Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Blu-Ray Disc • 6 Discs
CBS Home Entertainment
Seven months after Season 5 hit shelves, we've arrived at the next stop
on the journey through Star Trek: The Next Generationremastered for high
definition Blu-ray. Next Gen's sixth season consistently ranks highly with fans,
bringing together some of the series' most memorable and hard-hitting episodes.
This year of adventures feels like a definite step-up compared to the somewhat
uneven fifth season, with very few episodes encouraging me to hit the
fast-forward button.
With the absence of creator
Gene Roddenberry
following his death in 1991, the show gradually started to embrace a less
Utopian attitude to 24th century life, incorporating issues such as espionage
("Chain of Command"), piracy ("Starship Mine"), violence ("Descent, Part I") and even torture ("Chain of Command"). Naturally, this all made for much meatier
storylines and succeeds in adding tremendous depth to many of the characters
(especially Picard and Riker, who both undergo significant development in the
sixth season).
The penultimate year of TNG always felt like Star Trek at
its finest to me. Indeed, both co-producer
Ronald D. Moore and actor
Brent Spiner don't hesitate in naming this as their favorite season. It's
like a box of 26 different chocolates, each with their own unique flavor;
whether you have the desire to boldly go on a galactic romp ("The Chase"), revisit history - both past ("Ship in the Bottle", "A
Fistful of Datas") and future ("Relics"), delve into a psychological thriller ("Frame of Mind") or confront the deepest questions of life ("Tapestry"), love ("Lessons") and existence ("The Quality of Life") - Season Six has everything you need.
Remastering Quality
Two years down the line, and Star
Trek: The Next Generation's massive remastering project is entering its final
hours. As I type this review, the team over at
CBS Digital in Los Angeles
are putting the finishing touches to TNG's final season (due out later this
year). After cutting their teeth on the first season back in 2012, this group of
industry professionals have perfected their individual techniques to create a
product which consistently draws rapturous praise from hundreds of thousands of
fans across the globe.
Rebuilding this elaborate and technically
challenging 25 year old TV show from the original 35mm film - element by element
- is made to look like child's play when you watch the final product. The
stunningly recreated visual effects are all seamlessly integrated into freshly
scanned HD footage, hiding the labyrinthine nature of the project that the CBS
Digital team are confronted with on a daily basis.
Check out the sections below for a
more comprehensive breakdown of the remastering effort this season, but if
you're going to take away just one headline from this review then let it be this
- the work on display in Season 6 is quite possibly the most impressive yet. The
picture is virtually flawless and the visual effects are incomparable to
anything I've seen previously. On to the analysis!I. Live Action Footage
The task facing people like CBS Digital's
Sarah Paul,
Sean
Sweeney and
Kiki Morris is gargantuan in nature: hunting through
hundreds of original 35mm film reels to track down every last second of negative
needed to rebuild the show from scratch. Sarah takes on her job as if it's a
military operation - every episode is broken down element by element in
meticulous detail and at any one time she knows what she has and what she needs.
Naturally with a show as complex as Star Trek: The Next Generation, film is
misplaced over the years and when that happens the team have no choice but to
resort to upscaling existing SD footage. The fifth season was hit comparatively
hard by this issue, but thankfully the same can not be said for Season 6. CBS
has managed to locate every piece of film necessary to ensure that the sixth
season Blu-rays are presented entirely in high definition with no upscaling -
fantastic news!
In standard definition, each season of TNG seems to be
afflicted with its own particular problem. The old SD copies of TNG's sixth
season (and likewise Deep Space Nine's first, which was filmed at the same time)
are incredibly soft, far more than earlier TNG seasons. It's difficult to
establish with any degree of certainty why the 1991-1992 seasons suffered so
badly, but they've always stuck out to me like a sore thumb. Now for the good
news - the newly scanned high definition live-action footage of Season 6 on
Blu-ray looks phenomenal. Excluding the odd soft focus shot sprinkled throughout
the season ("Time's Arrow, Part II" has the highest amount of 'hazy' soft
focus shots, although this is clearly an artistic choice) the new HD image is
pin-sharp. The crispness of the newly scanned 35mm print is mindblowing - just
wait until you see the colors in episodes like "A
Fistful of Datas"!
CBS Digital's
Marvin Hildebrandt is
responsible for adjusting the color timing of the HD footage to ensure a
consistent look over the series. Colors are once again vibrant and pop off the
screen in stark contrast to the faded and uneven color timing which plagued the
SD master tapes. Flesh tones appear realistic, and the slight red tint which was
noticeable on some of the previous sets isn't quite as pronounced here. Black
levels are well balanced for the most part; However there are some instances
when blacks overwhelm dark scenes, crushing out fine detail (this is
particularly noticeable in some of the Celtris III cave shots from "Chain of Command"). This is unfortunate, and extreme care
should be taken if a darker-toned show like Deep Space Nine is ever remastered!
The cast and crew weren't given many chances to shoot on location during
the show's penultimate season, but each of the three episodes that feature
outdoor locations has a distinct feel to it: the hazy streets of 19th Century
San Francisco in "Time's Arrow, Part II"; the classic sepia-esque Western look
in "A Fistful of Datas" and the distinctive alien lighting of
Lore's unnamed planet in "Descent, Part I". The high definition experience gives these
locations a wonderfully immersive other-worldly quality that really draws the
viewer in. San Francisco and Deadwood are especially fun in HD - I was
freeze-framing on many of the shots to pick out newly visible store-signs and
street posters!
Scenes filmed in low
lighting generally perform much better thanks to the new high definition
transfer, although I feel compelled to add a caveat here. While there are indeed
huge improvements in episodes such as "Rightful Heir" (the underground monastery
at Boreth looks particularly moody and atmospheric thanks to the new details
visible), overly strong black levels have crushed out some detail in other
episodes ("Chain of Command" is particularly affected - the texture of
the away team's dark uniforms is no longer discernible in some scenes).
Small intricate details in sets,
costumes and makeup are finally made visible in high definition. This is
especially noticeable in the sixth season due to the softness of the original SD
master. You'll have great fun picking out the various aliens stood around the
dom-jot game in "Tapestry" (watch out for the Tailhead - a more familiar sight
on DS9's Promenade!); meanwhile, you're bound to marvel at the terrifying
Solanogen-based lifeforms in "Schisms" who look scary as hell in high definition - the
makeup and costume hold up remarkably well! A few other things that especially
stood out to me - the costumes in "Ship in a Bottle" and "A
Fistful of Datas" look particularly rich in HD, and the makeup on aliens
like Jo'Bril ("Suspicions") now boast some amazing detail that has always
been lost due to the limitations of standard-def.
Finally, I can't write
about Season Six without mentioning "Birthright". At long last we get our first glimpse of the Deep
Space Nine sets in high definition. Both the promenade and replimat are
represented here and they don't disappoint. The replimat looks especially
colorful, with the flora decorating the ceiling sparkling in HD. The brief
glimpse of Morn made me smile warmly, and his Lurian makeup only serves to tease
the viewer more about the prospect of a DS9 remastering project. Come on CBS,
sort out the budget and make it happen!
II. Visual Effects
CBS
Digital's work recreating the visual effects for Star Trek: The Next
Generation has been consistently superb. As the show became more complex through
its run, the team have refined their technique and kept ahead of the curve to
ensure their work continues to meet the high expectations of fans. This project
is a labor of love for so many of the team behind it, and it really comes across
in the final product. To take on the last three seasons of TNG consecutively is
no mean feat, but judging by the results on display here,
CBS-D have once
again risen to the occasion and turned out some beautiful work.
Planet-Creator Extraordinaire
Max Gabl is firing on all thrusters
once more with another collection of alien worlds that look like they could have
just been photographed by NASA. Max has a wonderful talent for mixing realism
with fantasy in his art and through collaboration with
Eric Bruno's
compositing team, the Enterprise never looks out of place entering orbit of one
of the new planetary creations. So what caught my eye in Season 6? Tagra IV from
"True Q", the newly-designated gas giant Deinonychus from "A
Fistful of Datas" and the beautiful planetary collision in the Detrian
system from "Ship in a Bottle" (which I raved about in this article) all deserve worthy mentions. However, I reserve
some of my highest praise for the varied shots in "The Chase" - one of my personal favorites from Season 6 - and
the firestorm-plagued Bersallis III from "Lessons". Bersallis in particular looks utterly terrifying
from orbit, with the huge scale of the firestorms clearly visible. The
destruction of Indri VIII in "The Chase" as well as Loren III are stunningly recreated. Max
had a full plate this season but has risen to the challenge with customary
aplomb - great work, Max!
From the raging firestorms of Bersallis III in "Lessons" to the destruction of Indri VIII in "The Chase", Max Gabl knows his planets!
Eric Bruno and his visual effects compositing team at CBS
Digital habitually up their game so each season things have a tendency to look
that little bit more sleek and effortless. Eric himself worked on the
beauty-shots of the Enterprise docked at Deep Space Nine in "Birthright, Part I" and has done a stand-up job of giving us
our first taste of the station in high definition. DS9 is no longer flat and
lifeless - the new shot screams grandeur and elegance with subtle shadows and
sparkling lights giving the station a beautiful sense of scale and power. Rusted
exposed hull plates jump off the screen in shocking shades of pink and yellow
that haven't been seen since the model was first filmed. Shots like this are a
perfect example why CBS needs to lock down aDeep Space Nine remastering project
before talented people like the gang at CBS Digital move on to bigger and better
things.
It's worth mentioning a couple of other stand-out
moments from this season's visual effects: "Relics" and "The Chase". The Dyson Sphere ("Relics") remains one of the more alien and mysterious objects
encountered in the Star Trek universe. At the time the episode was produced, its
imposing scale was unprecedented - the design team put together some incredibly
complicated maquettes and matte paintings whose details were all but lost in the
murkiness of standard definition. Thankfully we can finally see the sphere in
all its glory. It's almost Borg-like in design - complex hull panels criss-cross
the surface and stretch off far into the distance giving the impression of a
truly huge size. Rusted features on the surface are also visible, leading us to
believe that the sphere is ancient in origin. Detail like this is a joy to see,
and I'm left dumbstruck knowing that it was there all along, hidden under the
murk of standard def.
Finally, "The Chase" gives us the chance to see some pretty awesome
starship encounters as the Enterprise warps around the galaxy looking for the
key to life's very existence. There is some beautiful compositing work on
display here, especially as the Cardassian ships engage in combat against the
Klingons and the Enterprise. I don't think these models have ever looked so
good. I can't thank the team enough for their work - they've done Star Trek
proud, something which I'm sure every fan who watches these Blu-rays can agree
on!
Wow! The Enterprise is struck by Cardassian fire in "The Chase". Doesn't she look amazing?
To
highlight every piece of work done with the visual effects this season is an
impossible task. There's simply too much here to cover in a review - especially
when I know you're all wanting to read this as early as possible! So I'll end
the visual effects section with a cute story from "Realm of Fear". This perfectly illustrates how the most
innocuous looking shot on screen can mask days upon days of frustrating and
repetitive work for the guys at CBS Digital. We all know the plot - Lt. Barclay
encounters strange lifeforms inside a transporter beam which look a bit like
giant worms and turn out to be stranded crewmembers of the science vessel U.S.S.
Yosemite. Those giant worms were actually puppets whose complex movements were
filmed and then composited over the transporter beam to give the cool final
effect. I had the pleasure of visiting CBS Digital while this particular shot
was being worked on, and discovered that the original production team had filmed
dozens upon dozens of different takes of this giant worm, all moving in subtly
different patterns over different time-spans. It transpired that no notes
existed indicating which takes had been used in the final episode, so staff at
CBS Digital had to painstakingly go through take after take trying to match by
eye each movement with the blurry low-resolution SD master. Another perfect
example why these guys are perfectionists - they'll work tirelessly around the
clock to ensure that even the tiniest details are correct.
Verdict time.
It's a no-brainer: Season Six represents another perfect example of CBS
Digital's quality work bringing TNG into the high definition 21st century. If
ever there was an example where more than five stars were necessary to grade the
product, this would be it!Bonus Material
Roger Lay, Jr. and
Robert Meyer Burnett are back again with another multi-part documentary
covering the history of TNG - "Beyond the Five Year Mission: The Evolution of
Star Trek: The Next Generation". There's no reunion special on this set - the
duo had planned to get a collection of TNG directors together but couldn't find
a date that worked for everybody. Nevertheless, fans have a new trio of audio
commentaries, deleted scenes and bloopers to keep them occupied.
So what
about that documentary? “Evolution” combines three thirty-minute segments, “The
Lithosphere”, “The Biosphere” and “The Noosphere”.
“Part One: The
Lithosphere” is frustrating - it's almost as if this part doesn't know what
it wants to be. The first half of it is purely dedicated to Deep Space Nine. Now
I'm a huge Niner, but this stuff really felt out of place to me - numerous
archival interviews with
Colm Meaney,
Michael Piller and
Rick
Berman, talking about the premise of the show and the pilot, all
interspersed with numerous (SD) clips from "Emissary". I understand DS9 launched during TNG's sixth
season, but there are almost no references to TNG here. I'd love to have heard
the TNG crew's reactions when they discovered a new series was on the way. At
one point
Rick Berman hints at potential dischord ("it wasn't really a
conflict, but things got a bit crazy"), but this is never followed up on!
Meanwhile the second half of this part is a rather abbreviated compilation of
snippets from creative staff including
Naren Shankar,
René
Echevarria and writer
Morgan Gendel. There are a couple of cute
anecdotes in here (I enjoyed René's story of how he wanted to kill Will Riker in
"Second Chances"), but things are all too brief and the
documentary chops unrelated stories together in a rather haphazard fashion.
“Part Two: The
Biosphere” is a marked improvement on the disappointing first part.
Production Designer
Richard D. James and Director of Photography
Jonathan West both own this half-hour segment with some truly fascinating
stories about their roles in the production of Star Trek. Listen out for James
retelling how he convinced the producers to get rid of the expensive plexiglass
windows from sets like the Observation Lounge after they plagued the film crew
with unwanted reflections. Meanwhile West talks about his involvement all the
way back on Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, filming Spock's death sequence and catching
pneumonia on Ceti Alpha II! Throw in some cool info about the reconstruction of
the classic Enterprise bridge in "Relics" and
Rick Berman revealing how
Stephen
Hawking rewrote some of the jokes in his "Descent, Part I" appearance and this segment is sure to
entertain!
“Part Three: The Noosphere”
pulls together interviews with the principal cast on Season 6 and features
the long awaited appearance of Guinan actress,
Whoopi Goldberg. The Whoop
is on strong form recalling how both
Rick Berman and
Gene
Roddenberry couldn't believe that a film-star at the peak of her career
would want to guest on Star Trek. That said, my favorite part had to be when she
apologized for saying "bullshit" only a few seconds into her interview!
John
de Lancie also shines in this segment - listen out for his famous
dinner-party allegory and his intellectual breakdown of geek culture at the end
of the segment. I found myself really enjoying this part, maybe a touch more
than the second part. Nicely done!
Gag Reel: This
season's gag reel comes in slightly shorter than Season 5's at 5:20 but it
doesn't pull any punches when inducing more fits of laughter. Right from the
opening shot of
Jonathan Frakes confronting Geordi with a drill(!) in "Aquiel" to Whoopi Goldberg's distaste for Ferengi scientists
("Suspicions"; "Do you think that Ferengi f**k killed
himself?!"), you're guaranteed five minutes of raucous hilarity!
Audio Commentaries: The set contains
three audio commentaries, newly recorded especially for this set.
6x18
"Relics" with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda
6x19 "Tapestry" with Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda
6x23 "Frame of Mind" with James L. Conway and Jonathan West
Deleted Scenes: It's such a treat watching through deleted
footage that's never been seen before - especially for a show as special as TNG.
But when said footage includes an almost legendary clip of the late Jimmy Doohan
which was culled from "Relics", things are taken up a notch. We have an accompanying
article which breaks down every single deleted scene included on this set with
full review commentary and screengrabs - watch for it coming to TrekCore next
Thursday, June 19th!
Summing up the bonus content on offer here, I
couldn't help but feel that the documentary could have been confined to two
parts. The first part really is superfluous. Still, parts 2 and 3 don't
disappoint and served up enough fascinating stories and anecdotes to keep me
interested. Here's hoping that Roger and Robert have some surprises in store for
the seventh season - let's go out with a bang, guys!
The Bottom Line?
Simply divine, and probably my favorite TNG Blu-ray release so far. Fantastic
episodes, breathtaking HD remastering and a whole load of great new bonus
features. If you only buy one of these Blu-ray seasons, make sure it's Season 6!
