Has Star Trek become so ubiquitous that it's simply embedded into our culture's DNA? Well, it has certainly had a very long life; there have been countless reboots and one would say there's a resurgence in interest for the series as the latest two movies have been highly successful blockbusters. So it seems like Star Trek is here to stay, but we here at Ground Control are going to take a step back and look at where it all began, with the entire original Star Trek series and the excellent reissues it earned.
Let me come clean and say that I had never watched Star Trek before delving into this set. I didn't know what to expect because, let's be honest, there's a certain type of person that's associated with Star Trek. I was planning on watching approximately half of the episodes in order to get a good idea of the series. Instead, I was hooked from the beginning and watched the whole thing over the course of a couple months. The show was just that good.
I'm curious as to how Star Trek looks to those who've never seen it, because even though it appears to be goofy costumes and blinking lights and laser beams shooting off, it's actually not about that at all. The show is about very serious social challenges such as racism, war, occupation, the cold war, military intervention, nationalism, the peace movement, evolution, invasion, sexism, slavery and very hard scientific and philosophical questions regarding what makes up a human identity, how do we define love, what are some of the greatest challenges we face as mortals, and what responsibilities do we have to one another as human beings. Star Trekwas written in the Sixties – where it wasn't so common for TV shows to deal with such issues – so setting the show in the future and on different planets allowed the show to ingeniously get away with presenting these social issues to the public. And although sometimes the episodes are not resolved in the most satisfying fashion, the concepts are still compelling enough to completely drive the episodes.
Also present in Star Trek is the great trio of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, who encapsulate different perspectives when encountering the different scenarios of the episode. Almost like they each represent different parts of our personality. Mr. Spock sticks essentially to the facts and the logical approach, Dr. McCoy on the other hand is solely concerned with emotion, human feelings and the unique aspect of human life (which is why he is the doctor, one assumes), while Captain Kirk, as the leader, is simply concerned with what is fair, where his loyalties lie, and how to best execute a task. So, we see the events transpire from unique and often contrasting perspectives.
It's also a relief to see that, while the new Star Trek movies try to fabricate the relationship between Spock and Kirk (while the relationship with McCoy is almost completely absent), the original series lets the relationships between these characters actually breathe instead of forcing them on the audience, and it's easier for the audience to love and appreciate these characters. Perhaps because we're dealing with 70+ hours of character development versus the couple hours of the movies.
Now, let's talk about how this box set is put together, because it's truly remarkable. These reissues wonderfully remaster and clean up the original footage of the show and at parts rerecorded music using the original sheet music and performers from the Sixties in order to provide a richer audio track. In addition, the special effects were "revamped" to bring them more up to date for a newer audience. But in a true completist fashion, there are options to watch the episodes in either "old" or "remastered" versions. This choice alone earns itself the price of admission, but there are also a slew of added bonus features and segments showcasing the birth of Star Trek, the creator, producers and writers who had such an impact on the show. The design which gave the show its look. A behind the scenes look for each season and the hijinks that went on, what collectors have horded over the years, and a look inside the conventions. Also included are interviews with the entire production team and cast, what their perspectives are on the characters, and where they are now. And in rare fashion, it seems like there is not an overload of content, but just a focus on the right stuff to keep everyone happy.
In conclusion, this box set is masterfully put together, which is a relief considering the place Star Trek has taken in world culture. Like I said, I had never watched Star Trek before this occasion but, now that I have, I don't think I'll ever stop.
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