Star Trek: The Original Series - Season Two [7 Discs] [Blu-ray]

This review is for TOS Trek season 2 DVD set, (blue case). I reviewed the 1st season TOS Star Trek 10 disc set (gold case) and will review the 3rd season (red case) after I've watched all the discs. I ordered all 3 seasons and the DVDs came safely. Seasons 1 & 2 played just fine. A tab that holds one of the discs in place broke, but otherwise good. This set is DVD not BluRay, so be sure of that before buying if you wanted a BluRay set. I was afraid the remastered set would change things, and I guess it did. It improved the quality of the images, but the episodes are as I remembered. I watched this show when I was a kid in the 1960's on a black & white TV and there's no comparison to the beautiful quality of the show on DVD... colors, special effects, close ups and the view of the Enterprise against the background of a planet. Brilliant images, the ship looks super. Certainly didn't look like this on the old b&w, not even this good on a color tube TV by antenna broadcast. I watched these DVDs on a 19" flatscreen TV and the episodes play in full screen mode, without black letterbox lines at top or sides. My DVD player is an LG DP132H. The quality of the images is super. The sound on special effects sometimes goes way up compared to the voices, but it could be how my player processes sound. The discs come stored in a plastic case, the case slides out of a cardboard sleeve, and that case slides into the cardboard sleeve seen in the listing. The inner sleeve of season 1 has an image of a communicator. Season 2's inner sleeve has an image of a tricorder. Season 3's inner sleeve has a picture of a pistol grip phaser. Each of the season sets has a listing of the episodes that are on each disc, plus the bonus features. One of the season 2 discs only has The Trouble With Tribbles but has some bonus Tribble features. I've only watched the shows so far and not the bonus features but there are lots of them. People who like bonus footage, interviews, and behind the scenes documentary material should enjoy the extras. I was picking up TOS Trek on local antenna 6 nights a week (7 nights if the other carrier is counted) but for some reason propagation has cut out. With this set I can still see it when I want. This is still my favorite TV series. I used to have Enterprise models hanging from the ceiling when I was a kid. Now I'm beginning to collect TOS Trek models again. So far only the small ones, but there are some over 30" long that light up...

I love Star Trek. It's one of those shows I will watch again and again and again. It's why I wanted it for my collection. What makes the Blu-Ray version great is you have too ways to watch it. The original version... on prints cleaner than they have ever been. (Since old school TV images were never that great and the original DVD releases were pan and scan of older prints.) Or the early 2000s remastered. Now most of the time, I prefer the originals but for the most part the new version generally aren't as obtrusive as they were in Star Wars. In fact a lot of the 'new effects' that they put it wasn't adding new effects as much as it was done to remove things that weren't visible when the show made the leap to high definition.

The original Star Trek looking and sounding better than I imagined it ever could. I'm often amazed at the intensity of color and the clarity of sound. I won't go into detail about the content of the show. It's original Star Trek! We all know it. Thoughtful sci-fi for adults with a brilliant premise, incredible characters, mind bending plots. (Most of the time.) I'll instead focus on the bluray's quality and features: Video: The image is of course not as clear as recently filmed blurays. But it is still great looking since the series was filmed on 35mm film. There is often deliberate "softness" to the image, due to the style of cinematography at the time to make everything look ethereal and glamorous. But the vast majority of the footage looks brilliant. Also the show was originally lit with a kaleidoscope of color and it is displayed magnificently here. Audio: The sound is noticeably better than I've ever heard on original Star Trek. You can catch every word without the static hissing we often hear on older shows. Special Effects: The bluray gives you the option of watching each episode with either the original effects, or the updated digital effects, as well as various audio settings. The current DVD editions only provide the new effects. The new effects are not terribly intrusive, but they are not at all consistent either: some shots look great and some look like a demo for a video game. Special Features: There are a few nice special features, but for the most part they're lacking for a show this iconic. Most of the features from the original DVD sets have been carried over, except I believe for the text commentaries. Instead we have "Starfleet Access", pop-up picture-in-picture commentaries from the writers and producers, as well as the Okudas, technical advisers to the sequel shows and all around Star Trek historians who wrote the original text commentaries on the DVDs. There is also a pop-up trivia track but for the most part it's quite annoyingly condescending as it's an "in-universe" explanation of some of the show's details. But this is only available on 3 or 4 episodes. There are also a few interviews with the stars and writers recorded in 2004 for the original DVDs. Another new feature is 8mm "behind the scenes" footage captured during the series' filming. One entire disc is devoted just to "The Trouble With Tribbles" and includes an episode of the animated series and a Deep Space Nine episode also dealing with tribbles, as well as a detailed retrospective on the making of that clever DS9 episode. At the time I bought this Best Buy was offering it for just $29.99, which is less than the DVD version, and less than anywhere else.

I'm so happy to have this to enjoy! Speedy delivery and superb quality product. Thanks!

The remasters have amazing clarity. The special features at the end of each disk are excellent.....⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was an upgrade for me from the dvd version to blu ray. When I purchased it in Sept 2015, this season was only $25. For Star Trek, this is unusually cheap. I imagine that means that a new version will be released for the 50th anniversary of Trek in 2016, and the stores are clearing out the old stuff. This has both the original version and the remastered special effects version. A great value for $25 if you can still get it.

As with season 1, I was very hesitant to buy DVD's that were re-mastered, edited &/or tweaked. However I'm very pleased to say that most of the "improvements" aren't noticeable and don't detract from the viewing pleasure. Very good job. These would make a fine and economical addition to any collection for anyone still watching on VHS.

By its second season, the Original Series of Star Trek was going quite well, presenting a number of great stories. This set shows the beautiful effects remastering in full HD resolution, as well as the original episodes for archive or comparison. Bonus features from the DVDs are carried over as well. A great addition to the collection.