Measure of a Man," which raises the eons-old question "do androids have civil rights?," after Data refuses to be disassembled for research purposes; and "Q Who?," which introduces everyone's favorite cyborgs, the Borg. Although a wee bit grainy, the image quality on both sets is still quite serviceable, and the newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 sound adds some nice back speaker distance to the Enterprise's travels across the universe. While neither set contains episode commentaries, both feature new segments (four on the first season, five on the second) that trace the evolution of the series and allow cast and crew members to sound off about favorite episodes and special effects. Given the fervor of Star Trek fans, it would be illogical to pass up either of these boxed sets. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)