HTF REVIEW: Star Trek - The Complete First Season (1 Viewer)

[ian trigg]

Hi, I bought a region2 version of the box set, and when the menu pops up the episodes are numbered wrong? Is this because they're numbered by production but on the dvd by air date? Thanks for the help!

 

[Britton]

The order of the episodes on the dvd is their airing order, but the numbers next to the episodes are the production numbers.

 

[CaseyL]

I have been thouroly enjoying this release. Sice I have seen this series before (many times) I am watching them in the order presented on the discs, purely because I way to lazy to actually *sigh* get up and change the discs after every episode...Star Trek is so much work

 

[JoSAN]

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[ScottR]

I just wish they had used the blue box film masters instead of what they used. The colors were bolder, the picture smoother, and the original Desilu and Paramount logos intact. I feel like we've taken one step ahead and two steps back.

 

[JoSAN]

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[Al (alweho)]

I'm just happy for the most part that the episodes are pretty much what was broadcast - warts and all.

Could you imagine all the changes/different versions if George Lucas came up with the original Star Trek?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

(Everyone feel free to insert their own "-X- would now shoot first" joke. I'm going with "Spock's brain would now shoot first!")

 

[Scott Kimball]

Again, this was not part of the photography - it looks very much like a telecine-induced artifact. One's ability to notice it apparently varies from person to person.

This jitter problem is the biggest problem with the transfer. Given that the grain is an inherent part of the master print, and the dust and scratches are artifacts of age - also on the print, they are more appropriately a part of the DVD video. The jitter appears to be an issue with the transfer itself. It is the least natural and least acceptable part of the transfers.

-Scott

 

[JoSAN]

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[Doug Otte]

I watched Court Martial on the new set the other day because I seemed to remember the original DVD had a vertical line running through the middle of the screen for about a minute (from a damaged film print). I could only see it for about 2 seconds near the end on the bridge. So I took out the old DVD version and it was the same. Did my memory expand that problem, or is there another episode where it occurs? I'd like to compare the old vs. the new.

PS I'm well aware from reading previous posts that a vertical line like that is very hard, if not impossible, to clean from the image, but I'd like to check it out anyway.

Thanks.
Doug

 

[Jason Borchers]

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[Bryan Tuck]

Thanks for that post, Jason. I've never noticed that about the stardates.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

The best argument I've heard in favor of airdate order (and the argument that won me over) was presented by a gentleman in the last TOS DVD thread:

These are season sets. Therefore, they present a season's worth of episodes as originally broadcast.

However, with the DVD format, you are free to watch them in any order you wish.

 

[Jason Borchers]

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[Rob Gardiner]

Besides, if airdate order was good enough for my dad (1st generation Trekkie from 1966) then it's good enough for me.

But this is a silly debate. With the exception of Menagerie parts I and II, you can watch the show in any order. You can watch the show in reverse chronological order and just assume that Chekov transfers off the ship after 2 years, and Yeoman Rand joins the crew near the very end.

EDIT: Most Beatles discographies list LET IT BE after ABBEY ROAD, despite the fact that it was recorded first. Most Beatles fans I know file their records in release order as well.

 

[Jason Borchers]

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[Nelson Au]

Or you could argue that as of January 1, 2005, you can watch it by season order if you'd like to. That way you can watch how the series evolves by the change in production, staff and cast. I'm being jokey of course. The post regarding listening to album release order made me think of this. Each episode is a track in the year long "album" called Season 1.

But it's fun to see the evolution in the show as it goes into Season 2 and 3. The production values take on an interesting change early on in the second year, cool new music, some new shots of the Enterprise, additional new sets on the ship, the addition of Chekov, the evolution of Spock, Shatner's hair in the 3rd year.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

When I finally acquire this set (and most of it will be a new experience for me, as I've only seen about 10 episodes in my life) I will be watching the show in PRODUCTION order. From my experience with other shows, it's the only way to go and better demonstrates the evolution of the characters and situations and so forth.

 

[Jason_V]

^That works for most shows, but if you hit up Deep Space Nine's third season, the EXCELLENT two part episode "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast" are split in production order by another episode ("Through the Looking Glass" I believe) because the script for TDiC was not ready for production immediately after IC. Here, airdate order makes all the difference.