'Star Trek Generations', the seventh theatrical feature in Paramount's 30+ year old franchise, has been released on laser disc. Ostensibly developed as a "bridge" between the original Enterprise crew and the Next Generation crew, 'Star Trek Generations', in fact, features only three original cast members, William Shatner (Kirk), James Doohan (Scotty) and Walter Koenig (Chekov), the latter two barely more than cameos. What I consider this film's weakest component, it's story, might well have fared better in the hands of, say, a Harve Bennett or a Nicholas Meyer. As it is, Producer Rick Berman's attempt to include two generations of Enterprise crews in one story is convoluted (even for Star Trek) and uneven.
Though certainly not one of the better Star Trek films, 'Star Trek Generations' is not wholely unsatisfying. The production values are generally quite high and Industrial Light & Magic's many special effects are appropriately well produced. Also, the cast members of "The Next Generation" (a group I have always considered worthy successors to the original crew), particularly Brent Spiner as Mr. Data, bring a freshness and vitality to the screen. I suppose 'Star Trek Generations' will likely appeal more to the fans of 'The Next Generation' than to fans of the original 'Star Trek', though I have seen a number of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' episodes with better stories.
Whatever shortcomings this film may have, I certainly can find no fault with the splendid video transfer on this new laser disc release. Transferred under the THX quality assurance program, this disc is but the latest in a recent string of "super discs". Colors appear very accurate and perfectly saturated. Contrast and brighness are excellent. I was immediately struck by the absolute clarity and smoothness of the image as well as the superior sharpness and detail. The almost complete absence of the most common video artifacts give this disc a look very close to, if not in some ways exceeding, that that I saw in the theater. The framing on this letterboxed transfer trims the Panavision frame only slightly, at about 2.25:1. Paramount does offer a full screen transfer as well, but be warned. Unlike the previous Star Trek outing, 'The Undiscovered Country', 'Star Trek Generations' was shot in anamorphic Panavision, not Super 35. Any full screen transfer will lose considerable image in all scenes, not just those containing special effects.
The soundtrack is exactly what one might expect from a big budget space opera like 'Star Trek Generations'. Wide dynamics and range with deep bass and clear, sparkling highs all presented here with digital precision. The Dolby Stereo mix contains a number of excellent directional effects and makes good use of the surround channel. Dialog is very clear and perfectly balanced. This disc does include Dolby's AC-3 discrete digital sound encodiing, but like most of the rest of the world, I will have to wonder [at the time of writing -SMR] how it sounds. Those of you with 'analog only' disc players should also note that playback on one of these machines will be in mono as AC-3 uses one of the analog channels.
Paramount lists the runnning time as 117 minutes. There had beeen some talk early on that the video release of 'Star Trek Generations' might include some deleted scenes. Unfortunately, that appears to not be the case. The film has been spread to 3 sides, with side 2 containing the crash landing of the saucer section of the Enterprise "D" in CAV. The side break from 1 to 2 is well placed but the platter break is somewhat awkward. The disc has been chapter encoded (barely) with a total of 16 markers. No supplements are included. The two discs are packaged in a standard single sleeve jacket. Perhaps some day Paramount can be persuaded to try a gate-fold jacket for a change. List price is $44.95.
I doubt those with only casual interest in this series will be interested in 'Star Trek Generations'. But if you are a true Trekker or a completist collector, you are in for a technical treat.
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