Here we go Trek fans! Here's the news we told you was coming, and now The Digital Bits (in conjunction with our friends at Trek Movie.com) have all the details for you.
Paramount Home Entertainment has just officially announced the May 12th release of the Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection on Blu-ray Disc, and also the Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy on both Blu-ray Disc and DVD. In addition, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount have officially announced the Blu-ray Disc release of Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One on April 28th.
The Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One Blu-ray Disc (SRP $118.00) will include all 29 first season episodes in 1080p high-definition, presented in the original 4x3 aspect ratio. Using seamless branching, you will be able to view the episodes either with the newly-remastered digital effects or the original effects, and you'll also have your choice of newly-enhanced audio in English 7.1 DTS-HD MA or the original English 2.0 Mono. (French and Spanish 2.0 mono are also included. There's no word yet on subtitles and captions - we're checking.) You'll be able to make this choice at the beginning of each episode, or switch back and forth on the fly to compare. (We're told that the newly remastered versions are included in their entirety. Those scenes and shots from the original broadcast versions that are different are included via branching - mostly new effects shots.) Select episodes will also have enhanced Starfleet Access bonus content (specifically Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Menagerie: Parts 1 & 2, Balance of Terror, Space Seed and Errand of Mercy) featuring pop-up trivia and picture-in-picture video commentaries. Other special features on the set include preview trailers for each episode, along with 9 featurettes (Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century, Reflections on Spock, Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner, To Boldly Go... Season One, The Birth of a Timeless Legacy, Sci-Fi Visionaries, Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories and Kiss ‘N' Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century) and the Interactive Enterprise Inspection. What's more, "an exclusive collectible Sulu figure from Diamond Select Toys is also being made available with purchase of the Blu-ray set; fans pay only shipping and handling charges." For those wondering about the packaging, it's a 7-disc Blu-ray Amaray case with an outer O-sleeve (a vertical cardboard slipcase).
From the list above, it appears that this set includes almost everything that was on the HD-DVD side of the previous HD-DVD/DVD Combo format release, though a couple of the features from the DVD side appear to be missing, specifically the Trek Connections featurette, the Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier History Channel special and the Star Trek Online game preview. The HD-DVD side also included Starfleet Access on The Galileo Seven, which isn't listed in the official press release, though it's possible that it IS on the set and there's just an error in the release (we're checking on it).
For those trying to decide whether or not to keep your original Season One DVDs, note that none of the Red Shirt Diaries Easter eggs are included on the Blu-ray version. The original Okuda text commentaries are also not included on the Blu-ray (for the episodes Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Conscience of the King and The Menagerie, Parts I & II), though the Okudas do participate in the new Starfleet Access feature (so it's possible that much of the text material appears there). The Okuda text commentary from the Star Trek: Time Travel - Fan Collective is not included either (for the episode Tomorrow is Yesterday).
It's worth noting that the $110 SRP for the Blu-ray set is substantially lower than the original $217.99 SRP with which the HD-DVD version arrived in stores. The following has yet to be officially announced (so consider it Rumor Mill-worthy), but our studio and industry sources are telling us that Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two and Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Three will follow on Blu-ray Disc later this year, likely timed to the release of J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek feature film on DVD and Blu-ray. So that's The Original Series on Blu-ray. Now let's take a look at the new feature film sets...
As we noted up front, Paramount will release the 6-film Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection on Blu-ray Disc on May 12th (SRP $104.99). We've confirmed that the set will include the original theatrical editions of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Note that this will mark the first time that the theatrical editions of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country have been released on either DVD or Blu-ray Disc. The Original Motion Picture Collection will include an exclusive Star Trek: The Captains' Summit bonus disc in HD as well (more on that in a minute). All the films have been digitally remastered in high-definition. Star Trek II has undergone additional restoration work starting with the original film elements in a process similar to the recent Godfather restoration.
The studio will also release the 3-film Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy box set on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc the same day (SRP $29.99 and $48.99 respectively). The Trilogy set will include the "Genesis arc" films, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
The Blu-rays will feature audio in English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 2.0 Dolby Surround and Spanish Mono, with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD versions will feature audio in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX, French 2.0 Dolby Surround and Portuguese and Spanish Mono, with English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The packaging for both sets is Amaray "thin packs" with a cardboard slipcase.
Here's a look at the special features you'll find on the Blu-ray versions of each movie disc (it's over 14 hours of bonus content in all, including 2½ hours of all-new material)...
Star Trek: The Motion Picture will include new audio commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman, 3 HD featurettes (The Longest Trek: Writing the Motion Picture, Special Star Trek Reunion and Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind V'ger), deleted scenes, storyboards, trailers (in HD), TV spots, BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD release are the Director's Edition of the film, the Robert Wise group audio commentary, the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature), 3 featurettes (Phase II: The Lost Enterprise, A Bold New Enterprise and Redirecting the Future), and the Director's Edition trailer. Presumably, these will be included on a future Director's Edition Blu-ray release.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan will include audio commentary with director Nicholas Meyer, a new commentary by Meyer and Manny Coto, 4 HD featurettes (James Horner: Composing Genesis, A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban, Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics and Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI), 4 SD featurettes (Captain's Log, Designing Khan, Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and The Star Trek Universe: A Novel Approach), original interviews with DeForest Kelley, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban, storyboards, the theatrical trailer (in HD), BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD release is the Extended Director's Edition of the film, the extended commentary with Meyer, and the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature). Presumably, these will be included on a future Director's Edition release on Blu-ray.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock will include audio commentary by director Leonard Nimoy, writer/producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll and Robin Curtis, a new commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor, 3 HD featurettes (Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek, Spock: The Early Years and Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame), 6 SD featurettes (Captain's Log, Space Docks and Birds of Prey, Speaking Klingon, Klingon and Vulcan Costumes, Terraforming and the Prime Directive and Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer), storyboards, photo galleries, the theatrical trailer (in HD), BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD release is the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature).
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home will include audio commentary by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, a new commentary by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, 4 HD featurettes (Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments, The Three-Picture Saga, Star Trek for a Cause and Starfleet Academy: The Whale Probe), 12 SD featurettes (Time Travel: The Art of the Possible, The Language of Whales, A Vulcan Primer, Kirk's Women, Future's Past: A Look Back, On Location, Dailies Deconstruction, Below-the-Line: Sound Design, From Outer Space to the Ocean, The Bird of Prey, Roddenberry Scrapbook and Featured Artist: Mark Lenard), original interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and DeForest Kelley, a production gallery, storyboards, the theatrical trailer (in HD), BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD is the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature).
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier will include audio commentary by William Shatner and Liz Shatner, a new commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Daren Dochterman, 3 HD featurettes (Star Trek Honors NASA, Hollywood Walk of Fame: James Doohan and Starfleet Academy: Nimbus III), 11 SD featurettes (Herman Zimmerman: A Tribute, Original Interview: William Shatner, Cosmic Thoughts, That Klingon Couple, A Green Future?, Harve Bennett's Pitch to the Sales Team, The Journey: A Behind-the-Scenes Documentary, Makeup Tests, Pre-Visualization Models, Rock Man in the Raw and Star Trek V Press Conference), deleted scenes, a production gallery, storyboards, theatrical trailers (in HD), TV spots, BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD is the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature).
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country will include audio commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and screenwriter Denny Martin Flinn, a new commentary by Larry Nemecek and Ira Steven Behr, 3 HD featurettes (Tom Morga: Alien Stuntman, To Be or Not to Be: Klingons and Shakespeare and Starfleet Academy: Praxis), 6 SD Stories from Star Trek VI featurettes (It Started with a Story, Prejudice, Director Nicholas Meyer, Shakespeare & General Chang, Bring it to Life and Farewell & Goodbye), 8 additional SD featurettes (Conversations with Nicholas Meyer, Klingons: Conjuring the Legend, Federation Operatives, Penny's Toy Box, Together Again, The Perils of Peacemaking, DeForest Kelley: A Tribute and Original Cast Interviews), footage of the 1991 Convention Presentation by Nicholas Meyer, a production gallery, storyboards, trailers (in HD), BD-Java Library Computer access and the Star Trek I.Q. BD-Live feature.
Missing from the previous 2-disc DVD is the Extended Version of the film, the extended commentary with Meyer, and the Okuda text commentary (though this could be included in the Library Computer access feature). Presumably, these will be included on a future Extended Edition release on Blu-ray.
Finally, the Star Trek: The Captains' Summit bonus disc (in HD) will include a 70-minute exclusive roundtable discussion, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, in which William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes share candid moments and intimate details about life on the set.
For those of you who purchase the Blu-ray version of the Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy, the special features on the Star Trek II, III and IV discs will be identical to those listed above. If you purchase the DVD version, however, the special features are as follows...
The Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan DVD will include the new commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto, and 4 featurettes (James Horner: Composing Genesis, Collecting Star Trek's Movie Relics, A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban and Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI).
The Star Trek III: The Search for Spock DVD will include the new commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor, and 4 featurettes (Industrial Light & Magic: The Visual Effects of Star Trek, Spock: The Early Years, Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum Hall of Fame and Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer).
And the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home DVD will include the new commentary by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and 4 featurettes (Pavel Chekov's Screen Moments, The Three-Picture Saga, Star Trek for a Cause and Starfleet Academy: The Whale Probe).
The nice thing about these DVDs is that, while they're yet another double-dip (or in this case, triple-dip), if you have the previous 2-disc DVDs there's no overlap in terms of the special features. You get the new commentary tracks and the all-new featurettes, without any of the older material you already own, so you can just add them to your collection.
The following is yet to be officially announced (so again, consider it Rumor Mill-worthy), but we believe that all these films will be available individually on Blu-ray Disc (and possibly DVD) later this year, when the Abrams films is released on both formats. We've heard that The Best of The Original Series and The Best of The Next Generation sets will be released later this year on DVD as well. What's more, our industry sources are telling us to look for all of the remaining Next Generation films (Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis) to arrive on Blu-ray Disc in time for the holidays as well, packed individually, in a 4-film Next Generation Blu-ray Disc box set and possibly also in a massive 10 or 11-film Blu-ray Disc box of all the Star Trek feature films (an 11-disc set would include the new Abrams film). The bottom line is that by December of this year, you'll be able to buy all three seasons of The Original Series and all of the Trek feature films on Blu-ray. Rest assured that The Digital Bits and Trek Movie.com will have all the official details as they're announced, and we'll keep you up to date on additional details and developments as they come in.
Finally this morning, here's one last look at the cover art for Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection on Blu-ray, the Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy on both Blu-ray and DVD, and the Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One Blu-ray. Though they're not yet officially announced, we've also included the preliminary Blu-ray cover art for Star Trek: The Original Series - Seasons Two and Three, so you can see what they'll look like when they arrive later in 2009...
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It would be best to skip the Kuro and keep your TV for casual viewing/games and get a projector for movies! lol.
