HD TREK!! KATZ!! IMPOSSIBLE!! WEST!! BANACEK!! DAMAGES!! NEWHART!! HercVault!! -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Published on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 2:26am

HD TREK!! KATZ!! IMPOSSIBLE!! WEST!! BANACEK!! DAMAGES!! NEWHART!! HercVault!!

I am – Hercules!!

It’s the last set of DVD releases before Black Friday, and Paramount Home Entertainment, of course, has issued something that cleaves cleanly to the Trekkie Pleasure Center of my tiny brain. Star Trek: The Complete First Season on HD-DVD reminds us again and again why so many fell so deeply in love with the show so quickly.

It gives us movie-calibre images and loads of new special effects as it reintroduces us to one of the best TV shows of the 1960s. I have hundreds of filmed entertainments on HD at this point, but I believe this may be my favorite.

This set marks the first time that a show not originally broadcast in HD has been made available in HD-DVD. For the past week, it’s been very much like a very long Christmas morning here on Mt. Olympus. These remastered episodes, at least when they’re fed into my HDTV set, are glorious.

The stations here in Los Angeles still don’t transmit these episodes in HD, which I gather is the case in most of the nation. Also, the broadcast outlets don’t show the full 50-minute versions of these episodes. I keep stumbling over scenes and sequences of which I have no prior memory.

I must have watched each of these episodes at least a dozen times back in the 1970s, but now I feel like I’m watching them through new eyes. Alex Courage’s opening theme has been re-recorded. The HD detail is stunning (everybody’s tunic had a zipper running down its side; who knew?!). All the space shots have been replaced with eye-popping HD CGI (they fetishize the Enterprise with crazily detailed “rivet-scraping” shots that seem almost to bounce a camera lens off the ship’s hull. A lot of the more dated not-space shots have been augmented with CGI (and live-action). This restorative work is not the work of uncaring technicians; it is the work of true believers, and you can feel the love pouring out of every frame.

It all serves as a spectacular excuse to revisit the episodes. One forgets how well-written they were. The great lines those old writers, many of whom made their names in pulp magazines and TV westerns, stuck in Dr. McCoy’s mouth. How beautiful were Matt Jeffries’ futuristic set designs and Alex Courage’s stirring and iconic score.

Strange now to revisit these early episodes and see how unformed the “Star Trek” universe was. Spock is a “Vulcanian.” In “The Menagerie,” Scotty isn’t third-in-command; it’s some dude named “Hanson.” In “The Galileo Seven,” nobody seems to know they work for the Federation yet. Starfleet is known as “The United Earth Space Probe Agency.”

The first of “Star Trek” set a horny god-teen upon Janice Rand in “Charlie X.” The next week NBC presented Gary Lockwood, two years before Dr. Frank Poole and “2001,” as god-crewman Gary Mitchell in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” (Who plays Mitchell, who had major history with Kirk, in the next “Star Trek” movie? One wonders!)

The first of many Kirk doppelgangers in “The Enemy Within.” The introduction of Harry Mudd in episode six. The second Kirk doppleganger and Ted Cassidy as the disturbing giant “much superior” android Ruk in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” “True Grit’s” Kim Darby as Miri and her army of “grup” haters. “Dagger of the Mind,” with the third Kirk doppelganger. Clint Howard as Balok, laughing relisher of Tranya in “The Corbomite Maneuver.” The virile and broken Captain Christopher Pikes in “The Menagerie.” Our first glimpse of the Romulans in “Balance of Terror.” Finnegan bullying “plebe” Kirk in “Shore Leave.”

Spock proving himself to an African-American underling in “The Galileo Seven.” Proto-Q god-child Trelane in “The Squire of Gothos.” The swift and merciful Gorn (now with blinking eyes!) from “Arena.”

Kirk and Spock’s first of many encounters with the 20th century in “Tomorrow is Yesterday.” “Court Martial,” with Bones McCoy and his giant heartbeat-eliminating microphone. The confused and festival-loving monks of “Return of the Archons” and its 6,000-year-old ruler Landru. “Space Seed,” an episode that requires no introduction. “A Taste of Armageddon,” a “Fail Safe” sequel of sorts in which Kirk makes nuclear war much less efficient. “This Side of Paradise” (not to be confused with the Mirimanee-centric “The Paradise Syndrome”) in which Kirk insults a blessed-out Spock by calling Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan a “computer” and Amanda Greyson “an encyclopedia.” Spock melding with the silicon mom (“The children!!”) in “Devil in the Dark.”

“Errand of Mercy,” which introduced both the swarthy Klingons and the pitiful Organians. “The Alternative Factor,” which demonstrated how shitty “Star Trek” could be. Followed by “The City on the Edge of Forever,” the best “Star Trek” episode ever. The first season concluded with “Operation – Annihilate!” featuring the giant, clingy, flying amoebas that sucked Kirk’s brother to death.

If you know a Trekkie or a Trekker with an HD-DVD player, buy him or her this set. If you know a Trekkie or a Trekker without an HD-DVD player, buy this set and an HD-DVD player. Watch his or her eyes roll into the back of his or her head.

On to the extras:

GENESIS.

In terms of extras, the big draw is probably the Genesis Feature on seven of the first-season episodes, namely:

* Where No Man Has Gone Before
* The Menagerie, Part 1
* The Menagerie, Part 2
* Balance of Terror
* The Galileo Seven
* Space Seed, and
* Errand of Mercy

These are essentially picture-in-picture features that gather together creators and fans to offer (mostly) scene-specific commentaries. Especially fun are the split-screens comparing the old 1960s shots with the 21st century versions. Participating in these new video commentaries:

* Harve Bennett, “Star Trek II” producer
* Paul Carr, pilot actor
* Doug Drexler, “Battlestar Galactica” visual effects supervisor
* D.C. Fontana, original series writer
* David Gerrold, original series writer
* Robert Justman, original series producer
* Sally Kellerman, pilot guest-star
* Harry Knowles, aintitcool.com mastermind
* Walter Koenig, actor
* Gary Lockwood, pilot guest-star
* Nichelle Nichols, actress
* Michael & Denise Okuda, HD-DVD producers
* Garfield & Judith Reeves-Stevens, Trek novelists/ screenwriters
* David Rossi, HD-DVD producer
* Herb Solow, original series production exec
* George Takei, actor
* John & Bjo Trimble, Trek experts
* Grace Lee Whitney, actress

Learn that Gary Lockwood already knew he was doing Kubrick’s “2001” when he booked the “Trek” pilot. Learn that Gene Roddenberry commissioned a second title theme for “Trek’s” second pilot, but nobody liked it as much, so they went back to the now-familiar original title-theme for the series. Learn that the same planet set served as both Talos IV (in the first pilot) and Delta Vega (in the second pilot). Learn that a fan poll favored changing the “R” to a “T” on Kirk’s gravestone, but the HD-DVD producers lacked the resources to make the fix. Learn why HD-DVD producers decided not to fill the skies above Starbase 11 (where broken-Pike lived) with lots of spacecraft. Learn that it took six weeks to remake the single brief shot zooming into Pike’s bridge. Learn that the HD-DVD producers wanted to redesign the clunky “Balance of Terror” Neutral-Zone map, but ran out of time before they could. Learn that Michael Okuda thinks everybody trying to be very very quiet in “Balance of Terror” makes zero sense because the vacuum of space doesn’t carry sound waves. Learn that Phyllis Douglas, who plays superhot Yeoman Mears in “Galileo Seven,” played Rhett Butler’s daughter in “Gone With The Wind” and a hippie chick in “The Way To Eden.” Learn that half of “Star Trek’s” first-season episodes were written before shooting began. Learn that the name “Uhura” came from the title of a book Nichelle Nichols was carrying when she met Roddenberry. Learn that though the Klingons were introduced in season one, their ships were not designed until season three. Learn that film critic Pauline Kael loved “Space Seed.”

DOCUMENTARIES.

* SPACELIFT: TRANSPORTING TREK INTO THE 21st CENTURY (20:06) looks at the restoration process with lots more side-by-side comparisons and footage of conductor Greg Smith’s 28-piece orchestra re-recording the series’ title theme.

* BILLY BLACKBURN’s TREASURE CHEST: RARE HOME MOVIES AND SPECIAL MEMORIES (13:21). Blackburn’s chief role on the series was as DeForest Kelley’s stand-in, but he also played pre-Chekhov navigator Lt. Hadley, as well as the White Rabbit, the Gorn and a landing-party red-shirt. He also took loads of super-8mm movies, so we get to see Spock standing in the craft-services line waiting for eggs. (It turns out super-8mm looks pretty great transferred to HD as well!)

“STAR TREK ONLINE” MMO GAME PREVIEW (3:27) We’re told this “massively multiplayer online” game will take us to Starfleet Academy, the Klingon homeworld and many other locales within the Star Trek universe, starting in 2008. We’ll be allowed to customize our own space vessels and use to them explore strange new worlds.

All of the first-season episodes are also presented in standard-definition DVDs printed on the flipside of each of the HD-DVDs. The DVD sides also contain all the documentaries found on the first-season DVD set issued two years ago:

* The Birth of a Timeless Legacy
* Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
* To Boldly Go...Season One
* Reflections on Spock
* Sci-Fi Visionaries
* Kiss & Tell: Romance in the 24th Century
* Trek Connections
* Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier
* Episode Preview Trailers

The DVD sides also contain standard-def versions of the new docs found on the HD-DVD sides, namely:

* Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century
*Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories, and
* "Star Trek Online" MMO Game Preview

OTHER.

INTERACTIVE ENTERPRISE TOUR. Viewers are stuck in a shuttlecraft and get to hover over various part of the Enterprise’s exterior, including its bridge, phaser banks, main sensor, impulse engines, warp nacelles and intercoolers.

Season two is coming March 25!

If you like “Home Movies” or “Lucy, Daughter of the Devil” you owe it to yourself to look into Dr. Katz: The Complete Series, the semi-improvisational cartoon that sort of spawned them.

$104.39 gets you all 81 episodes on 13 discs, including those starring Todd Barry, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., David Cross, Rodney Dangerfield, David Duchovny, Mitch Fatel, Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Garlin, Jeff Goldblum, Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Gilbert Gottfried, Kathy Griffin, Mitch Hedberg, Andy Kindler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Denis Leary, David Mamet, Kevin Meaney, Larry Miller, Kevin Nealon, Conan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Ray Romano, Winona Ryder, Garry Shandling, Sarah Silverman, Bobby Slayton, Barry Sobel, Jon Stewart, Ben Stiller, Wanda Sykes, Paul F. Tompkins and Steven Wright.

Extras:

* Three "lost" episodes featuring Dave Atell, Whoopi Goldberg and Conan O'Brien.
* An Evening with Dr. Katz: Live from the Comedy Central Stage with Maria Bamford, Kathy Griffin, Andy Kindler, Paul F. Tompkins and series co-stars H. Jon Benjamin and Laura Silverman.
* 28-page booklet, with an introduction from Dr. Katz and memoirs from his favorite patients.
* The Bibliography of Dr. Katz.
* "Short Attention Span Theater" shorts.
* "Shrink Wrapped" - an original Squigglevision short.
* Checking In: Dr. Katz follows up with former patients Dave Atell, Joy Behar, Emo Philips and Steven Wright.
* Audio commentary by Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, Ray Romano, Laura Silverman and Tom Snyder.

If this stuff doesn’t make you laugh, there may be no laughter left in you.

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