Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Seasons 1-7

Product Description

Disc 1:

Descent, Part II

Liaisons

Interface

Gambit, Part I

Disc 2:

Gambit, Part II

Phantasms

Dark Page

Attached

Disc 3:

Force Of Nature

Inheritance

Parrallels

The Pegasus

Disc 4:

Homeward

Sub Rosa

Lower Decks

Thine Own Self

Disc 5:

Masks

Eye Of The Beholder

Genesis

Journey's End

Disc 6:

Firstborn

Bloodlines

Emergence

Preemptive Strike

Disc 7:

All Good Things, Part I

All Good Things, Part II

(Special Features)

System Requirements:

Running Time 8087 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

After Star Wars and the successful big-screen Star Trek adventures, it's perhaps not so surprising that Gene Roddenberry managed to convince purse string-wielding studio heads in the 1980s that a Next Generation would be both possible and profitable. But the political climate had changed considerably since the 1960s, the Cold War had wound down, and we were now living in the Age of Greed. To be successful a second time, Star Trek had to change too.

A writer's guide was composed with which to sell and define where the Trek universe was in the 24th Century. The United Federation of Planets was a more appealing ideology to an America keen to see where the Reagan/Gorbachev faceoff was taking them. Starfleet's meritocratic philosophy had always embraced all races and species. Now Earth's utopian history, featuring the abolishment of poverty, was brandished prominently and proudly. The new Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, was no longer a ship of war but an exploration vessel carrying families. The ethical and ethnical flagship also carried a former enemy (the Klingon Worf, played by Michael Dorn), and its Chief Engineer (Geordi LaForge) was blind and black. From every politically correct viewpoint, Paramount executives thought the future looked just swell!

Roddenberry's feminism now contrasted a pilot episode featuring ship's Counsellor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in a mini-skirt with her ongoing inner strengths and also those of Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and the short-lived Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). The arrival of Whoopi Goldberg in season 2 as mystic barkeep Guinan is a great example of the good the original Trek did for racial groups--Goldberg has stated that she was inspired to become an actress in large part through seeing Nichelle Nichols' Uhura. Her credibility as an actress helped enormously alongside the strong central performances of Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (First Officer Will Riker), and Brent Spiner (Data) in defining another wholly believable environment once again populated with well-defined characters. Star Trek, it turned out, did not depend for its success on any single group of actors.

Like its predecessor in the 1960s, TNG pioneered visual effects on TV, making it an increasingly jaw-dropping show to look at. And thanks also to the enduring success of the original show, phasers, tricorders, communicators and even phase inverters were already familiar to most viewers. But while technology was a useful tool in most crises, it now frequently seemed to be the cause of them too, as the show's writers continually warned about the dangers of over-reliance on technology (the Borg were the ultimate expression of this maxim). The word "technobabble" came to describe a weakness in many TNG scripts, which sacrificed the social and political allegories of the original and relied instead upon invented technological faults and their equally fictitious resolutions to provide drama within the Enterprise's self-contained society. (The holodeck's safety protocol override seemed to be next to the light switch given the number of times crew members were trapped within.) This emphasis on scientific jargon appealed strongly to an audience who were growing up for the first time in the late 1980s with the home computer--and gave rise to the clichéd image of the nerdy Trek fan.

Like in the original Trek, it was in the stories themselves that much of the show's success is to be found. That pesky Prime Directive kept moral dilemmas afloat ("Justice"/"Who Watches the Watchers?"/"First Contact"). More "what if" scenarios came out of time-travel episodes ("Cause and Effect"/"Time's Arrow"/"Yesterday's Enterprise"). And there were some episodes that touched on the political world, such as "The Arsenal of Freedom" questioning the supply of arms, "Chain of Command" decrying the torture of political prisoners and "The Defector", which was called "The Cuban Missile Crisis of The Neutral Zone" by its writer. The show ran for more than twice as many episodes as its progenitor and therefore had more time to explore wider ranging issues. But the choice of issues illustrates the change in the social climate that had occurred with the passing of a couple of decades. "Angel One" covered sexism; "The Outcast" was about homosexuality; "Symbiosis"--drug addiction; "The High Ground"--terrorism; "Ethics"--euthanasia; "Darmok"--language barriers; and "Journey's End"--displacement of Indians from their homeland. It would have been unthinkable for the original series to have tackled most of these.

TNG could so easily have been a failure, but it wasn't. It survived a writer's strike in its second year, the tragic death of Roddenberry just after Trek's 25th anniversary in 1991, and plenty of competition from would-be rival franchises. Yes, its maintenance of an optimistic future was appealing, but the strong stories and readily identifiable characters ensured the viewers' continuing loyalty. --Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews:

An Incredible Sci-Fi Series.......2007-08-14

One of the best casts, if not the best, of ANY Science Fiction series ever, was brought together to reinvent a lot of what we knew sci-fi to be. Gene Roddenberry brought an amazing new world to us with some of the most amazing effects and writing where the focus on the story was more about society and discovery and how humanity could cope with that, than anything else. This as an absolute must have for anyone looking for great entertainment for the household, or even for themselves. Beware though... Lwaxana Troi may terrorize your days ;-) (Majel is just amazing on those guest appearances!)

Star Trek: The Next Generation.......2007-08-04

I'm really glad that I have the entire seven seasons of Star Trek: TNG. I wanted it for a long time. However, after receiving the collection and watching a few episodes, I was disappointed. I was expecting better video quality. And, I hope I'm not the only one with the following problem.

Specifically, the DVDs that I have watched thus far have superior audio, and the video stream is smooth but has poor color contrast. The picture has an overall dim background brightness, rendering a poor contrast between light and dark objects. This makes it difficult to see everything in the scenes. The brighter elements are okay and the darker colors and background elements are barely viewable or not viewable at all. Examples include scenes of video where the Enterprise is orbiting a planet, inside scenes of the Enterprise with Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Counselor Troy, etc, and other interior shots where the darker colors of actors' uniforms, and background objects which were, again, barely identifiable/viewable on the screen or not viewable at all. I thought, perhaps, my TV was the problem or maybe even the DVD player, so I conducted a few tests.

First, the TV was evaluated. It is not possible to adjust picture elements like the contrast or turn the brightness up on my TV enough to have the picture to appear normal and get the background colors to come out correctly. When I do turn the brightness enough to somewhat see the background elements, the rest of the picture (lighter elements) washes out. So, I put the same episodes into my computer, which has an LCD monitor. Although the picture came out a little better, the problem remained. Now, I happen to have many VHS episodes of Star Trek: TNG. I compared some identical episodes using both DVD and VHS formats with the same TV and DVD/VHS player, with a follow-on plan to then try more tests using a different TV (computer monitor) and player. So, I watched a couple of the episodes that I had on both DVD and VHS. The VHS versions played well and the video was normal for both background and foreground viewing brightness and color identification. Continuing on, I tried the DVD on another DVD player hooked to the same TV with the same poor results. I also tried using another VHS player on the same TV, played the identical episodes on it, and the picture quality was great.

My conclusion is that the Star Trek: TNG DVD collection was recorded incorrectly or at too low a brightness level. Whatever the cause, the poor video quality is unacceptable. Unfortunately, I passed the warranty period because it took me too long to view enough video episodes to know this was a systemic problem. And, I really don't want to give up my collection since the next set I purchase will undoubtedly be the same. I say this because I own Star Trek, the original series and it is too dark, as well.

All I can say is that I will not purchase any other Star Trek series until I know I'm getting something substantially better than mediocre video quality and offered quality replacement DVDs for my current two collections.

everything I wanted.......2007-07-16

This was a perfect buy! It was/is everything I wanted. I don't think I could have found a better price and it was delievered in a decent about of time.
(Of course if you're not a trekkie,you may not like this item).:)

ST:TNG Good, but not the best anthology.......2007-06-27

I love the show very much and consider myself a Trek fan. It's nice to have the series on DVD, but the extra features are nill if any. Very sporadic, no real commentary or commentary that is particularly interesting. If you want your favorite episodes on DVD, you get it. The video quality is not particularly good, it's pretty average. I think it was a straight transfer from VHS, but I could be wrong. It would be nice to get director commentaries, but I don't think there are any. Slightly disappointing considering how much money I blew on the discs, in my opinion.

AVOID DROP SHIPPERS!!!.......2007-06-09

Drop shippers are easily identified - If a seller lists EMS as a shipping meathod - They are a drop shipper - And you never know what you're going to receive or if you'll receive it at all - Because your order can get locked up in CUSTOMS for several weeks - And worse you may not be able to get a refund for the item. Always ask your seller if their product is being shipped with EMS. If so, don't buy - it's better to pay a little more and receive your product, rather than take a chance on not getting it at all.

Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete First Season

Average customer rating:

Fantastic series, pretty good first season
An average start to what would become a great series
20 years already?!
New Crew, New Light
"Lets See What's Out There"

Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete First Season
Starring: Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Denise Crosby , and Michael Dorn
Director: Corey Allen
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Space Adventure | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Accessories:

Star Trek: Bridge Commander

ASIN: B00005Y1NF
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

Warping into syndication in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation successfully launched its seven-season "continuing mission" of the starship Enterprise, and this classy DVD boxed set gathers the show's inaugural season in crisp picture clarity and dazzling 5.1-channel sound. A ratings leader with a sharp ensemble cast, this revamped Trek honored series creator Gene Roddenberry's original Trek concept, nurtured by returning veterans like producer Robert H. Justman and writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold. Several first-season episodes have original-series counterparts, and while the season was awkwardly inconsistent for all involved (including Roddenberry's heir apparent, producer Rick Berman), in retrospect the series began on remarkably solid footing.

Patrick Stewart was perfect as Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard, while Marina Sirtis struggled with a wretched hair bun and an ill-defined character, eventually blessing Counselor Troi with delicate nuance. Denise Crosby made a strong but underutilized impression as Security Chief Tasha Yar, and left the series before season's end, allowing writers to develop Klingon Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) into a fan favorite. Brent Spiner transcended Spock comparisons with his triumphant portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data; and while Jonathan Frakes was accepted as First Officer Will Riker, fans ultimately rejected Wil Wheaton as ensign Wesley Crusher, the teenaged son of the ship's doctor (Gates McFadden). Still, these 25 episodes laid a firm foundation for subsequent seasons, and highlights include the Raymond Chandleresque "holo- novel" of "The Big Goodbye," Data's backstory in "Datalore," the Klingon rituals of "Heart of Glory," and a Romulan encounter in "The Neutral Zone." The DVD supplements (all on the seventh disc) are good enough to make anyone wish for more: four featurettes recall myriad first-season challenges, filled with insider perspective and enough NextGen trivia to satiate all but the most obsessive Trekkers back on Earth. Looking back, it's easy to see why NextGen lived long and prospered. --Jeff Shannon

Description

25 episodes on 7 discs: 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. Four new exclusive featurettes: "The Beginning" (the genesis of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Gene Roddenberry's vision), "Selected Crew Analysis" (first-season cast members discuss their roles), "Making of a Legend" (first-season production staff reminisce about their favorite episodes), "Memorable Missions" (cast and crew discuss key episodes and events of the first season).

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic series, pretty good first season.......2007-08-09

I first must state that I am a huge Star Trek fan, having discovered the original series in reruns in the mid 1980's. Having spent millions of dollars, er, maybe hundreds of dollars on Star Trek merchandise and memorabilia over the years, I feel confident in being a little critical of some of the lesser efforts, including Season One of Star Trek: The Next Generation (not to mention the worst casting mistake of all time: Kate Mulgrew, which made Voyager unwatchable for me).

When watching this show brand new in 1987, it was spectacular. Just to have any TV version of Star Trek available was great. I remember my accounting professor claiming the new show was 3000 (yes, 3000) times better than the original series. At the time, he was right.

Having recently screened the Season One DVD set again, and with the hindsight of 20 years since its original airing, it is a little hard to believe the show was renewed for a second season. There are many things to criticize about the first season.

For those of you bent on writing one- and two-star reviews comprised of one or two substance-free sentences, I direct you to the review written by Todd Bovair of Wynantskill, NY. His 2-star review is one of the best and most helpful I've read on Amazon. He hits many of the points which make Season One less than a 5-star season.

At the risk of submitting myself to The Wrath of the Trekker, I will add one more point to Mr. Bovair's review that makes Season One less than 5 stars: Gene Roddenberry. Have you noticed how The Great Bird's overbearing viewpoint intrudes on so many story lines? There's no doubt he had an admirable vision, but there is a point where the vision becomes tiresome. From what I've observed, seen, and read, his signature would have been much more boldly written on this season had others not pulled the reins in just a bit now and then.

But I can't speak too harshly. I still think The Next Generation is a fantastic series overall. Taken as a whole, it is easily a 5-star show for me. However, until the creators got their footing in the second season, it is a great effort, but less than the best.

By all means, go buy a copy of this set, especially at the price of just over 50 dollars as of this writing. They were over 100 dollars per season on initial release, so at 50 dollars it's a bargain.

An average start to what would become a great series.......2007-07-27

The episodes in first season of The Next Generation move at a slow and sedate pace--especially compared to 21st century television programming. The show is often stiff and stilted, and many of these early scripts seemed to be trying to recreate the mores of the 1960s. Despite this, there are many enjoyable, if somewhat predictable, stories here. While none of these episodes are instant classics, they do hint at the sheer perfection that would come in later seasons.

20 years already?!.......2007-07-13

It's hard to believe that ST:TNG premiered on television 20 years ago! It's unbelievable how time flies. TNG relaunched and reinvigorated the Trek franchise spawning 3 other new Trek series as well as 4 feature films. ST:TNG is definitely an American legacy.

Of course, I have started my collection with the first season. Some of the better episodes came in subsequent seasons, but I like to watch the series in chronological order. It's very pleasing to watch the characters grow and their relationships with each other become more complex.

Yes, the first season is VERY corny. There are some episodes and/or scenes where I just roll my eyes at the dialogue and situations. But, the cast and crew were just beginning their discoveries of their characters and places in the Trek universe. Once these factors developed, the show improved tremendously.

The extras on the 7th disc are fantastic and a wonderful nostalgia piece. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the pilot episode premiered. It was a big deal amoung my friends and family (my dad was a classic Trek fan before I was even born so I grew up watching reruns with him).

This set, as well as the remianing six seasons, are definitely worth the money. I love revisiting these shows. It's almost like visiting family that you don't get to see too often.

New Crew, New Light.......2007-06-29

Having first watched this show when I was 14, and being a fan of the original series, It was great to go back and watch them all again with older eyes. I have to admit I hated Wesley Crusher, because I saw him as a "know it all", plus his futuristic cosby sweaters and later his rainbow pleated uniform screamed "dork!" Watching it now, I don't hate him at all! In fact, I have an endearing sense of "he is adorable" coming through. I can respect what it took to be an actor that young, coming off of Stand By Me into a mostly adult cast. The crewmember I ended up hating now, as an adult, was Tasha Yar. She is supposed to be chief of security, yet she is impulsive, and overly emotional! The woman cries all the time, I just wanted worf to back hand her off the bridge. I was so relieved when the "tar monster" snuffed her out. The beginning episodes were a bit rough. The planets were similar to Classic star trek, purple green and fake rocks everywhere, but it worked. The story lines were also hard to get into, although anything with "Q" in it I love! Of course I still detest Jeordi's Banana Clip, and Deanna Trois Phallic hair, but I still adore this season nevertheless, every show has to find its footing and by the end of it they did.

"Lets See What's Out There".......2007-05-16

Watching this DVD does bring back happy nostalgiac memories for me;towards the end of September in 1987 my folks allowed me to stay up until 11:00PM (which seemed like eternity then)to watch the premire of Star Trek:The Next Generation.At the time I was fascinated:the huge ship,these new characters,Q-it was such an grand adventure.Seeing "Encounter At Farpoint" 20 years later my opinion has improved;it's such a different story from anything done in TOS.It's almost like a feature film.A lot of people will tend to critisize this season for not quite being as secure characterizations.That is present here to a certain degree:in episodes such as "Code Of Honor" and "The Last Outpost" Captain Picard tends to make a big deal of being French.Another interesting notion about this season is Worf's smugness and strange lack of purpose;until the unfortunate death of Tasha Yar Worf seemed to be an overly aggresive token Klingon.None of that matters to me though because I think the first season of TNG is one of the best and most unique this show ever did.Actually some of the look of this season I prefer the look of this season,especially early on.The lighter colors of the crew quarters lighting and the jumpsuit uniforms (that would extend through the second season),as well as a lot of character exploration.This first season should be re evaluated by fans who once looked at this corney and incomplete at first.TNG is,to me (even at this stage) is the best of the Star Trek spin offs and has aged beautifully to this day!

DVD:

DVD

DVD