For the first time ever, experience the original six Star Trek films in stunning 4K Ultra HD. Newly remastered from original elements for optimal picture quality, each film is presented with Dolby Vision® and HDR-10.
This comprehensive 15-disc collection includes the first six big-screen adventures featuring the original series crew in 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Vision and HDR-10. (“Star Trek: The Motion Picture — The Director’s Edition” also includes Dolby Atmos). Both “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” are making their 4K Ultra HD debuts. The set also includes access to Digital copies of each of the six films and hours of new and legacy bonus content.
When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.
I have always been a big Star Trek fan. While I watched the original series on TV back in the ’70s and ’80s as a kid, it wasn’t until the movies came along that I took notice. While the TV show was as cheesy then as it is now, I could never take it too seriously, but when “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was released in 1979, although it was not initially greeted enthusiastically by critics and fans, it has since gone on to become a fan-favorite and much of the technical aspects of the film, including dated special effects, have been painstakingly restored so watching it again for the first time in years was magnificent.
The story involves an alien entity called V’Ger, a vast, luminous cloud capable of emitting enormous amounts of energy that destroys anything and everything that gets in its way. When Starfleet realizes it is on a collision course for the Earth, they send Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to intercept it before it’s too late.
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was high on drama but very light on humor, an element the later films would thankfully remedy. Robert Wise, who was best known for “West Side Story,” “The Haunting,” and “The Sound of Music,” came on board as director and though he was not familiar with the original TV series (Paramount gave him a few episodes to watch), his lack of knowledge about the Enterprise and its crew proved to be one of the film’s saving graces as he directed the actors from the ground up, as if the series never existed. Technically, it is one of the best entries in the franchise; it’s just a pity the convoluted plot and occasionally long, drawn-out scenes – the introduction of Kirk to the newly retrofitted Enterprise goes on for well over five minutes with no dialogue – impeded the movie from becoming the huge hit Paramount had hoped for.
While the special effects have been improved and enhanced for this release and look absolutely stunning, unfortunately, nothing can be done to fix the complex and, at times, confusing narrative. As I mentioned earlier, the scene where Kirk sees the new Enterprise goes on for way too long. Once the Enterprise finally encounters V’Ger, the story’s antagonist, we spend nearly twenty minutes watching the Enterprise slowly cruise the innards of the alien entity. We constantly cut back and forth between various characters’ shocked and puzzled facial expressions and the outward journey itself. This entire scene could have been trimmed down to five minutes, but maybe the filmmakers were looking for a way to pad the running time, and if this is the case, they succeeded as the movie is filled with them. In the end, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture -The Director’s Edition” is an excellent reintroduction to the Enterprise and her crew, who before this were only visible on a small TV screen, Star Trak was built for the big screen, and in that regard, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” does not disappoint.
With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.
“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” is everything “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” was not: exciting, thrilling, humorous, and straight-up entertaining. While I enjoyed “The Motion Picture,” it pales in comparison in almost every way to “The Wrath of Khan,” considered by most fans to be the best of the original Star Trek films. There will be spoilers ahead for those who have yet to see this installment.
The story’s antagonist and titular character, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), was first introduced to audiences in the original TV series in the episode “Space Seed,” which was first broadcast on February 16, 1967. Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman who tried to take over the Enterprise in said episode but was neutralized by Kirk and then banished to an uncolonized world, Ceti Alpha V, along with his followers. In “The Wrath of Khan,” Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Captain Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield) of the USS Reliant beam down to the surface of a planet they believe to be Ceti Alpha VI, searching for lifeless planets to test the Genesis Device, a technology created to regenerate dead matter into livable worlds. When Chekov realizes they are actually on Ceti Alpha V, he rushes Terrell out the door, but Khan and his followers capture them.
Khan takes over the Reliant, and when he learns of Genesis, he attacks space station Regula I, where Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her son David (Merritt Butrick), who we learn is also Kirk’s son, are developing the technology. When Kirk (William Shatner) receives a distress call from Carol, he and his crew depart Starfleet for Regula I, but upon arriving, they are attacked by Khan. Kirk manages to counterattack and damage Reliant, forcing Khan to retreat to make the necessary repairs to his ship. They beam aboard Regula I and rescue Carol and David, but Khan successfully beams Genesis to Reliant and then maroons Kirk, McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Saavik (Kirstie Alley), Carol, and David on a nearby planetoid, exacting retribution against Kirk for abandoning him and his followers all those years ago. Now Kirk must plan his escape and track down Khan before he intends to use Genesis for his own egregious needs.
“The Wrath of Khan” far surpasses its predecessor in excitement and emotion. The film’s new composer, a young James Horner, fresh off the success of his scores for “Wolfen,” Wes Craven’s “Deadly Blessing,” and “The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper,” infused the film with his now-famous signature Horner elements (you can hear them throughout “Khan,” and also in “Aliens,” “Patriot Games,” and “Titanic,” to name but a few). He also created the musical signature for the Klingons in “Khan.” Nicholas Meyer, in only his second outing as a director after his successful directorial debut, “Time After Time,” lends the film some terrific action setpieces and some much-needed humor, an aspect sorely missing from “The Motion Picture.” The cast, overall, works well together, and Ricardo Montalbán is the perfect formidable foe for William Shatner’s Kirk. When this was released way back in 1982, fans weren’t ready for Spock’s death, and even Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, would later go on to say that although he wanted to concentrate on other roles and asked explicitly for Spock to be killed off, during filming, he started to regret his decision that the green-blooded Vulcan be terminated. But that would be remedied in time for the Enterprise’s next galactic outing: “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.”
Admiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned USS Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock’s body.
“Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” was, in my opinion, a very generic Star Trek movie. Gone was the sheer excitement and bravura of its predecessor and the overall bland ambiance and atmosphere that imbued “The Motion Picture” returned. Leonard Nimoy, ecstatic at the critical and commercial reception of “The Wrath of Khan,” and who on that film had expressly written into his contract that Spock be killed, changed his mind and spoke with then studio chief Michael Eisner, stating that he wanted to return as Spock but that he also wanted to direct the film. Eisner was initially reluctant at the idea as he thought Nimoy hated Star Trek, and that’s why he had Spock killed off, but Nimoy told him that was not the case. Nimoy would go on to direct “The Search for Spock” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.”
At the end of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” after Spock gave his life for everyone on the Enterprise, Kirk launched his casket into space, where it landed on the planet created by the Genesis Device. After returning to Earth, Kirk and his crew are informed that the Enterprise will be decommissioned and that none of them are to mention Genesis to anybody. When Kirk’s doctor and friend Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) starts acting strangely, Spock’s father Sarek (Mark Lenard) and Kirk learn that before he died, Spock passed his Katra, or living spirit, to McCoy. For Spock’s Katra and body to be laid to rest on his homeworld of Vulcan, they must retrieve Spock’s body from the Genesis planet; otherwise, McCoy will die from carrying his Katra.
Meanwhile, David Marcus (Merritt Butrick), Kirk’s son, and Lieutenant Saavik (Robin Curtis) are already investigating the Genesis planet when they discover an unexpected lifeform on its surface. Upon further inspection, they ascertain that Genesis resurrected Spock in the form of a child and that the longer he is on the planet, the faster he ages.
Kirk and his officers, McCoy, Scotty (James Doohan), Sulu (George Takei), Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), steal the Enterprise from Spacedock and make their way back to the Genesis planet, but they soon learn that Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), the commander of a Klingon Bird of Prey, is waiting for them, and a battle ensues that will change Kirk’s life forever.
“Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” is enjoyable, and it was great to see Nimoy back in action as Spock, if only for a few scenes at the end of the film. In all, the movie serves as filler between two of the best films in the series, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” but other than that, “The Search for Spock,” while occasionally entertaining, is one of the franchise’s more lackluster entries that offers nothing new to the series.
To save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.
By the time “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” came around, Leonard Nimoy was insistent on returning as director again, but this time, he told Paramount he didn’t want some big bad guy at the center of the film; instead, he wanted to make the film more humorous and bring it back to basics. And that is exactly what “The Voyage Home” delivered, multitudinous amounts of humor and one of the best entries in the series.
After the events of “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” Kirk and co. are heading back to Earth in their captured Klingon Bird of Prey when they receive a planetary distress call from Starfleet. They are warned that an enormous cylindrical probe has disabled all power on Earth and is causing catastrophic planetary storms around the globe. It is transmitting a cryptic signal and is waiting for a response. When Spock plays back the signal, he determines it to be the song of humpback whales who are extinct in the 23rd century and informs Kirk and co. that they existed in the 20th century. He tells them that the only way they can save the planet is to attempt time travel, capture a whale, and bring it back to the 23rd century in hopes it will answer the probe. With nothing to lose, they buckle in for what they assume will be a very short trip, but 20th-century Earth will give them more than they bargained for.
This is my second favorite entry in the original franchise, right behind “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.” I’m so glad Nimoy and Paramount decided on a much lighter tone for the film, and bringing them back to current-day Earth, elicited a lot of laughs, and it was one of the best-received and reviewed movies of the year. It also allowed each of the seven central characters to have their moment to shine in the spotlight, something sorely missing from its three predecessors who focused predominantly on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Watching Chekov try to ask for directions to the “nuclear wessels” is one of the film’s highlights, and Kirk also receives a love interest in Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a cetologist who, in the end, helps them capture two humpback whales who have just been released from captivity.
Watching Kirk and Spock on a public bus navigating 1986 San Francisco and interacting with an annoying, loud punk rocker is hilarious, especially when Spock gives him the Vulcan nerve pinch, shutting him up, much to the appreciation and applause of the rest of the passengers. To Kirk’s dismay and shock, Spock also picks up current-day swear words and uses them at the most inappropriate times. “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” is the funniest and most laid-back entry in the series and reminds us that a sci-fi film doesn’t need tons of bad guys and lasers and explosions; the narrative here is so straightforward it makes you wonder why more movies like it are not produced. As the credits on “Star Trek IV” begin to roll, we arrive at one of the franchise’s most divisive entries: “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.”
Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock’s long-lost half-brother, who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy.
“Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” is, without a doubt, the series’ most contentious entry. I remember seeing it on the big screen in 1989, the first time Hollywood had a record-breaking domestic summer box-office revenue of $2.05 billion. While “Star Trek V” was expected to be a big hit, despite it appearing in a market crowded with other sequels and blockbusters such as “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Batman,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Ghostbusters II,” “The Abyss,” “Licence to Kill,” “Twins,” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” it opened with a respectable $17.4 million in its first week but dropped sharply in subsequent weeks, earning $49,566,330 domestically for a global total of $63 million, a big disappointment as far as Paramount was concerned.
While Leonard Nimoy directed the series’ two predecessors, “The Voyage Home” and “The Search for Spock,” William Shatner decided to throw his hat into the ring for directing duties on Part 5. And got the job. The film became controversial in the central narrative of the characters searching for God. Paramount and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry felt many filmgoers would not appreciate the tonal change from the more lighthearted and high-spirited atmosphere of “The Voyage Home” to a more contemplative one dealing with spiritual meaning. The introduction of Spock’s renegade half-brother Sybok was also a thorn in many fans’ sides, but over time, actor Laurence Luckinbill’s captivating performance cemented him as one of the franchise’s most memorable villains. While he never manifested a threatening or hostile persona, he disarmed people utilizing charm and magnetism, a safer and more peaceful way to get what he wanted.
The story centers around Sybok, who, after hijacking the USS Enterprise, uses it to reach a mythical planet known as Sha Ka Ree, where creation supposedly began. Granted, when they reach their destination, even Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are intrigued at the prospect of what lies beyond the seemingly impenetrable field known as the Great Barrier, an immense energy field of unknown properties surrounding the galactic core of the Milky Way Galaxy. Sybok reveals he received visions from God and that to come face to face with him, he will need a starship to breach the Great Barrier, but once they break through, things don’t go according to plan.
I have a lot of friends who are die-hard Trekkies, or Trekkers, who despise “Star Trek V,” but as a casual fan of the movies, I have found that Shatner, the director, did a commendable job. He once stated that David Lean inspired him, and the opening scene, in which a cloaked Sybok races towards the camera on horseback, shrouded in mystery and dust, was somewhat reminiscent of David Lean’s opening shot in “Lawrence of Arabia,” with Omar Sharif slowly coming out of a mirage in the desert. I noticed visual nods like these throughout the film, and if Shatner had the time and money to produce the original vision he originally intended, I think “Star Trek V” could have been significantly better than the version we now have. If you haven’t seen “Star Trek V,” I would recommend watching it; it’s a film that early on shows significant promise, but with a lot of behind-the-scenes shenanigans and a writers’ strike, sadly, it never reached its true potential and falls into the Star Trek Curse, where the even-numbered films are heralded as action-packed fan favorites, while the odd-numbered efforts go down as cringe-worthy failures.
On the eve of retirement, Kirk and McCoy are charged with assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor and imprisoned. The Enterprise crew must help them escape to thwart a conspiracy that sabotages the last best hope for peace.
“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” is my favorite of the original six Star Trek films. It’s the original crew’s last outing, and who better to go up against than the ostentatious, sensationalized, and overly dramatic Shakespeare-spouting Christopher Plummer, who plays the role of Chang, a one-eyed Klingon general who has it in for Kirk from the get-go. Nicholas Meyer, who helmed “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” returns in top form and prosperingly sends the crew off on their retirement. While Kirk, Scotty, and Chekov would return for the opening scene in the next film, “Star Trek: Generations,” introducing the crew of the Next Generation to the big screen, it was initially written for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy but both Nimoy and Kelley passed on the offer, stating that they wanted the crew to be remembered as they were in “The Undiscovered Country,” and not in a glorified cameo.
When Praxis, a Klingon moon, is destroyed, it is learned that its destruction will impact the Klingon homeworld’s ozone layer, and realizing that they can no longer afford to war with the Federation, they decide to pursue peace instead. Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) and his chief of staff, General Chang (Plummer), are tasked with hosting negotiations on Earth with members of the Federation, and Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew of the Enterprise are entrusted with Gorkon’s safe passage to Earth. But along the way, Gorkon’s ship is sabotaged, and Gorkon is killed. Chang holds Kirk responsible, knowing of his lifelong hatred and distrust of Klingons after the death of his son, and he and McCoy are arrested. After both men are found guilty of killing Gorkon by a Klingon High Court, they are shipped off to the frozen planetoid Rura Penthe, where they are to serve out the rest of their life sentences. With Spock now in charge of the Enterprise, he sets out to free Kirk and McCoy and discover who the real killer is.
“The Undiscovered Country” has cast and crew firing on all cylinders, and a great addition to the team was composer Cliff Eidelman. He took over from Messrs. Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, and Leonard Rosenman. His theme used motifs from previous films and the original TV series, but he made the score his own and created one of the series’ most thrilling and pulse-pounding soundtracks, one this critic bought on CD back in 1991. While the overall mood for “The Undiscovered Country” was decidedly darker in tone than its two predecessors, the camaraderie between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is as enjoyable as ever. The constant bickering between Spock and McCoy and the profound and heartfelt exchanges between Kirk and Spock show precisely why these relationships have lasted decades. Watching “The Undiscovered Country,” you can’t help but feel a sense of melancholy set in, knowing this will be the last time all seven original cast members will appear onscreen together, especially as the end credits roll, watching the signature of each principal cast member being written one by one as a final send-off for their characters. “The Undiscovered Country” is a great character-driven story that gives each of the principal actors their time to shine, but it also encourages the terrific supporting cast as well, allowing everyone to shine throughout.
Rewatching the original six Star Trek films was an absolute delight, and if you are a Star Trek fan, I highly recommend this box set. Watching them in 4K is absolutely stunning, and there are many behind-the-scenes extras that I cannot wait to dive into. I’m sure at some point in the not-too-distant future, Paramount will do a special box set for the Next Generation movies, and further down the road, they’ll do a special box set containing all ten original Star Trek films, and much later, an even more extensive box set including the most recent Star Trek films but for right now, this box set is well worth the price. Sit back and enjoy!
“Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture Collection” will be available on 4K Ultra HD September 6
