In the years following its seven-year run, Star Trek: The Next Generation has become widely viewed as the best of the Star Trek follow-ons -- to many, in fact, it eclipses even the original series. With such a pedigree (Star Trek is unarguably Paramount's most valuable franchise), expectations were high for the series' release on DVD, as were fears that Paramount would mimic the original series' two-episodes-per-DVD format; but the studio did the right thing, and is releasing the entire series in seven-disc season box sets at the rate of one set every two months.

To the surprise of the studio, when the original series went into syndication the ratings began to rise, and it wasn't long before Paramount began to draw up plans for a revived series, to be called Star Trek: Phase II; the original cast (with the single exception of Nimoy) was to return, and the series was to be the cornerstone of the planned Paramount Television Service. The plans for the new network collapsed, but Paramount took the concept for the series' premiere and turned it into a somewhat boneheaded theatrical movie which came to be known as "Where Nomad Has Gone Before." Slow, groaning under its own weight, and bereft of the characters' chemistry that was an integral part of the series, the film was critically panned (perhaps more fiercely than it deserved; Shatner's hairpiece alone had more entertainment value than most other movies released that year), but was a hit at the box office. This, of course, meant "sequel."

Sequels, actually, and after two more films in the franchise, Paramount decided that interest was high enough to consider a return to the small screen. On October 10th, 1986 -- twenty years after the premiere of the original series -- Paramount announced that Gene Roddenberry was executive-producing Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Watching the first season of ST:TNG on DVD, we were struck by several things that had previously gone unnoticed:

• First, the acting was terrible for the first episodes; it's not until "Where No One Has Gone Before," the fifth episode, that the cast begins to settle into their characters and relax (Counselor Troi was truly embarassing in the opening episode; the only character which did not get better was Wesley, who remained annoying until he was eventually dropped from the series. The character was originally supposed to have been a girl named Lesley; in hindsight, perhaps that might have been better. "Wesley," by the way, was Gene Roddenberry's middle name).
   
• Second, there were several concepts that were clearly planned to be a large part of the storylines, but then were apparently dropped. The Ferengi were originally intended to be far more ferocious, and were evidently to be the new series' replacement for the Klingons (it is suggested in the pilot episode that they eat their enemies); this was dropped, and by their "Last Outpost" appearance, they were more annoying than frightening. Also, from the pilot episode, there was originally to have been a romantic relationship between Dr. Beverly Crusher and Picard. That, too, was dropped before long.
   
• And third -- we personally prefer the look of pre-digital special effects. While the effects of Voyager and Enterprise may be far more realistic, the look of ST:TNG is more organic, and more ... human.

Film Synopsis:

Disc 1:

• Encounter at Farpoint (aired 9/28/87) The U.S.S. Enterprise crew is assigned to determine how the native Bandi inhabitants created the energy-powered Farpoint station. This first mission introduces "Q," the mysterious and powerful being who challenges the crew to prove that humans are not a barbaric race.
• The Naked Now (aired 10/5/87) The Enterprise and crew are summoned to investigate strange occurrences aboard the research vessel U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky, only to return to their ship unknowingly carrying a contagious virus.
• Code of Honor (aired 10/12/87) The Enterprise goes to Ligon II to obtain a rare vaccine necessary to avert a plague on Stryris IV.

Disc 2:

• The Last Outpost (10/19/87) The crew is rendered powerless above an unknown and mysterious planet.
• Where No One Has Gone Before (10/26/87) A test on the ship's propulsion system backfires and blasts the starship more than a billion light years away from their own galaxy.
• Lonely Among Us (11/2/87) The Enterprise passes through a mysterious "cloud" that contains combinations of complex energy patterns.
• Justice (11/9/87) The crew anxiously awaits a shore leave on the pastoral planet of Rubicon III.

Disc 3:

• The Battle (11/16/87) The old-style starship U.S.S. Stargazer, on a direct course with Enterprise, contains a mysterious mind-altering device onboard.
• Hide and Q (11/23/87) The dangerous "Q" stops the Enterprise as they attempt to aid the survivors on a planet rocked by a lethal explosion.
• Haven (11/30/87) Counselor Troi's mother (Majel Barrett) pays an unexpected visit.
• The Big Goodbye (1/11/87) Captain Picard is at a crossroads, as he must deliver a precise greeting to the Jarada, the insect-like race inhabiting the quadrant Korona IV, where the U.S.S. Enterprise wishes to enter.

Disc 4:

• Datalore (1/18/88) The crew investigates the mystery surrounding the disappearance of an earth colony in the Omicron Theta star system.
• Angel One (1/25/88) The crew travels to Angel One, a planet run by women, to search for survivors from a Federation freighter disabled by an asteroid collision seven years earlier.
• 11001001 (2/1/88) The starship docks at Starbase 74, where the Bynars are scheduled to upgrade the ship's computer system.
• Too Short A Season (2/8/88) The crew transports the infamous Admiral Mark Jameson to Mordan IV, where several Federation officials have been taken hostage by the planet's governor.

Disc 5:

• When the Bough Breaks (2/15/88) The Enterprise accidentally discovers a planet with advanced technology that provides every need or want a person could have.
• Home Soil (2/22/88) The Enterprise visits Velara III, where a group of terraformers are working to transform the seemingly desolate planet into one capable of supporting life.
• Coming of Age (3/14/88) Wesley beams down to Relva VII to take the grueling Starfleet Academy entrance exam.
• Heart of Glory (3/21/88) Lt. Worf has to choose between his loyalty to Starfleet and his Klingon heritage, when two Klingon fugitives take over the Enterprise.

Disc 6:

• The Arsenal of Freedom (4/11/88) Picard follows an investigation into the disappearance of the U.S.S. Drake.
• Symbiosis (4/18/88) The Enterprise receives a distress signal from a disabled freighter ship.
• Skin of Evil (4/25/88) The Enterprise must rendezvous with Troi's shuttlecraft, when a bizarre malfunction occurs causing the transport vehicle to crash on Vagra II.
• We'll Always Have Paris (5/2/88) Captain Picard is reunited with an old flame.

Disc 7:

• Conspiracy (5/9/88) The Enterprise is on a journey to Pacifica, only to be halted by an emergency message for Captain Picard to attend a secret and important meeting. One of ST:TNG's most gruesome episodes.
• The Neutral Zone (5/16/88) The Enterprise awaits Captain Picard's return from a Federation conference, only to discover a disabled 20th century Earth satellite containing three perfectly preserved bodies, frozen for over 300 years by cryogenics.
• Special Features:
  • The Beginning (18:09)
  • Selected Crew Analysis (15:27)
  • The Making of a Legend (15:36)
  • Memorable Missions (17:13)

Technical

Video:	Fullscreen 1.33:1 (Original TV series ratio)
Audio:	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC] ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC]
Subtitles:	English, Closed Captions

The image is hampered somewhat by the original source material, and some stairstepping and crawl is occasionally visible on high-contrast edges, but the video is far better than expected from a television series, and looks better than we remember it ever appearing during its television run. Some of the special-effect scenes exhibit grain and/or other weaknesses, but these are clearly a fault of the source and not indicitive of mastering problems; Paramount has clearly taken great pains to present the best possible transfer. The sound is in matrixed 5.1 surround for the first time and is strong and surprisingly detailed, although there is some variation between episodes.

The animated menus are very well done, cleverly replicating the look of a typical ST:TNG monitor screen; the episode lists are presented as logbook entries, with film clips playing in the corner like streaming video.

If there is any disappointment with the set, it is the lack of "coming next week" trailers. Completeists will hope that they will appear on future season sets. There is no audio commentary, but with a set of this size (over nineteen hours of series content) such an addition is not feasible.

The set is packaged in an unfolding custom case similar in style to The X Files sets, along with a 12-page fan-fold insert containing character bios and an alphabetical episode guide. The folded case fits into a beautifully-designed embossed cardboard box of silver and rust red (each season will have its own color, matching the colors of the show's uniforms), and a paper promo sheet is tack-glued onto the back and bottom of the set (this can be carefully removed, but won't fit inside the case without trimming).

In all, this is a beautiful and cleverly-designed set, and we greatly look forward to future seasons of the series. Well done, Paramount!

Supplements

There are four newly-produced featurettes included, each running about fifteen minutes each (see the exact timings listed above). All featurettes are presented in full-frame format.

"The Beginning" tells the story of the origins of the series through new and archival interviews with Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman, and Rick Berman, and cast members Patrick Stewart, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, and others.

"Selected Crew Analysis" is one of the most interesting featurettes. Using archival interviews of the cast done in 1987 and juxtaposing them with new interviews, the viewer gets a real sense of how the characters grew during the series through both the writers' choices and the actors' experience.

"The Making of a Legend" is a brief look at makeup and visual effects from Michael Westmore, Dan Curry, Rick Berman and others. There is too much ground to cover in fifteen minutes, but it is an interesting look into such processes as the transporter beam effect.

In "Memorable Missions," the cast and crew talk about their favorite first-season episodes.

Surprisingly, there is no trailer for the upcoming tenth Star Trek theatrical film, Star Trek: Nemesis, said to be the last one for the Next Generation cast. Filming has just wrapped this week, and it is anticipated that the film will be scheduled to hit theaters this Thanksgiving.