Star Trek - Motion Picture Trilogy

Tying in with the release of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, Paramount is offering a number of home-video Trek products. One of them is the Motion Picture Trilogy DVD collection that offers Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in digitally remastered editions with all-new special features.

The Wrath of Khan, directed by Nicholas Meyer, who also performed an uncredited rewrite of the script, is a sequel to the original series episode “Space Seed,” which ended with Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and his people being marooned on Ceti Alpha V. They escape the planet by commandeering a science expedition looking for an uninhabited planet to test the terraforming Genesis Device, and Khan strives to exact revenge against his former rival Kirk (William Shatner), an obsession that mirrors Captain Ahab’s obsession with the whale Moby Dick.

Wrath remains the best film of the Trek franchise to date. Not only is the story filled with intrigue, humor, and emotion, but it also takes into account the hero Kirk has aged, making his character more human, more believable, and in turn more heroic. The effects and execution of the space battles are exciting. James Horner’s score is also evocative and masterful.

The Search for Spock finds the Enterprise crew returning to the newly formed Genesis planet, against Starfleet Command’s orders, to reunite Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) body and katra (essence) and return them to Vulcan at the request of Spock’s father, Sarek (Mark Lenard). However, the presumed lifeless body won’t be as they expect it because the properties of the Genesis Device have caused Spock to be reborn and age at an accelerated rate. Another complication arises as Klingon Commander Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) learns of the Genesis Device and wants to use it as a weapon.

Directed by Nimoy, Search is a fun adventure that continues the franchise, which had to be expected with the success of Wrath. However, it unfortunately diminishes the value of Spock’s sacrifice in the previous film, which was allegedly the reason Nimoy returned to the role. However, in part due to Nimoy enjoying the filming experience and wanting to continue it and because of test-audience reactions to the character’s death, Spock placed his katra within Dr. McCoy before dying.

While the stories of Wrath and Search mesh together, The Voyage Home, also directed by Nimoy, only creates a trilogy in a marketing sense because its story isn’t dependent on the two previous films. That’s not to say the film, which plays like a comedy, isn’t enjoyable in its own right.

The fugitive Enterprise crew decides to leave Vulcan to face the consequences of Starfleet. Meanwhile, a large alien object has taken orbit around Earth. It sends out an unidentifiable signal and begins to disrupt the planet. As the Enterprise crew approaches, Spock is able to identify the signal as a whale song, but the species has gone extinct years ago. A plan is devised to go back in time to the late 20th century and retrieve a whale. They make it to 1986, the year the film was released, but matters are complicated because the engines no longer have enough power to return them to the future.

Each DVD annoyingly starts with the new Star Trek trailer before the menu. Although each film has already been previously released in two-disc collector’s editions, they are now being re-released on a single disc with new features.

Each has a new commentary track. Director Meyer and Enterprise executive producer Manny Coto discuss Wrath. An odd decision finds the commentaries on the other discs given by people associated with the Trek franchise, but not the films they are watching. Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor, who worked together on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, talk about Search while writers of the new movie, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, comment on Voyage.

Some features cover the original series Trek film franchise. Search has “Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects” which covers how the effects for a number of the films were created, and “Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame” has producer/writer Harve Bennett talking about his role in the franchise. Voyage has “The Three-Picture Saga” explaining how the trilogy evolved.

Complete wastes of time are the “Starfleet Academy Scisec Briefs.” They run a few minutes and purport to be video briefings about items encountered in the films. Can’t see why anyone would have thought they were a good idea. Another pointless feature is “Collecting Movie Relics” on Wrath that looks at props throughout the movies in the collection of a few collectors and at a museum.

Other features are specific to the films they are matched with. On Wrath, “James Horner: Composing Genesis” is an interview that talks about his work. “A Tribute to Ricardo Montaban” has Meyer reflecting about the late actor. On Search, “Spock: The Early Years” showcases actor Stephen Manley who played Spock at 17. He talks about the film and doing conventions (and attendees) since 2005. On Voyage “Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments” has actor Walter Koenig talking about his role in the movie. “Star Trek for a Cause” shows Greenpeace representatives talking about whaling.

Star Trek - Motion Picture Trilogy is a good addition to a film library. Although for those who already own them, the extras aren’t near enough to warrant replacements of the previous Collector’s Editions.

Star Trek - Year Four: Enterprise Experiment Issue #1 by D.C. Fontana and Derek Chester and Gordon Purcell

The Enterprise Experiment is the second miniseries in IDW Publishing’s Star Trek - Year Four line, which presents stories from the remainder of the Enterprise’s five-year mission with Captain Kirk and his crew from the original series. Long-time Trek writer D.C. Fontana is the co-author of this story that is a sequel to "The Enterprise Incident,” an episode she wrote for the series' third season where Kirk stole the Romulan’s cloaking device. It is a fan favorite and was voted the ninth best episode by Entertainment Weekly in 1995.

In Issue #1, the Enterprise is testing a new cloaking device developed from the Romulan technology while Kirk and Spock try to detect it from a shuttlecraft. At first, it seems a success, but when they can’t hail the ship, they realize something is wrong. They discover the ship and the crew are out of phase, a similar occurrence to what happened in the television episode “The Tholian Web,” due to the cloaking device.

The only member of the ship’s crew they can make contact with is Lt. Arex, who fans of The Animated Series will recognize, due to the superior mental capabilities of his species. He fills them in, and the readers, on what has taken place, and explains how he and Mr. Scott began to make adjustments to the transporter to reverse the phasing effects on the crew, but their time ran out. As Spock continues their work, Kirk goes to the bridge. He is able to get the controls back online and when he gets the viewscreen working, he is surprised to be greeted by the female Romulan commander from whom he stole the cloaking device.

Part one of this story is a great set-up and should make readers eager for Issue #2. Fontana and co-author Derek Chester have a great sense of the characters and the Trek universe. The dialog contains references that Trekkies will have fun discovering. It seemed slightly odd and a bit forced that both Kirk and Spock would be the ones conducting the test from the shuttlecraft, but since they are the heroes, it was required. Gordon Purcell’s art is serviceable, but nothing memorable. The issue also includes an interview with legendary comic creator John Byrne on his upcoming Trek miniseries, featuring Gary Seven based on the episode “Assignment Earth.”

Star Trek: New Frontier Issue #1 by Peter David and Stephen Thompson

In 1997, Star Trek: New Frontier began as a novel line for Pocket Books, setting stories within the Trek universe, but not tied to any of the television programs. John Ordover came up with the basic idea of the Thallonian Empire falling, similar to the Soviet Union, and the ramifications that brings with it. Peter David brought the series to fruition and wrote almost every story. New Frontier first appeared in comic-book form when Wildstorm published “Double Time” back in 2000. Now, it returns under publisher IDW for a five-issue miniseries entitled “Turnaround.”

The comic book drops the reader right into the series, following the events of the novel Missing in Action. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun commands the U.S.S. Excalibur, and is married to Admiral Elizabeth Shelby who oversees the sector from Bravo Station. His former shipmate, Mark McHenry, has godlike powers that may well have driven him insane. Robin Lefler served as a Starfleet ambassador to the New Thallonian Empire and was married to its co-ruler Si Cwan. After his murder at the hands of his rival, Lefler has taken over Si Cwan’s title and is pregnant with his child.

Issue #1 opens with a demonstration of the Paradox, a prototype ship equipped with a shunt drive, which was created as an alternative to the warp drive because of the damage the latter does to the environment. The new system bends time instead of space. Admiral Jellico steals the Paradox and heads to Thallonian space. Calhoun is ordered to follow Jellico and learn whom he is working with. As the issue closes, Calhoun and his crew see communications on the viewscreen from Adm. Shelby as Bravo Station is under attack and destroyed by the Paradox. It turns out to not be real but an illusion presented by McHenry. Calhoun orders another ship to protect Bravo Station and heads off to confront Jellico, making for a compelling cliffhanger.

“Turnaround Pt. 1” offers an intriguing set-up by David with art that is serviceable but forgettable. The reader doesn’t have to be a Trekkie or versed with New Frontier to appreciate the story; however, Trek fans can test their trivia knowledge if they can remember the episodes and novels that some of the characters first appeared.

Issue #1 is available at your local comic retailer.

Star Trek: The Original Series - The Complete First Season (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD)

Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Series is arguably the television show that has had the greatest impact on our culture. The show was not only filled with futuristic gadgets that have been credited with inspiring the creation of modern day inventions like cell phones and automatic doors, but its ideas of racial diversity and different nationalities working together, unusual for television in 1966, presented a future of optimism and hope that many people still embrace.

Though they only aired for three seasons, the adventures of Kirk and Spock are known throughout the world thanks to syndication. Trek reruns allowed the show to accumulate what is most likely the largest and most fanatical base of a television show, known as Trekkies.

In 2006, ST:TOS was remastered. The original negatives were used to create a high-definition version of the series, new special effects were inserted, and the theme was re-recorded. That same year, this new version of the series began airing in syndication and now the first season is available in a HD/SD combo format.

Presented in the order they aired, the first season holds up much better than most series from their era through the strength of the writing. Roddenberry and writing staff were assisted by contemporary writers of the time, such as Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, Robert Bloch, Theodore Sturgeon, and Harlan Ellison, who penned “The City on the Edge of Forever,” usually considered the best episode of the series by fans.

Some episodes present familiar story ideas in fresh ways. “The Enemy Within” is a Jekyll-and-Hyde tale as Kirk is split into two people through a transporter malfunction. “Conscience of the King” has obvious Hamlet allusions. “Balance of Terror,” the first introduction of the Romulans, is a classic battle between a ship and a submarine. “Charlie X” and “The Squire of Gothos” both present a sci-fi staple, very powerful children with immense powers. How the Enterprise crew reacted in these and also original stories informed the audience about who the characters were.

The remastered versions look great for the most part. The colors are fantastic. They are very vibrant and pop off the screen. In the bonus features, they show that a lot of work went into cleaning up the visuals. Some minor flaws can still be seen on rare occasions, but compared to the look of the credits it is a vast improvement.

The new special effects have caused some grumblings amongst the purists, although the changes aren’t anything close to the sacrilege of having Greedo shoot first in A New Hope. The main changes were to anything in space: the ships, the planets, and the stars. They look good and don’t usually distract unless too much time is spent on them. Cutting back to the original footage, even in high definition, is noticeable because of the difference in the graininess of the images. It’s too bad a filter to tone down the clarity and sharpness of the new effects couldn’t have been used, if one even exists. Fans should enjoy seeing Scotty’s phaser work properly in “Naked Time” and the Gorn blink in “Arena.”

Before remastering, the first season was previously available on DVD in 2004. They include the usual documentaries about aspects of the show and its creation. There are some odd inclusions obviously fueled by the participant’s ego. In "Life Beyond Trek," William Shatner discusses his horses, which only a fanatical Shatner fan would care about. Talk of T.J. Hooker would have been more interesting. “Trekker Connections” is an odd version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon where you start with two Trek actors, either connecting them in the series or starting with one and moving them out of the Trek universe and then reconnenting back to the series. The six puzzles are rather dumb, especially LeVar Burton being identified as a director of an Enterprise episode rather than being identified as an actor playing Geordi La Forge. All of these bonus features are included on the standard DVDs of this new set.

The set has new bonus features for the HD discs as well. Seven episodes offer “Starfleet Access.” This feature includes a commentary track about the episodes and the remastered changes with members of the new and old production team as well as some actors and Trek experts. They are very interesting and it’s too bad every episode wasn’t given the same treatment. I was surprised that “City…” had no commentary track considering the esteem with which it’s held, but Ellison’s cantankerous ways are legendary, so no doubt it was an easy choice to skip for those behind the scenes. “Starfleet Access” also offers different trivia pop-ups that can be accessed. Beyond The Final Frontier aired on The History Channel. It is a 40-year retrospective of the all the Trek series and movies.

Two features available in both SD and HD are “Spacelift,” an in-depth look at the reasoning behind the changes made to the remastered episodes, and “Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories,” footage shot by Blackburn, who was Dr. McCoy’s stand-in, fill-in navigator Lt. Hadley, and a number of other extra parts.

The HD ST:TOS is a fantastic set although it might currently be out of the price range for many fans. The only negatives I have with the set is I am always nervous with DVDs that have material on both sides and that the “Starfleet Access” material is so good it leaves me wanting more. With that being said, this set is a giant leap above many TV-DVD sets that throw whatever they have laying around on a disc and offer no extras whatsoever. It would be illogical not to have it in your collection.

COMIC CON 2007: Day One Thursday 26th

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends.”
Henry V - Act III, Scene I
Shakespeare.

After attending last year’s event, I was concerned about the growing success of Comic Con. They had sold out Saturday, and while I don’t know what that means in terms of numbers, I do know the lines to get into panels were very long and there were so many people milling about the showroom floor it resembled a day at Mardi Gras, unfortunately minus the good food, public intoxication, and nudity. This year, four-day passes and individual passes for Saturday sold out before the event started. Friday did as well. I prepared for the worst as fellow geeks from around the country and globe descended upon San Diego, CA.

I, like a number of people north of the city, headed down on the Amtrak train Thursday morning. It was easy to pick out the attendees from the regular commuters by their clothing and reading materials. Conversations could be overheard discussing favorite childhood cartoon shows and the problems with Quentin Tarantino’s latest film. By 10:15am, the streets of Downtown San Diego were a mess as the city began its yearly transformation into the Island of Misfit Toys. The streets that approached the Convention Center were near gridlock, filled with trolleys, buses, cars, bicycle rickshaws, and pedestrians.

The attendees of Comic Con are a wide and varied lot, coming from all walks of life. Not solely the stereotypical nerds still living in their parent’s home with poor social skills and hygiene, though there are plenty of those to go around. They are artists, entrepreneurs, and most notably, lovers of imagination and creativity. Outsiders would consider their discussions inconsequential on the surface, but they have deep, philosophical meaning. It matters that Han shot first, that Steve Ditko get credit as co-creator of Spider-Man, that Deckard is a replicant.

They show their love and devotion in a number of ways. The vast majority of the horde shows their allegiance much like sports fans with t-shirts and ball caps. Most are obvious, so even people with a limited knowledge of pop culture can recognize the wearer’s interest. There are also obscure images and cryptic messages, understandable by those in the know.

Yet, these minimal pieces of cloth are not enough to convey the full breadth of the commitment some have. No matter where your gaze strays at the Con revelers appear in full costume, impressing onlookers who request photographs. They are disguised as icons, cult figures, and brand new creations. This all culminates in The Masquerade Ball on Saturday night, a well-attended traditional event that has the video fed into other rooms to meet the demand.

I first attended the DVD Sneak Peak 2007 led by Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan of The Digital Bits.com. They were joined by DVD producers who were going to discuss upcoming releases; however, for some reason the panel began with Michael Davis talking about his film Shoot ‘Em Up, coming to theaters on Sept. 7. He showed amusing clips of himself playing around with special effects on his computer. Finally Charles de Lauzirika discussed his upcoming releases, which are sure to be two of the biggest cult DVDs for the fall: Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Twin Peaks: The Complete Series. Bonus footage from each was shown and the small crowd went wild over both even with the technical difficulties of the DVD set-up. One woman in the crowd offered up her Mac to remedy the A/V problems.

I passed by a capacity-filled room listening to Richard Hatch hold court over a Battlestar Galactica Forum. Fans still waited in the hopes that seats would open up if people filtered out, but the true believers were already inside. Only a dire emergency would keep them from lasting the hour. Hatch has long been a convention favorite here and elsewhere from his roles in both versions of BSG and his novels that continue the adventures of his former character Capt. Apollo.

The dealer room already had many, many people roaming throughout it before noon. Long lines extended wherever there was space for those looking to buy, get an autograph, a free giveaway, what have you. It was Christmas in July for some. Their unbridled enthusiasm couldn’t be contained as they tore open their boxes and packages, desperate to get the prize in their hands, holding it up to let the light gleam off it like a religious artifact. Of course, the serious collectors rolled their eyes and scoffed because of the effect an open package has on the resale value.

A presentation and discussion was held about Star Trek: The Original Series being released on HD DVD. Make no mistake about the interest Trek still holds among many. Even though the show has been around over 40 years, a good portion of people probably bought the recent DVD collections, and the information came as no surprise as the remastered episodes already appear in syndication, this room, one of the larger halls of the event, was filled. They have redone a number of effects shots; one panelist seemed most excited by the idea of a Gorn blinking for the first time. There will be interesting extras for the most die-hard fans as Billy Blackburn, a multi-purpose extra on the set shot old Super-8 films behind the scenes.

While it says Comic Con on the door, movies are what have driven the spike in the numbers of attendees. A few years back Hollywood made the realization that the people who buy comic books are the same ones who go to comic book movies, so all the major studios feature panels of their upcoming slates to create buzz. They are given the largest room, Hall H, and the lines are always brutal. Paramount Pictures went first and they packed the room to capacity, causing the fire marshals to close the doors. It certainly helped that they a number of films certain to drive these fans wild.

They opened with the comedy and creative team Hot Rod starring Andy Samberg. They showed a very funny clip of Samberg getting out his aggressions in the woods, reminiscent of Footloose. Author Neil Gaiman and screenwriter Jane Goldman chatted up Stardust, a fantasy tale with Claire Danes as a star fallen from the night sky and Michelle Pfieffer as the witch who wants to capture her. The clips looked good, containing a blend of humor and suspense. In an old bit of protocol, Gaiman left with Goldman only to immediately return with Roger Avary, his co-screenwriter on Robert Zemekis’ Beowulf. The film uses the realistic CGI effects seen in The Polar Express. I found the appearance of the animated versions of Anthony Hopkins and especially Angelina Jolie distracting. The issue of it being them while not being them at the same time didn't register well with me.

The poster for Tim Burton’s Sweeny Todd was shown. It looked very good, but a film needs more than a cool poster. A trailer was played, shot Blair Witch-style, during some sort of attack on New York City. A great explosion in the distance occurred and the head of The Statue of Liberty landed in the street. It was a fantastic sequence, and J.J. Abrams came out and talked about it as a Godzilla for America. He returned later to discuss Star Trek with both Zachary Quinto from Heroes and Leonard Nimoy both playing Spock. Obviously, the old actors help transition the new actors into the franchise. From the set of the new Indiana Jones movie, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf and Ray Winstone chatted a bit before bringing out fan favorite Karen Allen, reprising her role as Marion, but she always be Katy from Animal House to me. While Iron Man was going to be featured with the cast at the Marvel Studios panel on Saturday, director Jon Favreau provided clips from the film to the audience’s delight.

Lost fans proved to be the most dedicated of the day. As I made my way passed the backside of the south half convention center around 2:30pm, I saw bodies lined up between each doorway, wrapped around the corner and down the wall until they reached the front, just outside Room 20. It was easily as long as half a city block. The Lost: Season 4 panel was set to start in this 4,000-seat hall at 5pm. Those at the front of the line had been there since the convention doors opened at 10am, seven hours ahead of time to ensure a seat.

An impressive commitment though it limits the totality of the event unless you have no interest in learning about future projects, celebrating past glories, or becoming apart of the business of comics, movies, DVDs, animation books, games, toys, collectibles, art, podcasting, or other television programs. Those whose interests were beyond singular had a tough time choosing and most likely missed out on an intriguing panel they would have liked to have seen, and that doesn’t take into account the three rooms screening anime, the room showing selection for the Comic Con International Film Festival. Video clips of different panels can be found on the Internet, but who knows for how long.

Evening entertainment featured the 2007 Friend of Lulu Awards, which honors women in the comic book industry, two screening of Superman Doomsday, the 8th Annual Kung-Fu Superhero Extravaganza, and three rooms, including one at the nearby Marriott Hotel showing movies. Tonight’s themes were superheroes, zombies, and documentaries about horror.

Cringe-inducing question of the day: During the Spotlight on George Romero, the man most synonymous with zombies in movies, a young fan asks, “Don’t you think zombies are played out?”