Region: One
Genre: Sci-Fi TV Series
Episodes Disc One: “Evolution”, “The Ensigns Of Command”, “The Survivors”, “Who Watches The Watchers?”
Episodes
Disc Two: “The Bonding”, “Booby
Trap”, “The Enemy”, “The Price”
Episodes
Disc Three: “The Vengeance Factor”,
“The Defector”, “The Hunted”, “The High Ground”
Episodes
Disc Four: “ Deja Q”, “A Matter Of
Perspective”, “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, “The Offspring”
Episodes
Disc Five: “Sins Of The Father”,
“Allegiance”, “Captain’s Holiday”, “Tin Man”
Episodes
Disc Six: “Hollow Pursuits”, “The
Most Toys”, “Sarek”, “Ménage A Troi”
Episodes
Disc Seven: “Transfigurations”,
“The Best Of Both Worlds, Part One”
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Wil Wheaton, and Gates McFadden
Guest Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, John DeLancie, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Colm Meany, Ken Jenkins, Ray Wise, James Sloyan, Andreas Katsulas, Jeff McCarthy, Corbin Bernsen, Denise Crosby, Hallie Todd, Tony Todd, Charles Cooper, Louise Fletcher, Jennifer Hetrick, Dwight Shultz, Mark Leonard, Julie Warner, Richard Cox, Saul Rubinek, James Cromwell, George Murdock, and Elizabeth Dennehy
Writers: Michael Piller, Michael
Wagner, Jaron Summers, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Richard Manning, Hans Beimler,
Ronald D. Moore, Ron Roman, Richard Matheson, Richard Danus, Hannah Louise
Shearer, Sam Rolfe, Robin Berheim, Richard Danus, Ed Zuckerman, Ira Steven Behr,
Trent Christopher Ganino, Eric Stillwell, Rene Echevarria, W. Reed Moran, Drew
Deighan, Dennis Putman Bailey, David Bishoff, Sally Caves, Peter S. Beagle, Marc
Cushman, Jake Jacobs, Fred Bronson, and Susan Sackett
Directors: Rob Bowman, Winrich Kolbe,
Gabrielle Beaumont, David Carson, Robert Scheerer, Cliff Bole, Rob Wiemer,
Jonathan Frakes, Timothy Bond, Chip Calmers, Robert Legato, Larry Shaw, Les
Landau, Tom Benko, Paul Lynch, and Robert Iscove
Executive Producer: Gene Roddenberry
Approximate Episode Length: 46 Minutes each/19 Hours Total
Extras: “Mission Overview: Year Three”, “Selected Crew Analysis: Year Three”, “Departmental Briefing – Year Three: Production”, “Departmental Briefing – Year Three: Memorable Missions”
Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Stereo
Subtitles: English Captions and Closed Captions
Packaging: Gatefold Within A Box
Chapter Stops: 8 Per Episode/9 – Best Of Best Of Both Worlds: Part One/209 Total
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Sound
Year of Original Television Broadcasts: 1989-1990/DVD Release: 2002
Home Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
The Enterprise-D has docked again into
Earth’s orbit with Paramount Home Entertainment’s “Star Trek: The Next
Generation: The Complete Third Season On DVD” Box Set. Arguably Season Three
is one of the best seasons of “The Next Generation” if not the best season
of the seven that make up the entire series. The show had become a great success
and had become accepted by critics and fans alike as a worthy successor to
“The Original Series” if not rapidly surpassing it’s predecessor. Now
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” is recognized as a classic of both genre
television as well as a part of television history. “Star Trek the Next
Generation” had become the number one television show in syndication at a time
before the flood of television sci-fi imitators. In fact the only other
television series on the air during the initial run of the third season of
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” was “Quantum Leap” starring Scott
Bakula and look where he’s ended up!
There are so many great episodes in
this set that it would be impossible to cover each one in great detail within
the format of a DVD review, but I can point out what are among the best for each
disc and focus on some of the guest stars that appear in the third season.
Disc One features “Who Watches The Watchers,” which guest stars Ray
Wise (Twin Peaks) as the member of an ancestral race of proto-Vulcans who
discovers a wounded Federation Anthropologist after a malfunction reveals a
secret observation station. Events that follow subsequently force a
contamination that violates the Prime Directive. The idea of humans spying on
the development of an extraterrestrial society is intriguing and became a part
of the plot device that would set up the conflict explored in the feature film
“Star Trek: Insurrection.”
Disc Two features “The Price,”
which presents the first appearance of the Ferengi since the first season. The
episode is notable for presenting an unstable wormhole and Ferengi characters
who would end up appearing in the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode entitled
“False Profit.” A highlight of Disc Three is “The Defector” because it
is a part of an ongoing storyline featuring the Romulans and stars Andreas
Katsulas (Babylon 5) as “Romulan Commander Tomalak,” a character role he
would reprise up until the very end of the series. Disc Four features
“Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which gives information on the act of sacrifice
that would assist in the alliance the Klingons and Federation share in the 24th
century, the return of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) in an alternate “Star Trek”
Timeline, as well as a look at the Enterprise-C.
Disc Five features our first look at
the new center of the Klingon Empire, if we follow events set in “The
Undiscovered Country” in an intriguing storyline involving Worf and Picard
that would carry on well into the first spin-off series “Deep Space 9” and
elements of “Star Trek: Generations.” I don’t think I need to go into any
detail about the episode “Sarek,” which featured Mark Leonard as the second
major character from “The Original Series” to make a guest appearance on
“The Next Generation.” The final episode of season three, “The Best Of
Both Worlds: Part One,” is widely considered to be the best episode of the
entire series and one will love the special “Borg” themed interactive menus
for that episode in this DVD set. The cliffhanger is real killer too.
Notable guest stars aside from
recurring characters include the introduction of Dwight Shultz as “Reginald
Barclay,” a character who shows that not all Starfleet personnel are fearless,
strong, and seemingly unflawed. The character proved to be perhaps the most
human of the entire series and was so popular that he made numerous appearances
on “Star Trek: Voyager” as well as a cameo in “Star Trek: First
Contact.” “The Offspring” is an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes based
on a spec script submission by a first time writer without an Agent or Lawyer.
Look for guest appearances by James Cromwell, Tony Todd, Louise Fletcher, Saul
Rubinek, and Corbin Bernsen among many others in the series’ third season.
The interactive menus are set up to
reflect the style of the 24th century computers aboard the Enterprise
with the main menu for each disc featuring four full motion windows of all the
episodes on each disc and submenus detailing the choice to “Engage” or play
the episode chosen, “Communications” or choose between the English Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack or English Stereo Soundtrack and optional
English Captions, “Chapter Log” to give the viewer an index of 8 scene
choices for each episode, and “Return” to go back to the main menu. The main
menu for all discs shows what be a computer generated diagram of the
Enterprise-D complete with changing angles for varied views. “The Best Of Both
Worlds: Part One” menus were modified due to Borg assimilation of the
Paramount DVD mastering facilities, which have now been rectified.
All 26 season three episodes are presented in their original (1.33:1) aspect ratios of their television presentation and in which they were shot. The quality is better than the previous two seasons already released on DVD as well as any analogue cable broadcast or previous home video version I have ever seen. A full and vibrant new English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack as well as the original English Stereo Soundtrack is included along with optional English Captions and Closed Captions encoded on to all seven DVD discs. Within the case is an insert containing on one side a montage of the crew of the Enterprise-D circa Season Three on one side and information regarding the Borg as well as an alphabetical listing of all Season Three episodes. Another insert contains an advertisement for “STAR TREK.NET,” The Official Star Trek Internet Access Provider.
The extra features are also presented in a (1.33:1) aspect ratio with English Stereo Sound and optional English Captions. The first featurette “Mission Overview Year 3” covers the changes made in Season 3 after the success of Season 2 and has a running time of nearly 18-minutes. This featurette covers how the new writers brought onboard and despite the pressure of writing the scripts under tight deadlines, the writers in the process came up with some of the best episodes from the entire series like “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” The “Selected Crew Analysis” featurette has more interviews, particularly with regard to actors who either appeared in Season 3 specifically or a character that changed between Seasons 2 and 3 as well as the character developments that had occurred and developed throughout the season and has an approximate running time of 14-minutes. The Department Briefing for Season Three covers the development and production of the show elaborating on the enhancement in various special effects, production design, costuming, and has a running time of 20-minutes. The featurette also covers the fact that “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was only the series that accepted speculation teleplays without agent and lawyer representation. Michael Piller was responsible for starting this policy with such speculation submissions as “The Offspring.” Both cast and crew share more recollections in “Memorable Missions,” which has a running time of nearly 13 ½ minutes.
All of these featurettes include a mix of old and newly filmed interviews as recent as January of 2002. Overall, this is another great set that will satisfy both “Star Trek” fans and sci-fi collectors alike. “Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Third Season On DVD” Box Set will debut on Tuesday, July 2, 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