directed by various individuals
USA

There are more than 700 “Star Trek” episodes, and there are ten features. Even for dedicated Trekkies, there is a lot of “Star Trek” to watch. When you consider the vast amount of paraphernalia that clutters the “Star Trek” market, the franchise can seem intimidating to casual sci-fi fans.

With this in mind, Paramount is releasing “Fan Collective” themed sets with episodes selected by fans at StarTrek.com. A few years ago, Paramount released a “Picard Collection”, but that set was released without much fanfare. However, 2006 is the franchise’s 40th Anniversary, so the studio is promoting “Fan Collective--Borg”, “Fan Collective--Time Travel”, “Fan Collective--Q”, and “Fan Collective--Klingon” as if they are “new” releases.

In the Star Trek Universe, the Klingons are a dark-skinned warrior race; they are also identified by their pronounced forehead and nose ridges. They wear armor-like clothing as well as prefer to use knives and swords whenever possible during fights. The Klingons have been used to represent the Soviets (see “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), but the emphasis on the warrior code as well as the premium placed on honor makes me feel that the Klingons are an update on ancient Chinese and Japanese cultural models.

In Star Trek chronology, humans/The Federation were at odds with the Klingon Empire for a few centuries before a disaster (i.e. the Chernobyl-like incident in “The Undiscovered Country”) forced the Klingons to make peace with the Federation. This resulted in the “domestication” of the Klingons--they were no longer as fearsomely deadly as before. In fact, they became “cute”, with viewers feeling affection rather than respect or dread for characters that were supposed to be proud warriors. The Klingons regained some of their “TOS” status when they became enemies with the Federation again during the “Deep Space Nine” years, but that enmity was short-lived.

Disc 1: “ENT--Broken Bow”, “TOS--Errand of Mercy”, “TOS--The Trouble With Tribbles”.

Disc 2: “TNG--A Matter of Honor”, “TNG--Sins of the Father”, “TNG--Redemption, Part 1”, “TNG--Redemption, Part 2”.

Disc 3: “DS9--The Way of the Warrior”, “DS9--The Sword of Kahless”.

Disc 4: “DS9--Trials and Tribble-ations”, “VOY--Barge of the Dead”.

I know that these compilations were assembled based on fans’ choices at StarTrek.com, but did Paramount and CBS really have to follow the fans’ wishes so literally? “Borg” and “Time Travel” both have “VOY--Endgame”. “Borg” and “Q” both have “TNG--Q Who?”. “Time Travel” and “Q” both have “TNG--...All Good Things”. “Time Travel” and “Klingon” both have “DS9--Trials and Tribble-ations”. This is a terrible situation for people who don’t want to buy big box sets but want to have some “Star Trek” DVDs in their collections. Repeated episodes are a waste of time and space.

Also, there seems to be a dwindling number of episodes per set as they are released. This collection has only thirteen episodes. “Borg” has sixteen, and “Time Travel” and “Q” have fourteen each. Thirteen episodes can fit on three DVDs, but Paramount and CBS spread them out on four DVDs so that they can charge you the same price for less entertainment.

As Worf, Michael Dorn has logged the most performance hours out of all the “Star Trek” actors. He appeared in seven years of “The Next Generation”, four years of “Deep Space Nine”, and five big-screen adventures. (He played his own ancestor in the aforementioned “Star Trek VI”.) As Leonard Nimoy defined Vulcan mannerisms for later Vulcan portrayals, Michael Dorn defined what it means to be Klingon. Therefore, it makes sense that he gets the most representation in this box set.

Disc 2 features one of the best “Star Trek” story arcs ever. Worf is disgraced and accepts discommendation in “TNG--Sins of the Father” in order to preserve peace in the Klingon Empire. However, he regains his honor in “TNG--Redemption, Part 1” and “TNG--Redemption, Part 2” when the false nature of the accusations against his father are publicized. Disc 3’s “DS9--The Way of the Warrior” is the exciting introduction of Worf to another cast, and it features the first “real”, bruising battle between humans and Klingons in a long, long time.

Unfortunately, we get the rather boring “DS9--The Sword of Kahless” instead of any of the episodes dealing with Worf and Jadzia Dax’s courtship. The unconventional romance between a Klingon and a Trill gave the show a lot of heat and also provided viewers with interesting glimpses into Klingon culture.

Also unfortunately, the set only has one episode from “Voyager” even though Roxann Dawson played B’Elanna Torres for seven years on the show. B’Elanna often found herself at odds with her mixed Klingon-human heritage, and the “Voyager” writers got a lot of good mileage out of this internal conflict. It’s aggravating to see that this compilation does not have the episode in which aliens split B’Elanna into pure, separate Klingon and human entities, the episode in which Voyager comes across a Klingon ship that has traveled to the Delta Quadrant on a quest, or the episode in which B’Elanna tries to remove the Klingon genes in her unborn child.

“Star Trek: Fan Collective--Klingon” is targeted at casual viewers who are interested in the exploits of the franchise’s over-the-top warriors. Obsessive fans will pick up this set regardless of what I say, but aside from the text commentaries, you’re not getting anything that you don’t already have. Is this an unfair double dip? No. It serves its purpose, but if you have all of “Enterprise”, “The Original Series”, “The Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”, and “Voyager” already, then you don’t need this in your collection.

Yunda Eddie Feng

DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Paramount (4-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Yunda Eddie Feng for the Review!

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