Episodes
Disc One: “Redemption, Part II”, “Darmok”, “Ensign Ro”, “Silicon
Avatar”
Episodes
Disc Two: “Disaster”, “The Game”, “Unification, Part 1”,
“Unification, Part II”
Episodes
Disc Three: “A Matter Of Time”, “New Ground”, “Hero Worship”,
“Violations”
Episodes
Disc Four: “The Masterpiece Society”, “Conundrum”, “Power Play”,
“Ethics”
Episodes
Disc Five: “The Outcast”, “Cause And Effect”, “The First Duty”,
“Cost Of Living”
Episodes
Disc Six: “The Perfect Mate”, “Imaginary Friend”, “I, Borg”, “The
Next Phase”
Episodes
Disc Seven: “The Inner Light”, “Time’s Arrow, Part I”
Stars:
Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent
Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, and Gates McFadden
Guest Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Colm Meany, Denise Crosby, Robert O’Reilly, Paul Winfield, Barbara March, Gwynyth Walsh, Tony Jay, Michelle Forbes, Mark Lenard, Leonard Nimoy, Malachi Throne, Matt Frewer, Tim O’Connor, Max Grodnechik, Brian Bonsall, Erick Anderson, Melinda Culea, Kelsey Grammer, Robert Duncan McNeill, John Snyder, Famke Janssen, Jonathan Del Arco, Wil Wheaton, Rosalind Chao, and Jerry Hardin
Writers: Michael
Piller, John Whelpley, Jeri Taylor, Rick Berman, Ronald D. Moore, Lee Sheldon,
Joe Monosky, Maurice Hurley, Thomas Kartozian, Pamela Douglas, Sheri Goodhartz,
Brannon Braga, Ira Steven Behr, Timothy DeHaas, Peter Allan Fields, Morgan
Gendel, Edithe Swensen, Jean Louise Matthias, Garry Perconte, Peter Allan
Fields, Sara Charno, Stuart Charno, Barry Schkolnick, Michael Horvat, and Rene
Echevarria
Directors: Rob Bowman, Winrich Kolbe, Gabrielle Beaumont, David Carson,
Robert Scheerer, Cliff Bole, Rob Wiemer, Jonathan Frakes, Timothy Bond, Chip
Chalmers, Robert Wiemer, Patrick Stewart, Marvin Rush, David Livingston, Tom
Benko, Robert Legato, Larry Shaw, Les Landau, Tom Benko, Corey Allen, Paul
Lynch, and Robert Iscove
Executive
Producer: Gene Roddenberry
Feature
length: 43 Minutes Each/ 19 Hours
Extras:
Mission Overview: Year Five, Department
Briefing – Year Five: Production And Visual Effects, Memorable Missions: Year
Five, A Tribute To Gene Roddenberry, Bonus “Star Trek: Nemesis” Mini CD-ROM
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic Surround 2.0
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions
Packaging:
Digipack Gatefold Within A Box
Chapter
Stops: 8 per episode/ 208 total
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic Surround 2.0
Year
of Original Television Broadcast: 1991-1992/DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
While I was more of a casual viewer previously, the fifth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was when I began to pay more attention to the show. In fact after the fifth season ran, I remember catching up on the first four seasons during the summer and as a result becoming a full fledge “Next Generation” fan. Having watched the programs on TV and home video as well as these DVD sets I think the fifth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was arguably the time when the show was truly in it’s prime. We knew the characters, had accepted them into our hearts and minds, and were familiar with the social and political differences that defined the “Star Trek Universe” circa “The Next Generation” when compared to “The Original Series.” It is easy for me to look back and say “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is not only classic sci-fi, but classic television however I think it was the strides that the series would make from season five and onward that would define what many would think about regarding the maturing characters of “The Next Generation.”
I
was watching an episode of “Enterprise” the other night and I think
“Enterprise” is the best “Trek” in terms of capturing the wondrous and
hopeful spirit of what I felt made “Star Trek” so inspiring. Well the
episode I watched was a rather weak one in my opinion and I say this to be fair
to the writers of “Enterprise” because I think they are still finding their
groove so to speak with that show. After the episode ended I started watching
one of the fifth season “Next Generation” episodes and I was just so much
more impressed by the writing, characters, and storylines found in season five
of “The Next Generation” more than I had ever been before. I mean I really
appreciated the difference so much that I realized just how much I had taken
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” for granted to such an extent and also
realized to my own dismay how much television has degraded in the ten years
since these episodes first premiered. In short in my opinion even bad “Trek”
is better than a lot of contemporary television programming when compared and
now more than ever and without exaggeration I think “Star Trek: The Next
Generation” truly represents some of the best television programming ever
aired and with season five joining the first four season box sets on DVD-Video
this Tuesday, there is no better time than the present to grab these sets and
engage.
I
have said this before in previous reviews, but here I feel it is more apparent
than in the other season box sets because there is something wonderful to say
about so many of these episodes that it is a challenge to write about them
without feeling I have left something out. Season five begins with the exciting
conclusion to “Redemption,” which resolves the Klingon Civil War and paves
the way the rest of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” clear through into the
“Star Trek: Deep Space 9.” The treacherous Duras Sisters would find
themselves conspiring against the Federation and the crew of the Enterprise
right up to their demise in “Star Trek: Generations” while Gowron would
prove to be a force to contend with during the war with “The Dominion” in
“Star Trek: Deep Space 9.”
This
is also a season of more actors returning to “Star Trek” either reprising
their character roles or as new characters and a few actors that appear in
season 5 would go on to appear in subsequent “Star Trek” TV series as well
as serve as templates for future “Star Trek” characters. Paul Winfield
returned in the critically acclaimed episode “Darmok,” which has not only
been used as an example of how languages are developed in linguistic college
classes, but the episode is credited with reinvigorating the “Gilgamesh”
myth by introducing it to the largest audience ever since “The Next
Generation” was often earning higher ratings than some broadcast network
primetime shows at the time. The episode also illustrates the importance of
“The Hero’s Journey” and how our myths help to create a cohesive frame of
reference as to how we understand our values as a society and communicate them.
It is an obvious feather in the cap of “The Next Generation” to have Leonard
Nimoy return as “Spock” in the two-part episode “Unification” along with
the second appearance of Mark Lenard as “Sarek.” Another veteran from the
original series, Malachi Throne appears as the Romulan Senator “Pardek.”
This two part episode was dedicated to Gene Roddenberry who had passed way at
the age of 70 and has a subtle connection as well as reference to events that
occurred in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” which was also
dedicated to the memory of “The Great Bird Of The Galaxy” Gene Roddenberry.
Malachi Throne had previous appeared in the classic “Star Trek: The Original
Series” two-part episode “The Menagerie” as Commodore Mendez. “The
Menagerie” was also very much a “Spock” intensive storyline and won the
coveted Hugo Award for science fiction dramatic writing.
Michelle
Forbes character of “Ensign Ro Laren” would not only develop and enhance the
character of a Bajoran people, but her character would serve as a template to
the character of “Major Kira Nerys” as portrayed by Nana Visitor in “Star
Trek Deep Space 9.” Robert Duncan McNeill’s character of Nova Squadron
Leader “Nick Loccarno” from “The First Duty” would serve as a template
of sorts for the character of “Ensign Tom Paris” on “Star Trek Voyager,”
who was also played by Robert Duncan McNeill. “The First Duty” is also
notable for it’s dramatic developments regarding Ensign Wesley Crusher’s
disgrace and ultimately has been said to be screened in cadet schools to this
day as a dramatization of the responsibility that comes with the honor of
serving in the United States Air Force and Navy.
Actor John Snyder would win a role as the armory security chief
“Malcolm” on “Enterprise,” but here can be spotted in an important
character role in the episode “The Masterpiece Society.”
Classic
science fiction directly or indirectly serves here as inspiration for some of
the episode storylines such as the hermaphrodite like Sorens who appear to share
qualities of both genders much like the beings in the classic Ursula K. LeGuin
novel “The Left Hand Of Darkness.” Even classic “Star Trek” serves as an
inverted inspiration of sorts in the episode “The Perfect Mate,” which has
some similarities to “Elaan Of Troyius” and the intriguing “I’ Borg”
humanizes “The Borg” through the character of “Hugh” in a way that
“Star Trek” has always with strange and confrontational races while calling
some obvious comparison to Science Fiction Grandmaster’s Isaac Asimov, a
friend of Roddenberry’s and advisor on “The Motion Picture” who wrote the
novel “I’ Robot.” There have been nods to Asimov’s “Robots Series”
and novels and in some ways the “Foundation Series” as well. The easiest
homage to Asimov to spot is Data’s “Positronic Brain.” The season finale
features intrigue with energy feeding aliens preying upon the life forces of 19th
century humans, the appearance of Guinan living on Earth at that time, and
Samuel Clemens discovery of our undercover 24th century heroes.
Other
notable guests to appear in season five include Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser), Tim
O’Connor (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century), Brian Bonsall (Family
Ties), Matt Frewer (Max Headroom), and Famke Janssen (Goldeneye). Standout
episodes not mentioned, but are also among the best of the series in this set
include “The Inner Light,” “Cause And Effect,” “Conundrum,” “A
Matter Of Time,” and “Silicon Avatar,” which features the return of the
Crystalline Entity.
Disc
seven features several featurettes and documentaries beginning with “Mission
Overview: Year Five” (18:05), which covers the shows’ mass acceptance and
personal identity as well as the acknowledgement of legitimacy and connection to
the classic “Star Trek” with the appearance of Leonard Nimoy as “Spock”
in “Unification, Parts I & II” as well as looks back at the cameo by
Deforest Kelley in the series premiere “Encounter At Farpoint.” Other season
five episodes noted include “Darmok,” “The Inner Light,” and “I’
Borg.” This volumes “Departmental Briefings” explore “Production”
(15:28) and “Visual Effects” (17:58), which goes into great detail with
examples of how the special effects for the series grew through an evolution of
technique and technology over the course of the seven seasons and is very
interesting. The huge models and examples of compositing various special effects
reminded me very much of the enhancements I used to try with my models when I
was a kid like using glow in the dark paint to create the illusion of lights on
the model starships when the lights were out. (It might sound silly, but I was a
kid, okay!)
“Memorable
Missions” (18:13) focuses on much of what I have detailed above and expands
upon other episodes such as “The Game.” Perhaps the most moving is the
“Tribute To Gene Roddenberry,” (28:34) which features a mix newly filmed and
retrospective cast and crew recollections of Gene Roddenberry including excerpts
from a 1988 interview with Mr. Roddenberry and footage from the opening of
“The Gene Roddenberry Building” on the Paramount Studios Back Lot with some
onsite interview clips and moving footage of the event. One can see tears in the
eyes of Leonard Nimoy at the ceremony. The closing event of this tribute is
filmed footage of Patrick Stewart dressed as “Captain Picard” alone on the
bridge of the Enterprise-D where he suddenly breaks into a solo song and
dance number complete with a hat and cane to honor Gene Roddenberry. I imagine
this was something shown at conventions so collector’s will really appreciate
having it on DVD.
All
of the extra features are presented in a full-framed (1.33:1) aspect ratio with
English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired. The episodes on
the seven discs are presented in their original (1.33:1) broadcast aspect
ratios, which is also how they were shot. Overall these episodes look better
than much of the episodes on previous season-by-season box set releases with
solid colors and the episodes also feature a noticeably higher production value
than previous seasons as well. However there are some episodes like
“Unification” that exhibit a bit of grain though I do not think it is
compression grain. In fact collectively they all look much better than they did
during their original television broadcast as well as the cropped repeats that
have aired on TNN. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is an
improvement over the original stereo broadcasts though not quite as full
sounding as some feature films. Though again I must note in favor of these
“Star Trek” sets in that the 5.1 soundtracks are still well mixed and is an
option that many other sci-fi shows on DVD distributed by other organizations do
not offer. An English Dolby Pro Logic Surround Soundtrack is also included along
with English Captions and Closed Captions encoded on to all seven discs as
options.
The
menus feature full motion scenes as one enters the “Holodeck” to choose the
episode they wish to watch and all of the interactive menus are easy to
navigate. As a special bonus at this time, a “Star Trek: Nemesis” mini
CD-ROM with wall paper, skins, screen savers, desktop icons, and the teaser
trailer is also included within the set along with an insert with notes
dedicated to the memory of Gene Roddenberry, who past away early in the
production of the fifth season as well as an alphabetical listing of all 26
season five episodes including airdates and a montage of the key cast members of
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” season five on the flipside. There is also
a special offer for American and Canadian consumers who purchase the final two
season sets that debut next month from Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD-Video.
This
is another winner and arguably the best “Next Generation” season set to be
released yet. “Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Fifth Season On
DVD” will debut on Tuesday, November 5, 2002 from Paramount Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
The Top Ten TV On DVD-Videos Of 2002 As Reviewed At GENRE ONLINE. NET
