Star Trek The Original Series

The Complete Seasons 1-3 (1966)

Paramount

R1, 2 and 4 Box Sets

Reviewer: Michelle Taylor

What can I say about Star Trek: The Original Series that hasn't already been said, I'll try to keep it brief. Way back in the mid Sixties one man had a vision of how the future of humanity could possibly turn out, it was called Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry's secular humanist dream was of a human race that had outgrown racism, sexism, war and organised religion. Humanity had conquered disease and poverty and have no need of money. The pursuit of greed and selfish goals had been replaced with a desire to better ones self and expand ones horizons. With the discovery of warp technology (faster than light travel) the human race entered onto the galactic stage for the first time in its turbulent history. With the aid of the Vulcans the human race developed a Starfleet and in time would found The United Federation of Planets (based on The United Nations?) an organisation that would change the face of the known universe.

The characters of James T Kirk, Mr. Spock, Scotty, Dr. McCoy and the other members of the Enterprise (USS Enterprise NCC-170) crew are now pop-culture icons. Star Trek was a progressive series, for instance the character of Uhura was one of the first African-American women to appear on TV. It also had a Japanese-American character named Sulu and a Russian character called Chekov, considering that World War II was still fresh in people's minds and that the cold-war was at its height this was a brave decision. We join in the daring adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew "to go boldly where no man has gone before". In their galactic voyages we meet the Vulcans and Romulans, Klingons and Andorians amongst others for the first time. Some fans have pointed out inconsistencies with later series, for example the Klingons in The Original Series don't really look like... Klingons, and all sorts of myths have grown as to why modern Klingons look so different, I think it is only because of bigger budgets that they have changed appearance, if one watches the prequel, Star Trek: Enterprise the Klingons have armoured and ridged foreheads.

Gene Roddenberry's 60s vision of the future is funky, fun and wonderfully camp. Star Trek was made on a shoestring budget and the concept artists who worked on it had to constantly improvise, they would use anything they could get their hands on. The sets are bright and colourful as are the sometimes garish costumes, and the retro props (like the tricorder or the communicator) are big, functional and cool. When the aliens are made to look truly alien (like the Gorn or Tribbles) the results are hilarious. Star Trek was very light hearted and groovy but don't be fooled it is a rather serious show at heart. Despite Star Treks lofty ideals it is very politically incorrect, and I must admit I find this refreshingly entertaining. Captain Kirk is an outrageously chauvinistic womaniser and he has ego problems, and constant jibes are made about Mr. Spock's Vulcan heritage by Dr McCoy. The three main characters (Kirk, Spock and McCoy) have a witty on screen chemistry that the other Trek series lack. Star Trek was made in an era when men were men and the women wore mini-skirts, but at least the sexes were considered (in theory) equal. Star Trek was television that broke a lot of conservative establishment taboos, it’s just a shame that Treks later incarnations didn't continue to push the envelope (no Gay or Lesbian, bi-sexual etc characters or storylines) quite as much.

The three DVD boxes that The Original Series come in are beautifully designed and colourful just like the series, being yellow, blue and red. The series have been digitally re-mastered and cleared up for DVD, so it;s nice to watch them again and again. The special features are extensive and they will provide hours of in-depth enjoyment, there are a lot of "Easter eggs" too. If like me you are a Trekkie and you have only seen the later series, do yourself a favour and buy Star Trek: The Original Series, its ground zero and where the popular franchise began. Beam me up Scotty!!!

Just some of the notable extras include:

Custom plastic shell packaging with inner disc holder- Superb presentation, real cult collector value.

Text commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda on Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Menagerie Part I, The Menagerie Part II, The Conscience of the King

Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig

To Boldly Go... Seasons 1-3

The Birth of a Timeless Legacy

Reflections on Spock

Sci-Fi Visionaries

Kirk, Spock & Bones: Star Trek's Great Trio

Designing the Final Frontier

Star Trek's Divine Diva: Nichelle Nichols

Writer's Notebook: D.C. Fontana

Chief Engineer's Log

Memoir from Mr. Sulu

Star Trek's Impact: Eugene Roddenberry's Memories

A Star Trek Collector's Dream Come True

Red Shirt Logs

Production art

Photo gallery

Preview trailers

Booklet insert

Animated program-themed menu screens