TrekIn09: Best Star Trek Home Video (& Audio) of 2009

2009 has been a huge year for home video releases so instead of lumping them in with our Best Merchandise of 2009 they get their own article that picks the best of the various releases for the year. 

 

 

BEST STAR TREK HOME VIDEO (& AUDIO) OF 2009
 

Home Video release of the year –  Star Trek 2009 Blu-ray
This year Paramount home video released five Star Trek films on the Blu-ray format as single issues (others were also released inside collections). However, the 3-disk Star Trek 2009 movie was certainly the most elaborate release of the year for Star Trek, with tons of special features and even a digital copy for you to use on your laptop of iPhone. Included in the special edition was also some features that could only work using the Blu-ray technology, such as the interactive tours of the Enterprise and Narada. The title got rave reviews from the home video press which lauded it as one of the best releases of the year. [available at Amazon – see TrekMovie review].

Best Blu-ray release – Star Trek Season Two
2009 has seen a number of collections come out on Blu-ray and it is hard hard call, but we think that Star Trek Season two was the best release. Not only did it give you a chance to see some of the best Trek episodes ever made in HD, but it also included a whole slew of new special features (including a ‘tribbles disk) and even Easter Eggs.  [available at Amazon – see TrekMovie review]

Best DVD release – Original Series Collection
Although the new Blu-ray format has got a lot of attention, regular DVD buyers have also seen a lot of Trek choices this year. The best of the year is the collection of all six Original Series movies, all of which were remastered and each title includes new special features plus the special ‘Star Trek Summit’ Disk. Unlike other releases, the DVD version contains the same set of features as Blu-ray. [available at Amazon – see TrekMovie review (Blu-ray version)]

Best Packaging – Target Exclusive Star Trek 2009 DVD 
It’s a toy, its a DVD holder, it’s both! These days Blu-rays get most of the cool packaging, but Target offered a cool Star Trek Enterprise DVD holder for the Star Trek 2009 movie (demonstrated below). It was also available for Blu-ray, of course.

Best Bonus Feature – Farewell To The Star Trek Experience (Next Generation Movies Box Set)
The TNG movie set (Both DVD and Blu-ray) includes a long and emotional farewell to Star Trek The Experience in Las Vegas, which closed in late 2008. Shot mostly on the closing day, the feature included interviews and an interesting behind-the-scenes view of ST: TE. Unlike most special features, this one focused on the fans and their relationship with the experience. [TNG set available at Amazon on Blu-ray and DVD – see TrekMovie review]

Best Audio Release – Star Trek II Extended Soundtrack   
2009 saw the long-awaited extended release of James Horner’s score for Star Trek II: The Wrath Khan, released by Film Score Monthly. The extended soundtrack features excellent music music unheared on the original release and all remastered, plus an alternate track and an excellent set of liner notes. [Amazon at Amazon – see TrekMovie review]

 

 

More TrekIn09
TrekMovie is looking back at the year that was. In the series so far:

And there is more to come.
 

2009 – a great year for Star Trek Home video

Here is all the home video for the year.

Star Trek 2009 movie

The JJ Abrams movie is available in three basic sets (plus some retailer exclusives – see article for more details).

Title Blu-ray DVD
Star Trek 2009

[TrekMovie review]

3-disk set

2-disk

1-disk

Star Trek TOS & TNG movies

All 10 previous Star Trek movies were re-released this year on both DVD and Blu-ray with new special features. These were in TNG and TOS box sets, plus the four of the ‘even numbered movies’ were also released as seperate films

Title Blu-ray DVD
Next Generation
Movie Collection

[TrekMovie Review]

Original Series
Movie Collection

[TrekMovie review]

ST: II
Wrath of Khan
ST: IV Voyage Home
ST: The Undiscovered Country
ST: First Contact

Star Trek: The Original Series

In 2009 all three seasons of the remastered Star Trek: The Original Series were released on Blu-ray (the DVD versions were released in 2007/2008).

Title Blu-ray DVD
Star Trek TOS
Season 1 (Remastered)

[TrekMovie Review]

(released 11/20/2007)

Star Trek TOS
Season 2 (Remastered)

[TrekMovie Review]

 

(released 8/5/2008)

Star Trek TOS
Season 3 (Remastered)

[TrekMovie Review]

 

(released 11/18/2008)

Star Trek TOS
3 seasons pack
(Remastered)

 

(released 11/18/2008)

‘Best of" TNG & TOS sets

And for those on a budget, CBS released two volumes each of four-episode ‘Best of’ sets for TOS and TNG. The sets were DVD only, no Blu-ray.

Title TOS DVD TNG DVD
Volume 1

[TrekMovie review]

Volume 2

Galaxy Quest – Deluxe Edition

Although not technically Star Trek, Paramount also released a new Deluxe Ediciton of the Trek parody Galaxy Quest to coincide with Star Trek releases. The DVD edition came out in May and the Blu-ray came out in the Fall.

Title DVD Blu-ray
Galaxy Quest
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Happy New Year! I hope you all will have a wonderful and prosperous 2010!

FIRST!

Happy New Year :)

May the new year bring happiness, excitement and fortune.

Live Long and Prosper =/\=

HNY all!!
Now we need a STTMP-TDE in BR!
..THIIIIIRD!

Great year for Trek.

Happy new year from a UK now in 2010!! ;-)

Happy New Year!!

My resolution will be to pick up the Star Trek II Extended Soundtrack…

;-D

‘Twas a great year for ‘Trek DVDs. I got.. so many, it’s insane. xD Happy New Year, ya’ll!

I felt the TOS releases were among the greatest this year, it was great seeing those episodes in HD and to toggle between the new effects and the original effects seamlessly is awesome.

Bad thing is I have to wait till March for Season 3 in the UK.

As much as I love the new movie I am a little concerned that the Trek we all grew up loving is going to be forgotten.

When they do these documentaries on Doctor Who, it always annoys me when the classic series is overlooked where as I see the new series as a continuation of what came before.

Star Trek is different with new movie in that new canon has been created but as much as I love the new movie it is not the definitive Star Trek to me.

There are ten movies and over 700 episodes, prefer to think of the new movie as part of it, not something that replaces it all. I treat as new canon in a parallel universe but still part of Trek. But I guess to me it will not be the best ever Trek this new movie.

OMG! I bought & own the HD/DVD combo season one, and the season’s 2-3 of TOS-R. I also bought & own the 6 orig. cast films and TNG cast films on bluray!
And prior to that, I also bought the Target exclusive 09 film on BD.
I am now watching the extras on the BD season 3 set that I got in the mail today. I have 1-2 coming soon, and only paid 45.00-50.00 for each off ebay!

day I got my Bluray season 3. Here’s my review:

First off, the case is kind cool, slim w/ slip cover. The episode/disc listing is inside case, having to read through plastic w/ center spindle in the way, totally poor design.

But I’ll take this case design over the complete garbage design of the ultra cheap thick cased(guaranteed to break easy hinge/clasp) plastic case on the previous TOS-R design.

The BD exclusive features/etc are a mixed bag.

1 previous featurette was jestisoned for some reason, whereas most all prior were ported over from the TOS-R release. The BD excl. featuettes w/ Rod Roddenberry/David Gerrold are lame and thankfully short. The iPhone BD feature only is a dissappointment, allowing access to items though brief, would have been nice to view.

I did view the first few minutes of the never aired alternate WNMHGB 2nd pilot. The beginning footage, although HD, looked like a boot vhs copy w/ the opening Kirk voiceover/nebula. Then it’s gets better, but occassional film flaws are seen, as well as less impressive mono sound.

The not too hidden easter eggs(1 per disc) on discs 1-4 are too brief to be enjoyable or have time to find interesting for the most part.(Okuda’s, Gerrold and 2 other who worked on remastered project). The menu’s are new and cool, w/ skematrics of ship, episode snipbits.

Unfortunately my standard and Bluray players do NOT have angle buttons, but my HD playe does. I was trying to toggle back and forth to watch the orig. FX/remastered. I was able to use my pop-up menu button on my BD player and I had already began watching Spock’s Brain rematsered version, and tried to toggle to original effects, and it simply wert to the original footage version of episode…unfortuantely in doing so, took me back to the beginning all over agan, instead of switching back and forth from new ot old….I got a menu to choose either, but not go back and forth while watching, as I assumed was an option. So essentially, you can view one or the other, not view either in tandum and go back and forth on the fly.

Where as this does allow you to view them as seen on tv before the upgrade, it also is painfully clear the quality of video and orig. mono makes the reality of what was avail. for years was clearly inferior to what the remastered/bluray quality can offer to step up the enjoyment factor and visually and audio-wise take what was once presented in sub-standard means to a beautifully and sharp clarity and enhanced manner never before made available.

My TOS-R/HD are gorgeous, but the BD format makes the image crisp, color are more vibrant & pop and generally polished and have more depth.

Since this episode has only 1 shot of newer fx(alien ship), not a good judement on angle/toggling from older to newer FX. Since I don’t have this button, not sure if I’ll be able to take advantage of swtiching on the fly back and forth to compare each in real time. What is amazing is BD won over HD cause it holds more data. So, why have featuettes, text commentaries, etc been dropped from previous standard and TOS-R releases?
It means, I cannot simply get rid of my former editions in the interest of redundancy or shelf space, or lose what is on those.

When I read a review that season 1 jetisoned a PiP commentary on Galileo 7 ep. that my HD version has, it makes one scatch one’s head in disbelief and what where they thinking?

When my HD player eventually dies, it will be a loss that this featurette will be lost forever. I have reviews where some people’s BD player has a firmware issue with an icon appearing each time a newer FX appears to alert you to be able to toggle between older footage and new. I do not get this icon or prompt. When viewing The Enterprise Incident, it was sweet to see a mix of Romulan BOP and Klingon ships, previously not seen in the orig. film footage produced.

Again, I could not simply go back and forth while viewing(newer/remastered) same scene, it just returned to the very beginning of the ep. in the orig. film footage. Is this what those with an angle button on their remotes also get? Or can you branch in real time, rather than just going to the beginning of the episode watching the orig. footage?

Help!! Please!! Just bought and opened a best buy canada 3-disc bluray star trek movie. Trying to play it on my pc laptop blu-ray disc player (the only bluray player I have and whole reason for buying this laptop). I get absolutely nothing from discs 1 & 2. I can explore the folders on the discs but there is nothing that I can play. Disc 3 is also a no go. The digital transfer code comes up as already used or invalid, and to just watch it without transferring just comes up with a screen saying to insert the disc into my bd rom drive for the digital transfer, which it already is in!! I emailed the help desk for a new code but as far as the rest, what gives?? It’s an acer laptop with plenty of power/space, windows 11, windows vista and it is a bluray disc player, although I’ve never had a bluray disc to play on it until now… Anybody…

it’s an optiarc BC-5500A ata bd-rom, and says blu-ray on it, just like the sticker on the laptop…

vince sounds like u need to contact your computer mfg…have u bought other blu rays that play on yer computer? If so then could be some compatubility issues if thats the case try contacting cbs video for canada(or paramount)-could be a patch to update your computer to make it work–probably both computer n dvd need to be canada versions too i wondernif its due to some copy protection problems–just guessing as i live in usa not canada-good luck-

I used a code for the digital copy to put on my desktop n it said it copied-i had it in apples itunes on my pc–i clivk on it to play-the time marker moves showing something is playing but i have no picture or sound-i should have chosen windows media player instead i guess-yet when the trailers came out i downloaded that from itunes n trailer plays fine-

Congrats to the Farewell to the star trek experience for winning trekmovies best bonus feature from the star trek evolutions bonus disk-it deserves this honor–i think its only 28 minutes long but for those of us who loved the experience it is a very emotional feature-seeing the behind the scenes performers n their thoughts n emotions on the last day as well as the fans made me feel like i was there. I was there two weeks earlier to say goodbye n visited with April, n got to meet jerry during his quarks bar daily marathon and also vernon wilmer and kerstan s(k’stran)-thanks to april, sheri and i had a wonderful last visit then with them two weeks before the final day-the hi def cameras make the feature look beautiful–i have watched this farewell to the experience many times since i got my blu ray n hi def tv-any fan of the experience needs to get this set-hard to watch it without some tears being shed-All u former experience cast members-u are still missed terribly and you guys were the best things about the experience–quarksbartender,april,jerry,vernon etc…we luv ya all!

I found the Blu-ray 3 disc set features mostly to be very satisfying, The featurettes answered most of my questions about the production. Even my girlfriend (who isnt a star trek fan) thought the extras to be pretty cool.

On the flip side I have a couple of gripes..

The virtual tour of the new enterprise seems to be railed..I was under the impression that I could use my Blu-ray remote to fly around and check out every part of the ship. Instead I could only select a few points of interest. I think this could have been also accomplished on the standard dvd edition.

Maybe its my player..

my only other issue is the featurette: Gene roddenberry’s vision..It starts out with indeed Gene roddenberry’s vision but quickly evolves into JJ Abrams vision.. I pointed this out to my girlfriend and she agreed.

Other than that, the movie is fantastic, I loved the glimpses of the original series during the featurettes, Since I don’t have the original series on Blu-ray yet. Makes me want to go out and buy it. I’ll have to wait til christmas debt is paid off in late january.

My thoughts after viewing the extras. especially BD Live on TOS season 3:
The 1 featurette that was jetisioned is actually(at this time) avail. on the BD Live feature. Along w/ a plethora of other short items, inclduing a now it’s there, now it’s gone, previously avail. on the 2004 standard dvd sets, The Red Shirt Diaries! There also appears to be 2 clips of what was filmed as a whole round table discussion, chopped into hidden eggs and BD LIVE clip, and spread out between the 3 season sets. What is lame, is 2 sets of dowloading/loading aspects to each clip, in addtion to accessing or loading BD live. So essentially, buy this snail-paced means of access, I esentually saw all previously released footage, other than the newly produced round table discussion w/ the Okuda’s, David Gerrold, and others involved w/ the remastering TOS project. What’s redundant and odd, is that the BD live is exactly the same content on all 6 discs.

This also inlcudes a forum where people have posted about issues w/ this season, the “angle” button debacle depending on your player’s manufacturer’s choice to incld. it or not on your remote, to be able to toggle between the older orig. footage and the newer remastered footage. Also on BD Live is Cast, creative team, characters, database(aliens, ships,tech., science, m\edical, & places), Collector’s Dream Come True feature, CBS Community, Galleries, Tracks, Movie Nights & Games. What is bizzare, is fans who are yet again spending their hard earned cash and quadriple dipping by buying TOS again, are made to suffer by having to lose what they previously had or forced to endure several minutes to download to view what is already avail. with much more user friendly acess on the 2004/2008 releases, or slower yet, by BD LIVE which is ever changing and what was once avail. last month, may be removed this month at a whim by the keeps of the CBS BD Live senate. Having viewed several episodes now, some stand out as a slightly more sharper image than the standard/HD remastered format offers. Others are so close to the remastered look, I’m not sure if the Bluray upgrade is that much better than the later.

Too bad they botched the colors on an overall beautiful restoration of the wrath of khan. But then again they did the same on star wars 2004 set and james bond.