 |
| Born for adversity. The new Enterprise crew of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Images: CBS TELEVISION. |
Last night, those kind people at CBS TELEVISION, and their publicity teams, invited KOOL TV to an exciting screening of the upcoming, keenly anticipated STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION taster Blu-ray (comprising three specially selected fan favourite episodes: the feature-length launch story Encounter at Farpoint, Season Three's Klingon drama of family honour and intrigue: Sins of the Father, and the acclaimed Season Five tale The Inner Light), and seeing in the start of the company's ambitious and painstakingly re-mastered and restored picture and sound quality- season by season- of the ground-breaking and much beloved series in the new format, with a full showing of the 1987 pilot episode Encounter at Farpoint.
Trailer: Star Trek TNG - HD New Trailer 2012 - YouTube
And I have to say that, from the quality of just this episode, fans of the NEXT GENERATION, and the adventures of its crew headed by intrepid explorer Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played with style and authority by Patrick Stewart) are in for an absolute treat. The picture quality transfer of the new film print was outstanding, with stunning detail and colour depth that I'd never seen before, which really bought out all the hard work done by the shows dedicated and long-serving behind the scenes team (especially with the costume designs of the alien Q (played by John de Lancie, who makes his first appearance in the show) and the Enterprise crew (the Blu-ray is so sharp you can see the texture of the fabrics). INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC's pioneering original pre-CGI model effects for the pilot have not been tampered with-they didn't need to be- also look better than ever (watch out for Q's chain mail energy wall that traps the Enterprise, and the ship's landmark saucer section separation as FX highlights). Story-wise, the opener may be slow by today's fast paced viewing standards, but there are lots of fine introductory moments for our new cast, along with a lovely passing of the torch scene moment between CLASSIC TREK veteran DeForest Kelly as Dr. McCoy and the android Mister Data (Brent Spiner, whose characters green eyes have never looked greener on Blu-ray!) which remains as one of the spin-off series most touching scenes.
 |
| Pristine condition! The new crew on the bridge of the Enterprise. |
 |
| The Enterprise encounters the malevolent Q in the series opener. |
 |
| The late DeForest Kelly, playing an aged Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, makes a nostalgic cameo with Brent Spiner as Mister Data. |
So, all you TREKKERS out there, prepare to be phaser stunned by The Next Level of THE NEXT GENERATION (the legend of watching crummy washed out VHS and DVD copies finally vanquished!), which, as the next seven years unfold, will surely prove to be a continuing and stylish tribute to its creator Gene Roddenberry (and we can't wait to see what classic episodes from the shows Third Season, including time-travel epic "Yesterday's Enterprise" and Borg-busting "Best of Both Worlds" part one, will look like in their new-look!).
The journey "Where No One Has Gone Before" begins anew on Blu-ray!
Get the taster Blu-ray disc here: Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level Blu-ray Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV
A KOOL TV look back at the making of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Season One:
"WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE!" - THE BIRTH OF "STAR TREK : THE NEXT GENERATION" | KOOL TV
Check out these great features on the upcoming Blu-rays here: TNG :: TrekCore
Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray is “to honour the fans” | SciFiNow
Patrick Stewart talks about STAR TREK: BBC News - Hardtalk - Stewart: Star Trek was 'going to be a failure'
No comments:
Post a Comment