Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, DVD Discs 7 & 8 Review
Posted by Joseph Lee on 12.18.2007
"Mr. Spock, you're the most cold-blooded man I've ever known." "Why thank you, Doctor."
Starring:
William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley as Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy
James Doohan as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
George Takei as Sulu
We continue on our mission with the USS Enterprise as Kirk has previously battled the Romulans and the menacing Gorn captain. What adventures await the Enterprise? We'll soon find out.
Disc Seven Episodes
Tomorrow is Yesterday(Stardate 3113.2): In a strange plot twist, the Enterprise is sent to Earth 1969! When they get there they are attacked by fighter jets and are forced to fight back. Kirk nearly kills one and decides to beam him aboard. But after he learns too much about the future, Kirk has a decision to make about what to do with him, especially since his son will help play an important role in Earths' future. They need to remove any evidence they were there, and figure out a way to get back home. Oh man this episode was great. Seeing the Enterprise in our times (1969, but work with me here) was a nice visual and the entire story was great. I really loved this episode, and it's one of my personal favorites.
Court Martial(Stardate 2947.3): When the Enterprise passes through an ion storm and Kirk is forced to jettison a research pod in order to save the ship, and a crewman is killed. When staying for repairs, it is learned that the ship may or may not have been at yellow alert instead of red alert, and that Kirk may or may not have ill will for the deceased. In light of this information, a court martial is launched and Kirk's career is on the line. We've already had a trial episode once this season (The Menagerie) but this one works just as well. I loved the whole trial process complete with futuristic computers giving out Kirk's many accolades. Spock has some great interactions here as well with both Kirk and McCoy.
The Return of the Archons(Stardate 3156.2): When I first saw this title, I question if I had actually seen the archons before or not. It turns out it refers to the ship that the Enterprise is searching for, which disappeared 100 years before. Their search leads them to the planet Beta III where the residents are peaceful and tranquil, until the "red hour" when all hell breaks loose. Kirk looks to see what happened to Sulu (who came back acting strange) and who the mysterious "Landru" is leading them. I really didn't enjoy this episode at first, but then I was drawn more and more into it. It's another mind-control episode, but it's also different with the cult-like society trying to make Kirk and crew members. Kirk vs Landru at the end is a classic Trek moment.
Disc Eight Episodes
Space Seed(Stardate 3141.9): KHAAAAAAANNN! I was waiting for this one. If you paid attention to the special feature on Disc 5, you'd know this is the debut of Khan. Due to a mistake on the part of the Enterprise crew, Khan actually takes over the ship. He locks Kirk away and demands the crew submit to his will. This all leads to the inevitable battle of Kirk vs Khan. This introduced a fairly popular Trek villain and Ricardo Montalban is great as Khan. This was an entertaining episode with another Kirk fight and a menacing foe. And if you enjoyed Khan as I did, don't worry. He will be back in his very own feature film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
A Taste of Armageddon(Stardate 2124.5): The Enterprise is sent on a mission to establish diplomatic relations, at any cost. This proves difficult when there is a war taking place. Not just any type of war, but one fought entirely from simulation, with a deadly cost. For everyone "killed" by a simulation attack, they have to go to a room to be disintegrated. Kirk and the landing party find out that everyone aboard the Enterprise has been "killed" and they could end up that way as well if the crew doesn't report to the disintegration room on the planet. This episode was really odd, and I never completely got into it. It doesn't seem believable that they would willingly disintegrate themselves or expect those to do it. Kirk takes my stance and tries to stop it. An okay episode, but not memorable.
This Side of Paradise(Stardate 3417.3): You aren't seeing that picture wrong, this time Spock experiences love! The Enterprise goes to the planet Omicron Ceti III to unfortuntately retrieve the remains of colonists who were there. They soon find the colonists are alive, and are puzzled as to why. Meanwhile, Spock is exposed to spores that cause him to lose control of his Vulcan side and express emotion. Soon the entire crew is affected with the spores and beams down to the planet. Kirk brings Spock back to talk some sense into him. After some insults, it's Kirk vs Spock Round 2! This episode was unique in that we saw a totally different side of Spock. Spock-centric episodes are always welcome, and seeing him show emotion is great. Really good episode.
Special Features
Starfleet Access: For those with HD-DVD, you can gain more information about Space Seed.
Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories: This is on Disc 7. This feature talks about the experiences of Billy Blackburn on set, complete with home movies from his Super 8 camera. He played the ship's navigator, aka that guy who sits next to Sulu. A really nice little pieces that adds something special to this DVD release.
Kiss 'N' Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century: This is on Disc 8. This is what it is. They mention all the many women of Kirk, Spock's first love and other things involving the original crew's romances. Short fluff piece.
Trekker Connections: This is also on Disc 8. Not really much to this one, it's connections between actors that appeared on the Original Series and those who appeared later.
The 411: These two discs are a little lacking with special features, but the majority of the episodes are great. Two more discs remaining.
