Star Trek : Original Motion Picture Collection [Blu-Ray]

By Paul Fischer

”Star Trek” may indeed be the final frontier, but on DVD, the journeys of the USS Enterprise take on new and at times, visually dizzying heights, as the original 6 films soar into Blu Ray brilliance. Watching these films again, even the weaker films remind one of how great this franchise once was, and how inspiring.

STAR TREK – THE MOTION PICTURE.
Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols
Director: Robert Wise.

A large, mysterious cloud on a direct course towards Earth destroys three Klingon Battle Cruisers and a Federation outpost. A refitted Enterprise is the only ship within intercept range before the cloud reaches Earth, but the ship is in no condition to either pursue or engage the deadly force. His experience his greatest ally, Admiral James T. Kirk, former Captain of the Enterprise, successfully lobbies for his return to the Captain’s chair, supplanting Captain Decker (Stephen Collins) and reassigning him to the position of Executive Officer. Despite new and untested engines, a mostly inexperienced crew, and no science officer, the Enterprise sets out to intercept the cloud, the famed vessel perhaps Earth’s last, best chance for survival.

I’ve been writing about the Trek films since, well, this 1979 big screen adventure for which I interviewed its legendary director. For me, this first big screen adventure was larger than life, and not having seen the movie in some 30 years, what is surprising about its Blu Ray incarnation, is how bold and beautifully cinematic it was, a real classic of science fiction in its purest form. This was Gene Rodenberry in the producer’s chair and the film has his DNA imprinted over the film’s very detailed, metaphysical script as it explores the themes of life, love, death and the insignificance of the universe in a way that science fiction had mot really accomplished for years. The film was post-Star Wars, and was an attempt at combining the basic elements of Star Trek mythology with far more complex themes and moral questions. Trekkies were mixed about the film but seeing it again was as if one sees it for the first time. There are remnants of the wry, witty humour that would develop as a trademark of this initial franchise, the further development of its principal crew of characters, and some rather astonishing effects for 1979. It is also a rather wistful and haunting film in its own right, a movie that is more about the internal, rather than some kind of action film set in space. Robert Wise’s direction is fluid, imaginative and the movie is definitely slower and more verbose than what would come after. The film looks gorgeous on Blu Ray with its 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer and full-fledged Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. One is struck by the clarity of detail that exists with shots of the Enterprise and in particular, the Klingon cruisers that have more depth to them than I originally recalled. Overall, it looks and sounds sublime, very smooth and more visually gorgeous than even its theatrical version. That magnificent music by Jerry Goldsmith, by the way, never sounded as wonderful as it does here.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture debuts on Blu-ray with a nice selection of bonus materials, from a commentary track with Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and Daren Dochterman who all share their recollections on the film’s origins and opening; special effects shots; the actors in both major and minor roles; shooting locations; new sets, uniforms, and accessories; and plenty of discussion on the planned but never created television program, “Star Trek: Phase II.” Library Computer allows users to access detailed information on persons, places, and things as seen or discussed throughout the movie. The Longest Trek: Writing ‘The Motion Picture’ further examines the origins of what was to become the first of now eleven Star Trek feature-length films. Special ‘Star Trek’ Reunion features a quintet of extras reminiscing on their experiences of winding up in the movie. Starfleet Academy SciSec Brief 101: Mystery Behind V’Ger features a “Next Generation” Starfleet officer recalling the events as depicted in The Motion Picture. As well as your usual deleted scenes and a few other goodies.

In all this first Star Trek movie is far more extraordinary than we have ever given it credit and the Blu Ray is superb.

STAR TREK II – THE WRATH OF KHAN

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Ricardo Montalban.
Director: Nicholas Meyer

Long regarded as the best of the franchise, Wrath of Khan is devilishly entertaining and exhilarating. On a mission to locate a lifeless world on which to test the “Genesis” device, an object capable of instantly transforming a barren world into a habitable paradise, the U.S.S. Reliant’s Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) and Commander Chekov beam down to Ceti Alpha V (though they believe the planet to be Ceti Alpha VI) to investigate a singular object which may represent life. There, they discover the remnants of the Botany Bay, the vessel housing a marooned Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), a 20th Century genetically-engineered superman with an unquenchable thirst for the blood of his old nemesis, Admiral James T. Kirk. Capable of controlling Terrell and Chekov and commandeering Reliant, Khan sets out to both capture the Genesis device and exact revenge on an unawares Kirk and Enterprise crew while Kirk is dealing with a midlife crisis of his own. While Rodenberry was no longer producer and director Meyer was new to the Trek universe, the film was almost a reboot of sorts, in that it had no connection to its predecessor and a direct link to the TV series. It was the film that developed and cemented the relationship between Kirk and Spock, and provided McCoy with much of the film’s dry humour. Hugely entertaining and marvellously plotted and paced, Khan is fabulous and on Blu Ray is pretty good, but apparently, its quality depends on the copy you have to review. A friend of mine complained about its inferior visual look, while my copy was pristine. That of course presents Paramount with a problem of duplicating its Blu Ray films with consistency. Perhaps this is the flaw of the technology to begin with, but for me, the film looks quite stunning, very detailed in its imagery and flesh tones and other visual details are nicely balanced. The lossless sound, which was strong in the first film, does appear weaker here, and the James Horner’s music disappears at times over dialogue. However, I didn’t see this as a major distraction, and some of these elements are equipment dependent.

Supplementary features on Khan are abundant. I loved the Original Interviews With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and Ricardo Montalban (480p, 10:56) that features these actors recalling their experiences in making the film in a collection of classic interviews especially as Shatner and Nimoy address the film’s [impending] controversy. Nicholas Meyer presents a fascinating commentary, Production. Captain’s Log (480p, 27:21) takes a direct but incredibly fascinating look at how the film came together, told through interviews with primary cast and crew. Designing Khan (480p, 23:54) features a look at the design of the ships, the new uniforms, the creation of the Genesis torpedo, and more. Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (480p, 18:14) takes viewers behind-the-scenes and into the making of the film’s special effects shots. James Horner:Composing Genesis (1080p, 9:33) features the composer discussing his work on the film.

The ‘Star Trek’ Universe is another piece broken into several features. Collecting ‘Star Trek’s’ Movie Relics takes a very interesting look at some of the props used throughout the history of ‘Star Trek.’ A Novel Approach looks at bringing ‘Trek’ history and lore to the printed page. Starfleet Academy SciSec Brief 002: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI features a “future” look back at the events of ‘The Wrath of Khan.’ Rounding out this package of supplements is a collection of 13 storyboards, A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The package is quite amazing and at time of writing had to yet discover some of these first-hand, but Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan deserves its classic status as one of the great Trek adventures of all time that looks exquisite in high def.

STAR TREK III – THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK.
DIRECTOR: LEONARD NIMOY.

Leonard Nimoy makes his feature directorial debut on Search for Spock, a film made as an excuse to reintroduce Spock for the next entry in the series. Most of its trainees reassigned and the badly damaged Enterprise returning home from its confrontation with Khan, the skeleton crew laments the loss of their friend, Spock, the ship feeling cold and lifeless in his absence. Upon their arrival at a star base, Kirk and crew learn that the Genesis planet is at the centre of a galactic controversy, and a refitted and repaired Enterprise won’t be returning to the new world where their colleague has been laid to rest. In fact, the Enterprise is to be decommissioned, the fate of her crew in question. When Kirk learns that Spock’s katra or “living spirit” was transferred to Dr. McCoy moments before his death, he, Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and McCoy hijack the Enterprise from space dock in order to return to Genesis to retrieve Spock’s body in hopes of reviving him and transferring his katra back to its rightful body. Complicating matters is a none-too-happy Starfleet and a Klingon captain named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) bent on securing the secrets of the Genesis device for his own use as an ultimate doomsday weapon. On a second viewing, Search for Spock is a mighty piece of Trek entertainment that is full of rich humour and inventive visuals, coupled with a deep humanity, thanks to the Harve Bennett script and Nimoy’s perceptive direction. The Blu Ray for this Trek film is absolutely stunning. The opening sequence featuring the uncloaked Klingon ship with its green hues is a pointed reminder of the brilliance of high def when handled appropriately. Colour and imagery are beautiful as are the contrasts between the void of space and the shimmering brilliance of the Genesis planet and Vulcan, both of which look breathtaking in High Def. While some imagery is not as vibrant as the first two films, it is still a glorious looking film. The sound, once again presented in a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless format, The Search For Spock enjoys a solid listening experience with music and sound effects blissfully complementing each other.
Supplementary material abounds from an extraneous short called Spock: The Early Years, looks at the young actors who portrayed Spock in the film, which I thought, was rather dull and pointless. Far more enjoyable is Captain’s Log, that looks at Star Trek III’s origins, Leonard Nimoy’s involvement, the development of the story, the challenges of the shoot, cast discussing their characters, and more, with some very funny observations by Shatner and Nimoy, done in 2002. The commentary track features director Leonard Nimoy, Writer/Producer Harve Bennett, Director of Photography Charles Correll, and Actress Robin Curtis, with a passionate Nimoy providing the most fascinating input. It’s understandable why the third Star Trek is nobody’s favourite, but it is still wonderfully entertaining, and shows the power of Christopher Lloyd who makes a formidable Klingon adversary.

STAR TREK IV THE VOYAGE HOME.
Director: Leonard Nimoy.

Perhaps the most enjoyable and commercial films in the series, it remains a gem of a comedy in true Star Trek style. With Mr. Spock recovered from his rebirth and once again a fully-capable Starfleet officer, the Enterprise bridge crew votes unanimously to return to Earth to face the charges levied against them. On their way home in a commandeered Klingon Bird-of-Prey, they learn that a mysterious probe has arrived at Earth, sending out a signal that baffles Starfleet Command and simultaneously causing a string of environmental disasters that threaten Earth’s power reserves. Spock surmises that the probe’s signal may not be meant for humans, and verifies his theory when he discovers that it is indeed a replication of the songs sung by humpback whales, an extinct species in the 23rd century. The only solution is to slingshot around the sun in an effort to travel back in time, retrieve a pair of whales, and return them to the 23rd century so they may communicate with the probe before it destroys the planet. Undeniably the most entertaining film in the series, director Nimoy has a light touch that combines serious elements on a then pro-environmental friendly theme when such issues were unfashionable with a frenetic comedy that further explores the deep rooted friendships of the Enterprise protagonists. The film allowed many of the actors to shine, comedically, and apart from the droll delivery of Nimoy [“What does it mean, exact change?”] , James Doohan has some choice moments, as well as the reliable DeForest Kelley. A new composer was brought in to enhance the film’s lighter tone, and it was the only film in the franchise that brought in a non-Trek audience to the table.
As far the Blu Ray DVD is concerned, however, while the movie is fun, the transfer on this is pallid in comparison to its predecessors. The contemporary footage of San Francisco seems rather flat, but sound is far better. The whale sounds and background noises are beautifully accentuated, but it appears that the visuals lack the lustre of the first two movies in particular. However, the story is so much fun that perhaps one can forgive the overall quality of the film’s High Def incarnation. And watch out for late 80s technology – remember the old 512k little Apple Mac? It was considered so state of the art back then.

The supplementary features are, naturally, in abundance. I loved hearing the Nimoy-Shatner commentary, and was bemused that the writers of the new Trek film, Orci and Kurtzman. But the behind the scenes documentary on the franchise is wonderful. Future’s Past: A Look Back is the first of five features under the Production tab. An entertaining retrospective piece, cast and crew discuss the success of the franchise, the humour of the film, the time travel story arc, a discussion of some of the film’s more famous scenes (including the “punk on bus” sequence), and more. On Location looks at shooting in then-modern-day San Francisco. Dailies Deconstruction shows viewers side-by-side takes and angles of a scene. Below-the-Line: Sound Design examines the creation of sound effects for objects that exist only on-screen. Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments features Actor Walter Koenig discussing his increased role in the film.

Next up is The Star Trek Universe, a collection of seven features, all of which are a must for Trek fans.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Director: William Shatner.

Shore leave is cut short when the newly-designed Enterprise — registration NCC-1701-A — is called upon to resolve a hostage crisis on the planet Nimbus III, a world settled jointly in the name of “galactic peace” by the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans. Each of these powers’ emissaries to the world is taken captive by a renegade Vulcan named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) who devises a scheme to overpower the Federation forces and hijack their starship for the purpose of travelling to the edge of the galaxy in search of God. Though with only a skeleton crew and plenty of technical problems plaguing the ship, the Enterprise heads to Nimbus III, only to fall prey to Sybok’s plan. With the Enterprise crew enchanted by Sybok’s mystical ability to ease the burden of deeply-rooted individual pain and suffering, the ship heads towards a world that may be home to God — with a Klingon Bird-of-Prey in pursuit. This maybe the most reviled film of this part of the franchise, but seeing it again for the first time in 20 years, and it remains a flawed but fascinating look at the notion of heaven, hell and life and death. A personal story for director/star Shatner, the film is overly philosophical for some, intriguing for others and it further solidifies what is essentially a love story among the film’s three protagonists. Many of the problems of the film have more to do with Paramount cost-cutting than with Shatner’s vision, and perhaps had he been given more freedom, Star Trek V would have been a greater film. Still, it is a very spiritual and personal treatise, which is why Trek fans abhor it so. I rather liked the film and it stands apart as more fascinating on a new viewing than it may have been when released in the summer of 1989. Ironically, the DVD transfer in High Def is superb, accentuating the contrasts between the Klingon Bird of Prey, and the harsh browns of Nimbus III. Audio featuring the powerful Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack is surprisingly active, full of brilliant clarity, and the sound is amongst the best in this Blu Ray collection.

Supplementary material includes a fun Shatner commentary, but the behind-the-scenes documentary, The Journey: A Behind-the-Scenes Documentary looks at the process of creating the film, from the origins of the story to the scrapping of the infamous “rock man” footage. It really is fascinating to hear how Shatner had to navigate the politics of moviemaking. Also great is a look back at a wonderful press conference that took place on the lot just after principal photography. The Star Trek Universe tab contains an additional eight features. Herman Zimmerman: A Tribute looks back on the career of the famed composer. Original Interview: William Shatner is a vintage piece featuring the actor-director discussing the film. Cosmic Thoughts features a philosophical examination of what might be beyond the boundaries of Earth and man’s place in it. That Klingon Couple features Actors Todd Bryant and Spice Williams recounting their experiences playing Klingons in the film. A Green Future? (takes an extended look at Yosemite National Park and nature’s importance to mankind, while ‘Star Trek’ Honors NASA looks at the influence of Gene Roddenberry’s creation on the space program and the series’ forward-thinking themes and technologies. Hollywood Walk of Fame: James Doohan showcases a few brief scenes from the dedication ceremony. Starfleet Academy SciSec Brief 005: Nimbus III (again takes a futuristic look back at the events as depicted in Star Trek V.

STAR TREK VI – THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY.
DIRECTOR: NICHOLAS MEYER

When the Klingon moon Praxis — a primary energy production facility — suddenly explodes, the Klingon species finds itself unable to recover and on the verge of extinction. In an effort to both save the Klingons and bring peace to a long-troubled relationship, the Federation agrees to help the Klingons, assistance that includes dismantling part of the fleet across the neutral zone. Spock volunteers Kirk, the Enterprise, and her crew to escort the Klingon Chancellor, Gorkon (David Warner), through federation space to a peace conference. Kirk rejects both the mission and its purpose, proclaiming his distrust of the Klingons. Nevertheless, the Enterprise carries out her orders, but relationships become further strained when the ship seems to fire on the Klingon Cruiser and a pair of assassins beam aboard the vessel and murder the chancellor. Kirk and McCoy beam over to the Cruiser to ascertain the situation, are arrested, and ultimately found guilty of the assassination. Sentenced to life imprisonment on the harsh penal colony of Rura Penthe, the pair must not only struggle to escape but to save their very lives on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the Enterprise crew vigorously searches for answers in hopes of identifying the true assassins before they have a chance destroy any hopes of achieving peace. Of all the Trek films, Undiscovered Country may well be the smartest and most profound in the series. On the one hand, the film has a visceral energy, a scene-stealing Christopher Plummer who sprouts Shakespeare with a hammy glee, and the film makes literary references from Dostoyevsky, to Shakespeare to Dickens and with a wistful touch of Peter Pan as a final comment on age and wisdom. This Trek film is masterfully crafted by Nicholas Meyer and proved to be as fitting, elegant finale to this initial franchise, with its deep commentary on race relations, a look back at the end of the Cold War and a film that is reflective of this cast and we all grew up with this first generation of the Enterprise. It remains an eloquent, exquisite movie that works on so many levels and can be appreciated on both its own right or as part of an overall legacy.

The High Def transfer is gorgeous for the most part, though some scenes are not as consistently smooth as others. Sound is again exemplary and the lossless audio takes advantage of background noise and sound effects. It’s a nice transfer but not as fluid as the first films in this series. As for supplementary extras, there’s a ton of stuff, beginning with two commentary tracks, the first with Director Nicholas Meyer and Screenwriter Denny Martin Flynn, the other by Larry Nemecek and Ira Steven Behr. The detailed Stories from ‘Star Trek VI’ breaks down into six features. It Started With a Story that further examines that looks at the role of racism in the film, Director Nicholas Meyer features cast and crew laying praise on the director, Shakespeare and General Chang which looks at both the role of Shakespeare and Actor Christopher Plummer in the film, Bring it to Life that takes a look at the making of various segments of the film, and my favourite, Farewell and Goodbye that looks at the ideas behind the film’s final shot. In this documentary we learn that one of the original ideas behind Star Trek VI was that it be a prequel, showing a young Kirk and Spock at the Academy. I guess that script had to wait two decades to get made. There is also a moving tribute to the great DeForest Kelley, an 8=part Star Trek Universe and much more.

The Blu Ray pack also contains a 7th disc, The Captain’s Summit, which is an entertaining roundtable discussion on Star Trek and popular culture by Shatner, Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, and Jonathan Frakes, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. It is a brisk, fun discussion but hardly necessary to have been shot in high def.

FINAL THOUGHTS.

Star Trek has been a part of our lives for years and this high def package is a must for fans. While the Blu Ray transfer is mixed, mostly, the films still look beautiful and the films, all of them, deserve their place in Trek lore for better or worse. I had fun spending the past two weeks savouring Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection Blu-ray, and hope to still find some more jewels. But most importantly, the Trek films remain so much a part of popular culture, seeing them again was a reminder of their intelligence, humour and impact on American cinema.