Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level Blu-ray Review

I remember back in college -- and without dating myself, suffice to say that this was pre-iPhone, pre-laptop and basically pre-Internet -- watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on a portable black and white TV that had a screen that was about two by three inches. Seriously. I watched an entire season of the show in this format because it was my only option. And now, the adventures of the Enterprise-D are getting a release in glorious high def. Yes, Captain Picard, times they are a-changin'.

CBS and Paramount are testing the HD waters with this week's release of Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level on Blu-ray. Compiling three episodes (including the feature-length pilot), the one-disc set serves as a preview of what to expect from the full-season packages that are said to be coming soon (Season 1 is scheduled for later this year).

This was no easy task for the Federation's tech-heads, however. While TNG was shot on film in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was edited on video with many of the visual effects shots being created in standard-def. This presented a technical hurdle for CBS, who actually went back to the original camera negative and re-cut each episode. In some cases, where effects were created with film elements, these too were located and re-composited to match the original edits. But in the cases where visuals effects -- say a phaser blast, or a planetscape -- were achieved on video, the images had to be replaced with newly created HD equivalents.

The episodes included are a somewhat curious lot. Yes, it makes sense to go with the pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint," even though it's really not a very strong outing for Picard and company. Not surprisingly, the production was still finding its footing at this early point, featuring some odd character beats and a story that is ultimately pretty derivative of a several Original Series episodes. That said, everything that fans would come to love about the show is planted here, and this early adventure is quite interesting to revisit in the light of the Next Generation's 25 year history (wow, 25 years?!). Farpoint itself actually looks pretty good now in establishing shots, which is a first. That said, Data's stunt double on the holodeck is clearly visible now thanks to HD, and the Styrofoam and cardboard sets on the planet surface now look like Styrofoam and cardboard sets in high definition.

Next up is "Sins of the Father," which gives newcomers a glimpse at Worf and the ongoing Klingon soap opera that would encompass some of the better episodes of the series. Here, our stalwart ridgy-headed friend must defend his honor against some nasty opponents who are plotting and scheming back on his homeworld. You know, Klingon type stuff! Some notable changes to this episode include a new and improved rendering of a Klingon Bird of Prey, the planet Qo'noS appears more striking and realistic from space, and so does the cityscape on the planet as lightning thunders amid a distant, cloudy sky. It should also be stated that despite the high-def visuals, the Klingon make-up still looks pretty solid -- I couldn't spot any lines or color changes where the prosthetics meet the actors' actual skin. (Though Michael Dorn could use a powder here or there.)

The last episode is the acclaimed "The Inner Light," where Picard is transported (kinda sorta) to another world where he is just a regular man who must live a regular life -- marriage, work, children and so on -- for what seems to him to be decades. For the uninitiated, this is also known as the "one with the flute." As the episode progresses, it becomes heavily dependent on age makeup, with the unfortunate result being that on Blu-ray some of these prosthetics have a slight plastic sheen to them at times. This is a minor note, however.


Why CBS/Paramount didn't go with a different selection of episodes is not clear. Maybe the introduction to the Borg, "Q Who," or the time-travel favorite "Yesterday's Enterprise"? But regardless, this is a good assortment of adventures that give us some sense of the first five seasons of the show. The Blu-ray is encoded in 1080p and mixed in 7.1 DTS Master Audio. As already noted, the HD presentation is pretty fantastic. The Enterprise itself has never looked better, with surface detail and color gradients that bring a whole new perspective to the flagship of the fleet. Colors, like the Starfleet rainbow of uniforms, are vibrant, and contrast is strong. There is some grain on each of the episodes, though.

The sound is immersive and will make pretty good use of your surround system. Dialogue is clearer than ever, if sometimes a little tinny in the "Encounter at Farpoint" scenes set on the Enterprise. Stereo Surround tracks in a variety of languages are also available. As for extras, the only bits included here are a trio of trailers (two for TNG on Blu-ray and one for a Star Trek iPad app).

Ultimately, whether or not you'll want to pick up TNG on Blu-ray comes down to the same decision that is starting to face most home video consumers these days. Yes, these episodes look and sound great in their remastered form, but when you can get the entire seven-season run of the show on Netflix streaming in a decent if not amazing presentation, do you really want to spend the coin? No one, not even Q, can make that decision for you. Only you can make it so...


Scott Collura is a Movies Editor at IGN. He also co-hosts a Star Trek podcast which you can listen to here. Or just follow him on Twitter at @ScottIGN, where he's sure to talk about Star Trek as well.

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