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Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy and Best of Series on DVD this week

by Jane Boursaw on May 12th, 2009

Arriving at my house today were three fantastic DVD sets, but my view is tinged only slightly because they’re all “Star Trek” themed, and I’m a “Star Trek” fan from way back. Here’s the rundown:

Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy (Amazon). This 3-disc set includes three classic movies. In my view, they’re the best of the movies featuring the original cast:

1) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Who can forget William Shatner’s emotional “Khannnnnn!” from this movie? Kirk is now an admiral in the midst of a mid-life crisis. But he’s forced to spring into action when Khan (Ricardo Montalban) comes back into his life seeking revenge. Rated PG for violence and language; 113 minutes.

Extras include: Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto; James Horner: Composing Genesis; Collecting Star Trek’s Movie Relics; A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban; Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind Celi Alpha VI.

2) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Admiral Kirk and the crew break all the rules and steal the decommissioned Enterprise to go retrieve their friend Spock from the restricted planet Genesis. My favorite moment is when Spock finally recognizes his friend Jim. Rated PG; 105 minutes.

Extras include: Commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor; Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects; Spock: The Early Years; Star trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame: Starfleet Academy: The Vulcan Katra Transfer.

3) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). The Enterprise crew travels back in time to save the earth from an alien probe. Their helpers? Humpback whales, the only creatures who can communicate with it. Ok, so the whole whale business is a bit crunchy-granola for me, but the film was nominated for a bunch of awards, including four Oscars. What I love about it is all the funny lines, like Kirk explaining Spock’s weird behavior because he did too much LSD in the 60s. Rated PG; 119 minutes.

Extras include: Commentary by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman; Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments; The Three-Picture Saga; Star Trek for a Cause; Starfleet Academy: The Whale Probe.

The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This one-disc set includes 4 episodes: The Best of Both Worlds (Part 1), The Best of Both Worlds (Part 2), Yesterday’s Enterprise, and The Measure of a Man. The first two eps involve the Borg, the third involves a space-time rift and Klingons, and the fourth is about Data and whether he’s a sentient being or not. No bonus features are included, as it’s really meant to be a teaser for the series. Not rated; 3 hours, 1 minute. Amazon

The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series. This one-disc set includes four episodes: The City on the Edge of Forever, The Trouble With Tribbles, Balance of Terror, and Amok Time. Again, no bonus features are included. I have to say that Tribbles is probably my favorite episode of the original series. They’re just so cute. Not rated; 3 hours, 21 minutes. Amazon

Images: Amazon.com

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