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Star Trek: The Next Generation is the one season many fans wish they could forget. For some, it is simply the forgettable season: they joined the show later in its run, once its popularity and dominance of science fiction were undisputed. But every show goes through growing pains—and even the mighty Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had humble beginnings.
Next Gen's uneven first season is particularly apparent when watching the episodes in sequence on DVD. From the mishmash of the pilot to the season's bland final episode, Next Gen clearly spent its first season feeling its way. However, amid the cacophony, there are hints of the rock-solid foundation and the chemistry among the cast that the series would build on over the years, until it went out at the top of its game in 1994.
The pilot—"Encounter at Farpoint," filmed 15 years ago—has its share of awkward moments, with a B storyline that is quite obviously cobbled into the main action. Episode two, "The Naked Now," is a humorous sequel to the classic Trek episode. From there, the episodes become more
uneven. There are some bright spots, but more often than not the plots are thin, filled with such diversions as a planet whose skimpily clad residents look like they're plucked off a Southern California beach or an oil slick of death. Or perhaps you'd get a save-the-ship moment, brought to you again and again by a teenager.
The sound surrounds, but little else is new
Considering the legacy of Next Generation, the 7-disc set's extras could be stronger.
The best addition, bar none, is the remastering of the soundtrack to provide Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on all of the episodes. While you don't need surround sound to hear Picard ask for suggestions from his senior staff, the surround sound makes some the episodes with space-battle scenes come alive. And there's nothing like hearing the swoosh of the Enterprise entering warp speed
in the intro; the sound travels from one end of the room to the other.
Another strength of this set is its navigation menus. Some movies and series try to keep the menu displays in line with the theme of the content—but the Next Gen set succeeds tremendously where others have failed. The designers took the LCARS interface used on the graphic console displays on the Enterprise 1701D and translated that to the DVD screen. Navigation through episodes
and options feels like a true immersion in that universe.
Included are four documentaries, most of which assemble clips and recollections and behind-the-scenes footage filmed in the early days.
The documentaries feature a mix of recollections awkwardly spliced with more contemporary thoughts voiced by some cast members; while this fill-in-the-blanks approach provides the perspective of actors who may not have been interviewed on that specific subject back then, it can be jarring. The first documentary is titled "The Beginning," and focuses on the process of bringing the series to life. The second, titled "Selected Crew Analysis," examines the characters and the actors chosen to play them; often, the actors reveal fun, little-known or long-forgotten tidbits (for example, Jonathan Frakes auditioned for Cmdr. Riker no fewer than seven times). Finally, "The Making of a Legend" piece focuses on the actual production process, while "Memorable Missions" takes viewers randomly through cast recollections of favorite episodes from season one.
All of the short (15- to 20-minute) documentaries could be better organized, and lack index points that would make it easier to jump straight to specific discussions, such as special effects or makeup. And, unfortunately, there are no jewels like "lost" scenes or bloopers to supplement the documentary-style comments.
