Product Description

Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina SirtisWriters: Gene Roddenberry

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19629 in DVD
• Brand: DVD Boxsets
• Released on: 2002-04-01
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Number of discs: 7
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 7
• Dimensions: 1.51 pounds
• Running time: 999 minutes

Amazon.co.uk
In 1987, some 20 years after the original series had ended, Star Trek: the Next Generation was launched into a decade renowned for its materialistic greed, but also for its hesitant steps towards a more unified world order. Creator Gene Roddenberry revised his vision of humanity's future accordingly, shifting the Trek timeline 80 years on and reinventing the new Starship Enterprise as an Ark-like exploration vessel full of families, schools, soothing recreational facilities and a maternally pacifying computer voice (Roddenberry's wife, Majel Barrett).

The Next Generation crew were not soldiers, but scientists and diplomats. Unlike the fiercely individualistic Captain Kirk, Patrick Stewart's patrician Captain Jean-Luc Picard was a model team leader: no matter how desperate the crisis, he ensured that everyone got to sit round the conference room table and talk it over. And in a true late-1980s touch, a key member of the Bridge crew was psychoanalyst Counsellor Troi, always on hand to discuss everyone's feelings. Even the slogan change to "Where no one has gone before" acknowledged that there's no "one" in a team. But for all its earnest political correctness and an over-reliance on "technobabble", good stories played by an appealing ensemble cast were at the heart of the show's success. --Paul Tonks

On the DVD: Star Trek: The Next Generation comes to DVD in a distinctively packaged seven-disc set. This is reproduced for all seven series, thus forming a handsome collection. The outer gunmetal grey case is plastic, and the discs themselves are held in a rather flimsy cardboard fold-out sleeve. Each disc has nicely done animated menus and audio/subtitle options for each episode--though no "play all" facility. Disc 7 also includes bonus features in the shape of informative cast and crew interviews (both new and from the launch of Season 1), subdivided into four chapters: "The Beginning", "Selected Crew Analysis", "The Making of a Legend" and "Memorable Missions". Picture is adequate 4:3 with good Dolby 5.1 showing off the innovative sound effects. --Mark Walker

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Seven-disc box set. Full season 26 episodes. One hour of unique extras. The Launch
Gene Roddenberry's vision for Next Gen; Building a new Enterprise; The cast's reactions to being part of the "Star Trek" legend; writing new characters and aliens; Designing the new ships and props.

The Cast
First season cast members talk about their roles, their acting backgrounds and of the "Star Trek" legacy; Fascinating "Before and After" look comparing comments of the cast from launch of series with comments of the cast seven years later.

Production
Production staff members discuss making of new series; Uncover how the beaming effect is achieved; Watch Worf's make-up process

Season 1 Highlights
Cast and crew discuss specific episodes; Denise Crosby on leaving trhe series; Armin Simmerman on playing one of the first Ferengi; Jonathan Frakes on going all "gooey" in the mud slick; Patrick Stewart relates humorous stories about Frakes; Dan Curry explains how he made a futuristic weapon out of a plastic pantyhose container; and more...

Synopsis
Picking up decades after Gene Roddenberry's legendary original STAR TREK, THE NEXT GENERATION follows the intergalactic adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew aboard an all-new USS Enterprise. This phenomenally successful follow-up, also created by Roddenberry, began airing in 1987 and ran until 1994. This collector's edition box set contains seven DVDs featuring all twenty-six episodes from season one, along with a wealth of special features contained on the seventh disc.
Season One Episodes:
1. Encounter at FarPoint - Part 1
2. Encounter at FarPoint - Part 2
3. The Naked Now
4. Code of Honor
5. The Last Outpost
6. Where No One Has Gone Before
7. Lonely Among Us
8. Justice
9. The Battle
10. Hide & Q
11. Haven
12. The Big Goodbye
13. DataLore
14. Angel One
15. 11001001
16. Too Short A Season
17. When the Bough Breaks
18. Home Soil
19. Coming of Age
20. Heart of Glory
21. The Arsenal of Freedom
22. Symbiosis
23. Skin of Evil
24. We'll Always Have Paris
25. Conspiracy
26. The Neutral Zone

Customer Reviews

It's been a long time coming but it's been worth it
Paramount seem to have listened, planned and are going about releasing quality DVD box sets with extras. One season is planned for release every 2 months

The great news is that the picture has been remastered and the sound remixed into Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. 4 new documentaries have been created for this release lasting for an hour. Presentationally the box sets form a neat library of 7 packs when placed alongside each other. A booklet is also included per box.

Season 1 of The Next Generation has only a few outstanding stories. The rest (looking like they are from the eighties) tend to spend too much time on supporting characters such as Wesley Crusher. Fortunately Patrick Stewart does such a superb job of leading the cast, the weaker stories can be forgiven for the most part.

An excellent release with the entire 7 seasons on the way. Fingers crossed for Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise releases soon!

Episode List:

Encounter at Farpoint
The Naked Now

Code of Honor
The Last Outpost
Where No One Has Gone Before
Lonely Among Us
Justice
The Battle
Hide and Q
Haven
The Big Goodbye
Datalore
Angel One
11001001
Too Short a Season
When the Bough Breaks
Home Soil
Coming of Age
Heart of Glory
The Arsenal of Freedom
Symbiosis
Skin of Evil
We'll Always Have Paris
Conspiracy
The Neutral Zone

A must have
I know there are knockers with The Next Generation but if you are a trekkie, then it is just one of the things you have to have.

Not every episode is great, but it is still a must have and a bargain too at the price.

Where no Trek has gone before
The Next Generation hits DVD as the first Star Trek series to do so on Region 2 DVD. Although not as good as the latter seasons, season 1 sets the scene for the show and for it's spin-offs Deep Space Nine and Voyager, establishing the Federation in the 24th century. We meet some old friends like the Klingons in Heart of Glory and Romulans in The Neutral Zone and some new ones : the Ferengi in The Last Outpost and The Battle. Season 1 also establishes the backgrouds of Next Generations main charachters, primarly Captain Picard, Commander Riker and Data, the android with human aspirations. It also brings up the first Holodeck episode The Big Goodbye and several reacurring carachters : Q in Encounter at Farpoint and later in Hide and Q, the Traveler in Where No One Has Gone Before, Lore, Datas "brother" in Datalore and Lwaxana Troi in Haven. A good start for a great series and a must have for any Trek fan.