With all the Star Trek spin-offs currently available on DVD, it seems odd that Paramount took so long to offer boxed sets of the original series, but the wait is over. Here are the 1966-67 episodes (29 total) in all their glory (including a new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track), introducing the U.S.S. Enterprise and its crew during their five-year mission to boldly go where no man has gone before. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and all the rest are on hand, fending off hostile aliens, discovering new planets and cultures, and even grappling with important social issues in a science-fictional context. Star Trek, under the able stewardship of producer Gene Roddenberry, guided TV science fiction away from the simplistic space opera formulas of Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, and their futuristic compatriots. Of course, these first-season episodes aren't devoid of action, suspense, and melodrama, but on the whole they're far more substantive than anything primetime viewers had seen in a sci-fi show up to that time. The standouts from this group include “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” “The Naked Time,” “Shore Leave,” “Dagger of the Mind,” “Arena,” “Mudd's Women,” “The Menagerie” (a two-parter that reworked the early unsold Star Trek pilot starring Jeffrey Hunter), and the award-winning “The City on the Edge of Forever,” written by genre great Harlan Ellison. Some of these episodes seem rather crude compared to what followed, but taken in context they are still remarkable for their day. There isn't a science fiction series produced since that doesn't owe a great deal to Star Trek, and that will be readily apparent from even a cursory viewing of this superb boxed set, which includes all-new interviews with Shatner and Nimoy within the five bonus featurettes (totaling 90 minutes). Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (E. Hulse)
Star Trek: The Original Series--The Complete First Season
Paramount, 8 discs, 1,461 min., not rated, DVD: $129.99 Volume 19, Issue 6
Star Trek: The Original Series--The Complete First Season
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: