This two-disc collection includes seven random episodes featuring
Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Jean-Luc Picard
played by Patrick Stewart. Even though the package doesn't tout
this as the best collection of episodes featuring Picard, Amazon
and other online retailers use that description. The next few
paragraphs will briefly discuss each episode.
CRITIQUE
Because the website TV Tome is so incredible, not to mention its index
includes about every TV show there is, I'm going to use their
descriptions of the programs included on this DVD set. (Visit
TV Tome - it'll
come in handy.)
The Big Goodbye -
Picard, Dr. Crusher and Data are placed in great danger when the
holodeck malfunctions while they are running a Dixon Hill program,
which pits them against 1940's mobsters. (Season 1)
Sarek - Spock's
Vulcan father, Sarek, boards the Enterprise to negotiate political
relations with the Legaran. However, Sarek has contract Bendii
syndrome, which causes a Vulcan to gradually lose control, and become
overpowered with emotions. (Season 3)
Family - Picard
meets with his older brother in France, and contemplates resigning his
Starfleet commission after his ordeal with the Borg. Worf's adoptive
parents spend time with their son on the Enterprise, and succeed in
embarrassing him in front of his crewmates. (Season 4)
The Drumhead -
Picard is accused of treason when an explosion aboard the Enterprise
is investigated by a ruthless and paranoid Starfleet Admiral. (Season
4)
Darmok - Picard
must find a way to communicate (and survive) with the newly discovered
Tamarians, who speak entirely in metaphors, when a Tamarian Captain is
brutally killed. (Season 5)
The Inner Light -
Picard is struck by a beam of energy from an alien probe, which
renders him unconscious and places him in the life of an Iron worker
on the planet Kataan, with no memory of who he used to be, or how he
arrived there. (Season 5)
Tapestry - A
mortally wounded Picard is forced into re-living a time of his life
with the intervention of Q. (Season 6)
The majority of these
programs provide good entertainment., although I think there are
better ones to be found featuring Picard. "The Best of Both Worlds"
two-parter comes to mind, perhaps The Next Generation's best
program ever, but then again it doesn't focus on Picard exclusively.
"The Big Goodbye" is
well-written, and introduces the holodeck and its capabilities quite
nicely. I didn't think "Sarek" was all that interesting, but parts of
it are pretty decent. In "Family" and "The Inner Light," the Picard
character gets to shine quite a bit, and Stewart makes the programs
even better with his great acting. "The Drumhead" provides some
intensity but doesn't have too much to offer. Slightly better is
"Darmok," which pits Picard against an alien. Probably my favorite of
all seven programs included in this collection is "Tapestry," because
the story and execution is handled very well. I still would've liked
to have seen at least one Borg episode, but maybe one will be reserved
for the next Picard collection (if there ever is going to be one, that
is).
From Here to Infinity: The Ultimate Voyage (42:16) is featured on
the second disc,
a documentary of space
exploration hosted by Patrick Stewart. The program delves into a
variety of subjects, but covers them more briefly than detailed. It's
a nice documentary nevertheless, one I haven't seen or heard of
before, so it was nice of the studio to include it with this
collection.
THE VIDEO
Paramount presents the episodes in 1.33:1 fullscreen format. The
quality here is basically the same as that on the show's season DVD
sets. Colors look nice, and most are well saturated. Some images
appear a bit soft, and grain persists in a variety of scenes. Image
quality is good, though, without noticeable scratches or dirt.
Overall, good picture quality.
THE AUDIO
Paramount presents the episodes in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround.
Surround usage doesn’t occur often, but that’s okay with me, because
when the rear speakers come alive the sound is just fine. The front
speakers do a really good job of emitting sound. Dialog scenes are
clear and easy to understand. The 5.1 track handles the sound effects
well. Overall, a perfectly fine presentation for a TV show.
THE EXTRAS
Considering From Here to Infinity: The Ultimate Voyage is
included on the discs as a program and not an extra, the special
features department feels empty, too empty to be honest. With this
collection, commentary on select episodes by Patrick Stewart and
writers/producers could've been excellent, especially for the episodes
The Big Goodbye and Tapestry. It's too bad this didn't
happen; could've been really good, I think.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The
seven programs included in this collection are good overall, providing
entertainment that's above average. The idea of having this collection
is an interesting idea, especially for fans who like Picard. The
individual viewer may be slightly disappointed, however, as everyone
has their own favorite Picard episodes, or not. It depends, although
for my money, not all of the programs here are of the same quality,
yet they certainly give the viewer a great picture of the Captain. The
DVD comes recommended.
