{"id":5950,"date":"2013-07-26T09:57:04","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T16:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=5950"},"modified":"2021-06-13T16:25:38","modified_gmt":"2021-06-13T23:25:38","slug":"review-startrek-tng-s4-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2013\/07\/review-startrek-tng-s4-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season Four Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d Season Four<\/b> is another fantastic chapter in the \u201cTrek\u201d franchise. In the third season, there were signs of greatness in many episodes and this season offers even more amazing chapters in the saga where even the \u201cworst\u201d episodes sometimes rivaled the first and second season\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nStar Trek: The Next Generation: Season Four (1990-91)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Genre(s): <\/b>Science Fiction, Adventure, Drama
\nParamount | NR \u2013 1181 min. \u2013 $129.99 | July 30, 2013<\/p>\n

MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/span>Directed by: <\/b>Various
\nWriter(s): <\/b>Gene Roddenberry (created by)
\nCast: <\/b>Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden<\/p>\n

DISC INFO:
\n<\/span>Features: <\/b>Episode Commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Episodic Promos
\nNumber of Discs: <\/b>6<\/p>\n

Audio: <\/b>English (DTS-HD MA 7.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), German (Dolby Digital 1.0), Castilian (Dolby Digital 1.0), Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0), Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0)
\nVideo: <\/b>1080p\/Full Frame 1.33
\nSubtitles: <\/b>English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Castilian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish
\nDisc Size: <\/b>Various
\nCodec: <\/b>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/b>A, B, C<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

THE SEASON <\/strong>\u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Early on in the fourth season of \u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d<\/b>, it became obvious what the theme would be for the season: family and relationships. You can look no further than the second episode entitled, well, \u2018Family\u2019 where the Enterprise, after being damaged in its encounter with the Borg, goes on shore leave. This allows Captain Picard (PATRICK STEWART), still experiencing the traumatic side effects at the hands of the Borg, goes back to his home village in France to stay with his estranged brother Robert, Robert\u2019s wife and son. There, the brothers argue and come to blows, but Picard also faces the cruel atrocities committed while the Borg controlled him including the deaths of 11,000 souls.<\/p>\n

And in the following episode (4×03), \u2018Brothers\u2019, finds Data (BRENT SPINER) being hijacked and leaving the Enterprise and rendezvousing with his maker, Dr. Noonien Song (also played by Spiner), who was thought dead three years earlier in an attack. Song has summoned Data there as he is dying and has created the ultimate gift: an emotions chip tailored for Data. However, the homing beacon that sent for Data also brought Song\u2019s original creation, and Data\u2019s brother, Lore who was created with the emotions chip but malfunctioned leading to Song disassembling Lore and in turn, making Data. It\u2019s quite the episode and if not for \u2018Best of Both Worlds, Part 2\u2019, \u2018Remember Me\u2019, \u2018Final Mission\u2019 and \u2018Redemption\u2019, amongst others, this would be a stand out episode especially because of Brent Spiner\u2019s performance playing three distinct roles, one of which in thick, old man, make-up.<\/p>\n

Outside of the episodes mentioned above, the rest of season four are mostly standalone stories and although there are a couple of missteps, \u2018Clues\u2019 for one was great… until the cop-out ending, but they\u2019re all quite entertaining and each attempts to give the main cast members, and in the instance of the wonderful \u2018Data\u2019s Day\u2019, Chief O\u2019Brien (COLM MEANEY) gets some meat to his usually limited role. Another highlight amongst the second tier episodes is \u2018Devil\u2019s Due\u2019 where Picard must prove a woman is a fraud; the mysterious \u2018Night Terrors\u2019 is a lot of fun as the Enterprise crew must figure out why they can no longer dream which in turn leads to hallucinations; \u2018Identity Crisis\u2019 has a fine performance from LeVar Burton and some impressive make-up designs; and \u2018Half a Life\u2019 has plenty of emotion and interesting dilemma where a colony\u2019s resolution says that populace who hit the age of 60 must commit suicide. What stood out in that episode is that its emotional base lays with two guest stars in Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett in a recurring role that began in season one\u2019s \u2018Haven\u2019) and Timicin (David Ogden Stiers).<\/p>\n

The season isn\u2019t without its problems or ho-hum storylines and, of course, the always dispensable Wesley Crusher (WIL WHEATON) rears his head. In \u2018Remember Me\u2019, one of his experiments goes awry (of course!) sending his mother into an alternate reality of sorts in which those around her, including Picard and Wesley, begin vanishing and she must try to uncover the how and why while on the other end, Wesley with the help of the Traveler, attempts to get her out. The episode on the whole is quite good but the fact it was partially Wesley\u2019s fault and he receives no crap for it, is another example of why I find him annoying. However, with \u2018Last Mission\u2019, an excellent episode in fairness to actor Wheaton, Wesley leaves the show only to return a handful of times until the series end.<\/p>\n

\u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d<\/b> Season Four concludes with part 1 of \u2018Redemption\u2019 as Warf (MICHAEL DORN) comes face to face with his family as he attempts to regain honor lost. Meanwhile, Klingon Civil War grows closer as the Romulans try to install their own puppet while Picard was chosen to oversee the installation of the new head of the Klingon High Council. Although not as suspenseful as \u2018Best of Both Worlds, Part 1\u2019, \u2018and Redemption\u2019 is another brilliant chapter in \u201cStar Trek\u201d lore.<\/p>\n

Episodes (favorites marked with an asterisk):
\n<\/b>1. The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2*
\n2. Family*
\n3. Brothers
\n4. Suddenly Human
\n5. Remember Me*
\n6. Legacy
\n7. Reunion*
\n8. Future Imperfect
\n9. Final Mission*
\n10. The Loss
\n11. Data\u2019s Day*
\n12. The Wounded
\n13. Devil\u2019s Due
\n14. Clues
\n15. First Contact
\n16. Galaxy\u2019s Child*
\n17. Night Terrors*
\n18. Identity Crisis
\n19. The Nth Degree
\n20. Qpid
\n21. The Drumhead
\n22. Half a Life
\n23. The Host
\n24. The Mind\u2019s Eye*
\n25. In Theory
\n26. Redemption*<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As with seasons one, two and three, this release comes with a matted slip cover<\/b>. The 6-disc set is housed in an HD Keep Case (wider than a standard Blu-ray case).<\/p>\n

Audio Commentaries
\n<\/span><\/b>\u2018Brothers\u2019 \u2013 Director Rob Bowman and Mike & Denise Okuda
\n\u2018Reunion\u2019 \u2013 Writers Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga and Mike & Denise Okuda<\/p>\n

Episodic Promos<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Each episode comes with a cheesy preview of the upcoming story.<\/p>\n

Disc 1:
\nMission Overview: Year Four (16:41; SD)<\/span><\/b> is an old featurette, probably made for the DVD release, looking at highlights from the fourth season and the challenges producers and writers faced, particularly with concluding the second part of \u2018Best of Both Worlds\u2019.<\/p>\n

Disc 2:
\nSelected Crew Analysis: Year Four (17:04; SD)<\/span><\/b> features more sound bites with various members of the cast and crew. Included is Wil Wheaton talking about his final appearance as a regular cast member, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and others chatting up some of the more memorable moments of the season.<\/p>\n

Disc 3:
\nNew Life and New Civilizations (13:45; SD)<\/span><\/b> looks at the various locations introduced in the fourth season and provides some cool behind-the-scenes footage and photos.<\/p>\n

Disc 4:
\nChronicles from the Final Frontier (18:12; SD)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 This archive featurette takes a look at the transition from the third season into season four in its storytelling and focus on characters.<\/p>\n

Disc 5:
\nDepartmental Briefing Year Four: Production (16:46; SD)<\/span><\/b> has some more archival interviews with different members of the cast and crew. One aspect is the actors\u2019 (Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart) experiences directing \u201cThe Next Generation\u201d episodes.<\/p>\n

Select Historical Data (10:25; SD)<\/span><\/b> is some cool gallery images of production designs, behind-the-scenes footage, and more interwoven around crew interviews speaking about specific episodes.<\/p>\n

Inside the Star Trek Archives (11:14; SD)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 This is more of an odds and ends kind of featurette with more old cast\/crew interviews speaking to some of the story aspects, even hiding the pregnancy of Gates McFadden, in different episodes.<\/p>\n

Disc 6:
\nIn Conversation: The Star Trek Art Department (1:07:29; HD)<\/span><\/b> is a newly produced, and extensive, featurette where those in the department (including Mike & Denise Okuda) reunite to reminisce about their time working on \u201cStar Trek\u201d. It\u2019s an informal gathering but like the new features on seasons 1-3, it\u2019s just as fascinating.<\/p>\n

Relativity: The Family Saga of \u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d (56:50; HD)<\/span><\/b> is a two-part featurette, Homecoming (29:05) and Posterity (27:45), recounting the series and how it came into its own in the fourth season. It features new interviews with members of the cast and crew including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Wil Wheaton and others.<\/p>\n

Wrapping the features up are a selection of Deleted Scenes (TRT 23:30; HD)<\/span><\/b> and an amusing Gag Reel (3:34; HD)<\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Paramount once again releases \u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d Season Four<\/b> on Blu-ray presented in brilliant 1080p high-definition. The restoration work done here is simply impressive. As with seasons 1-3, the picture shows no signs of specs or artifacting, the color array is nicely balanced, especially noticeable on the uniforms, and the detail work on the Enterprise exteriors is remarkable. Compared with seasons one and two, this one is markedly better and most certainly leaps and bounds better than the DVD versions. Having recently watched the third season, this one is pretty much on par in terms of quality.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

AUDIO \u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Each episode once again receives a robust 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track which comes through with excellent clarity from one episode to the next. As with the third season, the audio here comes through quite well between the computer noises, the blaring score to the action scenes where phasers often get used. Also neat, is the subtle tremor of the ship which can be heard. The dialogue levels are crisp and clear throughout being able to understand everything to be heard.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

OVERALL \u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Overall, \u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d Season Four<\/b> is another fantastic chapter in the \u201cTrek\u201d franchise. In the third season, there were signs of greatness in many episodes and this season offers even more amazing chapters in the saga where even the \u201cworst\u201d episodes sometimes rivaled the first and second season\u2019s best. The Blu-ray has an incredible amount of features, delving deep into nearly every aspect of developing the fourth season and once again, the audio\/video transfers are incredible.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The Movieman
\n<\/i>Published: <\/b>07\/26\/2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cStar Trek: The Next Generation\u201d Season Four is another fantastic chapter in the \u201cTrek\u201d franchise. In the third season, there were signs of greatness in many episodes and this season offers even more amazing chapters in the saga where even the \u201cworst\u201d episodes sometimes rivaled the first and second season\u2019s best.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[801,2203,2177,2178,2180,2179,1769,2046,2204],"class_list":["post-5950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blurayreviews","tag-brent-spiner","tag-gates-mcfadden","tag-jonathan-frakes","tag-levar-burton","tag-marina-sirtis","tag-michael-dorn","tag-patrick-stewart","tag-star-trek","tag-wil-wheaton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5950"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26591,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5950\/revisions\/26591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}