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Title: Seasquest DSV: Season One Box Set
Region:
One
Genre:
Sci-Fi Drama Adventure
Episodes
Disc One) “To Be Or Not To Be (Pilot)”, “The Devil’s Window”,
“Treasure Of The Mind”, “Games”, “Treasures Of The Tonga Trench”
Episodes
Disc Two) “Brothers And Sisters”, “Give Me Liberte”, “Knight Of
Shadows”, “Bad Water”, “The Regulator”, “seaWEST”
Episodes
Disc Three) “Photon Bullet”, “Better Than Martians”, “Nothing But The
Truth”, “Greed For A Pirate’s Dream”, “Whale Song”, “The
Stinger”
Episodes
Disc Four) “Hide And Seek”, “The Last Lap Of Luxury”, “Abalon”,
“Such Great Patience”, “The Good Death”, “Higher Power”
Stars:
Roy Scheider, Stephanie Beacham, Stacy Haiduck, Don Franklin, Jonathan Brandis,
John D’ Aquino, Royce D. Applegate, Marco Sanchez, and Ted Raimi
Guest
Stars: Charlton Heston, William Shatner, Shelley Hack, W. Morgan Sheppard,
Roscoe Lee Brown, Eric Da Re, Scott Coffey, Michael Parks, Richard Herd, Yaphet
Kotto, Kelly Martin, John Bedford, David McCallum, David Morse, Dustin Nguyen,
Bonnie Bartlett, Hank Stratton, Carl Lumbly, Kristopher Tabori, Kent McCord,
Kellie Martin, Seth Green, and Turhan Bey
Created
By: Rockne S. O’Bannon
Executive
Producers: Rockne S. O’Bannon, Steven Spielberg, and Tommy Thompson
Feature
length: 18 hours and 16 minutes
Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Languages:
English Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and Spanish Language
Subtitles
Packaging:
Four Slim Keep Cases Within A Glossy Cardboard Slipcase
Chapter
Stops: Approximately 4 Per Episode
Sound:
Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound
Year
of Television Broadcast: 1993-1994/DVD Release: 2006
Home
Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Beneath The Sea Lies The Future” – Captain Nathan Bridger – Commander Of The Seaquest Deep Submersive Vehicle (DSV)
The
titanic success of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in syndicated first run
broadcast television episodes from 1987 through 1994 eventually lead to a ton of
network and first run syndicated genre programs on both over the air broadcast
television as well as both basic and premium cable and satellite networks.
“Seaquest DSV” was one of two NBC sci-fi adventure shows that premiered in
1993 and attempted to capture the imagination of the sci-fi loving audience.
This television season would see the premiere of many genre television hits that
included Fox’s “The X-Files” as well as “Babylon 5.” There was even a
spin-off of “The Next Generation” entitled “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
that was beginning it’s second season in syndication during this time. Despite
Steven Spielberg’s amazing success as a filmmaker producing and or directing
feature films, much of his television excursions have not caught on with quite
the same notoriety as his projects for the big screen. I think he has been
extremely successful with producing television miniseries that have included
“Band Of Brothers”, “Taken”, and “Into The West.” It can be argued
that Steven Spielberg is one of the few creative forces in the entertainment
industry to actually produce epic scale television miniseries that last more
than two days and call back to the glory days of that sort of programming that
dominated the 1970s and early 1980s.
While
“Seaquest DSV” can perhaps be easily compared to Irwin Allen’s “Voyage
To The Bottom Of The Sea,” the truth is the show seems to be inspired more by
“Star Trek” in tone with the ocean standing in for outer space as the last
vast unexplored region on Earth. Set in the early half of the 21st
century, humanity has begun the active colonization of the sea and the major
world powers have created the United Earth Oceans or UEO to explore the deep
depths and provide humanitarian efforts while keeping the peace. The mammoth
submarine Seaquest DSV was conceived by Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy
Scheider) as a science vessel, but was initially used as a military submarine,
which in part lead to the Captain’s disillusionment with the UEO and his
retirement. At a time when territorial crisis threaten the cooperation of the
vast UEO, Bridger is lulled back into command with the refitted Seaquest, which
now features more facilities for scientific research as originally intended
while still maintaining a military presence that makes the submarine the most
powerful and advanced ship of it’s type in the world. Most of the adventures
in the first season of “Seasquest DSV” revolve around human interest stories
with a focus on speculative science related to natural phenomenon and or the
possible applications of marine science complete with a telepathic dolphin that
is able to communicate through images sent either through holographic technology
or directly into the dreams of crew members. Darwin, the dolphin can also be
understood through a vocoder that enables his natural sounds to be translated
into English. The dolphin has as much access to parts of the ship as the human
crew through a maze of water filled tubes that enable it to travel from one
place within Seasquest to the next. The series also featured the late
Jonathan Brandis in a role sort of like “The Next Generation” character
“Wesley Crusher” as the ship’s resident teenage genius of sorts.
At
the end of much of the episodes are various videotaped segments that appear
while the credits roll and detail the scientific research that has inspired the
storyline explored in the respective episodes. These segments have been
preserved and are carried over for the DVD release in the same way as they
originally aired on television. Towards the end of the first season of
“Seaquest DSV,” the shows began to focus more on sci-fi rather than science
with episodes involving genetic engineering and even aquatic space aliens. Most
if not all of these programs are handled with sentimentality and at times
innocence that somehow never reaches the right balance of plausibility in a
jaded world. Now more than then even, “Seaquest” feels a bit too wishy washy
(no pun intended) without enough of a blend of genuine thrills that
“Star Trek” delivered in spite of that show’s initial positive and hopeful
look at humanity’s exploration of deep space. Another strike “Seaquest DSV”
had going against it was the reality that space in general is more exciting to
sci-fi fans than the sea and it’s easier to dream up fantastic stories in
space too because somehow even though the oceans hold just as many unknown
wonders, space and space exploration seems more beyond the reach of most people
since there are documentaries airing nearly every week that detail some form of
marine research. I think psychologically people feel more connected to the sea
because they can touch water, swim in water and look at vast bodies of water
whether it is a lake, a river, or an ocean. However few of us will ever get the
chance to orbit the planet in a space shuttle let alone travel to a distant
planet or star so as a result outer space seems more spectacular and even
romantic than the deep blue sea.
“Seaquest
DSV” would air for three seasons with the show reinventing itself each time in
an attempt to capture a greater audience. The second season would prove to be
based much more in fantasy than in science while the third season would attempt
to make the show darker and more confrontational. Unfortunately the series never
quite got the right balance though ultimately it did last for three seasons,
which is about as long as the original “Star Trek” aired. I feel it is also
important to note that “Seaquest: DSV” could perhaps be reinvented one day
just as “Battlestar Galactica” was successfully reimagined to become
arguably one of the best adult sci-fi space operas on television. Collectively
the ideas are there and I think that watching the show on DVD opens up the rare
opportunity to explore the possibilities therein, enjoy the series for what it
was, and discover what worked and did not work and why.
As
far as picture quality is concerned, “Seaquest DSV: Season One” on DVD looks
terrific. The clarity is amazing with a beautiful mix of dark navy colors and
bright aquatic highlights. All 23 episodes are presented in a (1.33:1) aspect
ratio that preserves the manner in which the series was originally broadcast on
TV. A solid English Dolby Pro Logic Surround Soundtrack is included for each
episode along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well
as Spanish Language Subtitles encoded onto all four double-sided DVDs as
options. Like other TV on DVD
releases from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, each disc side’s selection
of episodes can either be viewed using a “Play All” feature or individually.
A brief episode synopsis that includes a listing of select guest stars and in
some cases access to deleted scenes as well as chapter stop information can be
easily accessed through the episode index. The menus are all standard
interactive still frames and are easy to navigate. Among the guest stars to have
appeared in the first season of “Seaquest DSV” are William Shatner as a
former dictator guilty of crimes against humanity and Charlton Heston as a
scientist performing genetic alterations. W. Morgan Sheppard (Max Headroom),
Seth Green (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Eric Da Re (Twin Peaks), Yaphet Kotto
(Alien), David Morse (Space 1999), Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street), Carl Lumbly
(Alias), and Kent McCord (Farscape) are also among the season one guest stars.
Rockne S. O’Bannon created “Seaquest Quest DSV.” His other sci-fi credits
include the hit SCI FI Channel original series “Farscape” and “Sliders”
as well as the feature film “Alien Nation.”
Most
of the deleted scenes are presented in a quality nearly equal to the series
presentation on DVD with English Stereo Sound. Deleted scenes are present for
the season one episodes entitled “To Be Or Not To Be (Series Pilot)” (8:18),
“The Devil’s Window” (1:00), “Treasure Of The Mind” (3:05), “Nothing
But The Truth” (1:30), “Greed For A Pirate’s Dream” (1:30), “Hide And
Seek” (2:14), “The Last Lap Of Luxury” (1:11), “Abalon” (5:42), and
“Such Great Patience” (1:34). “Seaquest DSV: Season One” is
available on DVD-Video now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Universal
Studios Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2006 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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