Paramount Press Release: Star Trek TOS Season One (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

BEAMING ONTO BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

STAR TREK® – THE ORIGINAL SERIES
SEASON ONE BLU-RAY

Featuring All-New Seamless Branching Technology, Blu-ray Disc Debuts April 28
From CBS Home Entertainment And Paramount Home Entertainment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (February XX, 2009) – Experience the thrilling action and epic adventure like never before when the groundbreaking first season of STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES lands on Blu-ray disc April 28 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Boasting superior picture and pristine audio for the best possible home viewing experience, the Blu-ray seven disc set includes all 29 first season episodes and loads of special features.

The first season Blu-ray release of STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES features brand-new technology that finally provides fans/viewers with the best of both worlds by giving them the ability to see each episode’s newly enhanced or original special effects and hear a new enhanced soundtrack or the original one. Viewers will be able to select either version to view or toggle back and forth between the newly enhanced visual effects found on the remastered episodes and the original broadcast episode effects. Also for the first time, fans will be able to enjoy the series in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, the best sound format possible, and have the option of selecting the original mono sound heard on the series’ original television airings decades ago.

As part of the special features, select episodes include the “Starfleet Access” bonus content. By choosing the “Starfleet Access” option, viewers will be able to watch the selected episodes with special pop-up trivia and picture-in-picture video commentaries. The set also includes an interactive tour of the starship Enterprise, rare on-set home movie footage, an inside perspective on what it took to transport Trek into the 21st century and much more. A definitive STAR TREK® collection with more than 24 hours of entertainment, the set will be available for the suggested retail price of $118.00 US and $136.00 CAN. An exclusive collectible Sulu figure from Diamond Select Toys is also being made available with purchase of the Blu-ray set; fans pay only shipping and handling charges.

Starring one of the most endearing casts in television history led by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK® is a worldwide phenomenon and served as a launching pad for numerous television series and feature films. These classic first season episodes started it all, introducing the world to Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise’s iconic crew.

STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON ONE is a seven disc set presented in the original 4:3 aspect ratio with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Original 2.0 Mono, Spanish 2.0 Mono and French 2.0 Mono sound. STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON ONE Blu-ray is not rated in the U.S. and rated G in Canada. The total running time is 24 Hrs., 20 Min. The Blu-ray disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc One:
•The Man Trap
•Charlie X
•Where No Man Has Gone Before
•The Naked Time
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: Spacelift: Transporting Trek Into The 21st Century
•Special Feature: Starfleet Access episode – Where No Man Has Gone Before

Disc Two:
•The Enemy Within
•Mudd’s Women
•What Are Little Girls Made Of?
•Miri
•Dagger of the Mind
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode

Disc Three:
•The Corbomite Maneuver
•The Menagerie, Part 1
•The Menagerie, Part 2
•The Conscience of the King
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: Reflections on Spock
•Special Feature: Starfleet Access episode – The Menagerie, Parts 1 & 2

Disc Four:
•Balance of Terror
•Shore Leave
•The Galileo Seven
•The Squire of Gothos
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
•Special Feature: Starfleet Access episode – Balance of Terror


Disc Five:
•Arena
•Tomorrow is Yesterday
•Court Martial
•The Return of the Archons
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: To Boldly Go…Season One
•Special Feature: The Birth of a Timeless Legacy

Disc Six:
•Space Seed
•A Taste of Armageddon
•This Side of Paradise
•The Devil in the Dark
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: Interactive Enterprise Inspection
•Special Feature: Sci-Fi Visionaries
•Special Feature: Starfleet Access episode – Space Seed

Disc Seven:
•Errand of Mercy
•The Alternative Factor
•The City on the Edge of Forever
•Operation: Annihilate!
•Special Feature: Preview trailers for each episode
•Special Feature: Billy Blackburn’s Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories
•Special Feature: Kiss ‘N’ Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century
•Special Feature: Starfleet Access episode – Errand of Mercy

CBS Home Entertainment manages the worldwide DVD and Blu-ray businesses for the CBS Corporation across all lines of content including current hits and classic series from the vast CBS library, as well as new releases from Showtime Video.

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.




STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON ONE
Street Date: April 28, 2009
Pricing: $118.00 US/ $136.00 CAN
Catalog #:142414
Runtime: 24 Hrs., 20 Min.
U.S. Rating: NR
Canadian Rating: G

 

[ATimson]

So they're still claiming a $119 MSRP for this? Interesting. I wonder why Amazon's numbers are different.

 

[Dave Moritz]

DVD Empire has it for $93.22 for Star Trek Season 1. I was not ready to pay $100 for SD-DVD and I am not sure I will pay that for a season of Bluray ether.

I figure that since the HD-DVD looked good that they most likely used the same transfer for the Bluray. And I guess we shall see how good the motion picture HD transfers are?

 

[Nelson Au]

Cool, can't wait. Though pretty much the same extras as the HD-DVD set. The main thing here that makes the cost justified is the inclusion of both versions, the original in hi-def for the first time and the newly remastered.

I can't wait to see Corbomite Maneuver and Balance of Terror. The only issue I'm worried about is whether these new discs will have similar problems the Bond discs did when they first came out and wouldn't play on certain players. I assume the seamless branching will work!

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Although I doubt I'd ever spring for this, the inclusion of the original version makes it much more attractive if pricing became more accessible.

 

[Joe Fisher]

Amazon has it for $80.99. I might bite on this.

Amazon.com: Star Trek: Original Series - Season 1 [Blu-ray]: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Gene Roddenberry, Nichelle Nichols: Movies & TV

 

[Paul Arnette]

Damn. I have no willpower. I bit.

 

[RDarrylR]

Did they have it for that price from the 1st day? It seems to be more of a discount than the 6-movie collection.

I'll likely end up buying both.

 

[ATimson]

Depends on which price you mean; they've had the same MSRP from the start, but Amazon's price has dropped $10-$15 since it was initially listed.

 

[RDarrylR]

Thanks!

Yeah that is what I meant - the actual Amazon selling price. I don't think they have put a similar reduction on the Part 1-6 movie collection selling price yet.

 

[Jason_V]

This is going to be a really stupid question and I apologize if anyone thinks I'm being too nit-picky.

The information says "preview trailers." Would those be the original ones, the remastered ones or both?

 

[Nelson Au]

Good question Jason. In the past, all versions of Star Trek TOS has included the original trailers. On the HD-DVD, the trailers were all SD. The trailers have been goosed up for syndication sometime in the early 70's and have this goofy card at the beginning that shows the Enterprise and has text that says Star Trek Next Voyage. We discussed this before on another thread and I think Scott once felt the original trailers never had that card. But all home video versions has this version of the trailers.

Regarding price, well, for me Star Trek TOS is a must! The price is high, but there's 28 episodes,not counting The Cage which will be on the last season set. A buddy of mine did something I never usually do, he said if the sets are around $100, or $80 in this case, that makes it $2.85 an episode. A movie is about $20 to $30 on Blu Ray. A pretty good deal if you look at it this way. Plus you get all those sundries included! and all the original episodes in hi-def.

Of course we are in a really bad economic situation right now. So sales will be hit by that. Not everyone can afford such a luxury. I limit what I buy now to only those that I have to have.

 

[Camper]

Sears.com has this set for $71.99 !!!! After tax and shipping $79.48---Wow.

Has anybody here ever ordered from Sears?

One thing i noticed was that if it arrives and you don't want it--you have the choice of just returning it to your local store and getting an immediate refund. You don't have to wait for a 'returned refused' turnaround refund.

Man I'd like to know if their shipping is timely and reliable.

 

[ATimson]

Dunno, but for $1.50 more, I'll go with Amazon instead.

 

[Joel Fontenot]

That's interesting. I first began watching Star Trek as a first generation syndicated run fan - meaning, I was too young to catch the first network run, but started watching during it's first syndicated run right after it was cancelled. Since then, in all the years it constantly aired either every afternoon, or (by the late 70s) on one of the weekend evenings (can't remember which day, now) at one point until it went away locally sometime in the early 80s, I've never seen any of those preview spots with any airing of an episode. And, in this town, the show bounced around a few times among at least a couple of our stations. The first time I ever saw those preview spots was when I bought my first VHS tape of an episode by the mid 80s.

 

[Michael Rogers]

I think I made the point in the other thread that the previews were altered to eliminate the references to "Next week".

I used to see film clips (you know little bits of 35mm film that was collected among Star Trek fans back in the day) that had a scene from the show with "Next Week" superimposed.

The third year is when they did the "Star Trek: Next Voyage" card. So when it went to syndication, they obviously created a version of the "Next Voyage" card for the first 2 seasons to cover the "Next Week" superimposed scene.

Altering to the audio was also done in "The Menagerie part 2" preview. In the Leonard Nimoy narration we hear (paraphrasing) "You will learn next (pause) what Captain Pike experienced..." The pause is where he originally said "week"

I never saw the previews myself when I saw Trek syndicated in the 70's(I didn't discover Star Trek until 1975 via the animated show and then the live show). I would assume that the previews were used only in a few markets at the beginning of when Star Trek was first available for syndication.

About the blu-ray set, I am totally excited. Based upon past experience with Star Trek shows on DVD, I expected a larger price tag. I am fond of saying that when it comes to Star Trek, there is a "Paramount Trekkie Tax".

I had known that blu-rays of the show would eventually be released but I adopted blu-ray far faster then I had originally anticipated (due to getting an LCD for Christmas). So, I blame myself for not holding off on the remastered DVD's that I got last year.

I am glad that both versions of the episodes will be available in High Definition. I am glad that they promised to restore the original broadcast mono soundtracks (which have not been available since videotape and laserdisc) in addition to the surround stereo remixes.

 

[Nelson Au]

Michael, that makes sense about the trailers and the insertion of the card to eliminate the "Next Week" graphic. That image of the Enterprise was a third season SPX shot.

My earliest memory of seeing Star Trek during first run was The Immunity Syndrome because I remember the imagery of the enormous single cell. The Doomsday Machine too for the same reason. But I have a stronger memory of seeing Plato's Stepchildren first run. Of course, I didn't see the previews.

In about 1972 or 73, I do remember seeing Star Trek every afternoon after school through till 1977-78 or so on KTVU channel 2. Then it showed up on weekends. But never did I see a trailer. Or remember it.

 

[ATimson]

You got me thinking, Michael--I didn't pick up the Animated Series on DVD. Is there a chance that it'd end up on Blu-ray? Would there be any noticeable quality difference if they did so, or is the original animation so poor that it wouldn't matter?

 

[Jason_V]

Absolutely no offense intended toward anyone, but to quote the good admiral: I feel young.

The first Trek I ever watched in "first run" was ST IV...and even that was a stretch being 7 years old.

I'm hoping Paramount throws on the original trailers plus the ones for the remastered series. I can't imagine there's any rights issues with the latter ones. They'd provide a nice contrast in how the show was originally promoted and then re-promoted after 40 years. (TOS-R aired at midnight Monday here...way too late for me to stay up.)

 

[ATimson]

I'll see your STIV at age 7 and raise you Generations at age 9.