Those of you who live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area were probably at home for the couple of ‘snow days’ we just had. At least we were home, there was no way were we were going to get on the roads. So what did we do you might ask? Well, okay you didn’t ask, but I’m going to tell you anyway. We had ourselves a good old-fashioned Star Trek movie marathon. We started out with the recent DVD release of the Director’s Cut of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”, which if you haven’t seen, you should. Generally considered to be the worst of the series, this new edit is superior to its original theatrical and home video release. Streamlined to meet the vision originally intended by director Robert Wise, this first movie is a welcome improvement. The extras available on this 2-disc set alone make it worth having. Over the past few months, Paramount has released “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” on special edition DVDs as well (though unfortunately we didn’t have those yet, so we settled for watching the earlier VHS releases). From what I’ve heard, these sets are also awesome and are on my current ‘must-get’ list.

This month, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” gets the star treatment on DVD, and thankfully as we had a copy available, added that to our Trek marathon. This has long been one of my favorites of the series, if for nothing else but the humor-laced story. The previous films were action-packed and I love each one for various reasons. The first, because I remember the day I saw it in the theater with my Dad and how excited I was during those first shots of the Enterprise. The second, for its connection to the original series and terrific storyline, but mostly the emotional impact of those final moments (years later, I still cry every time). The third, for its promise of the return of a friend, the loss of the Enterprise and getting to see Christopher Lloyd and John Larroquette as Klingons.

But after all that emotional turmoil, I was ready for a few laughs, and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” has that in spades. The displacement of these classic characters into 20th Century Earth offered the cast a wonderful opportunity to play a little against type, and stretch their comedic muscles. The use of ‘colorful metaphors’ gets me laughing every time.

This new 2-disc set, not to be outdone by its predecessors in the series, offers an unbelievable amount of extras. Over five hours worth of extras to keep any Trek fan busy. Now admittedly I didn’t watch them all on ‘marathon’ day as we were trying to get through as many of the movies as we could… BUT the next day I set a little time aside to go through them.

Holy Mackerel!! I think I should have set aside a couple of days to watch the extras. The advertising says there’s about 5 hours worth of bonus materials on this set, and I think they’re right on the money. I’m still not all the way through them. So far, of the ones I’ve watched there’s nothing frivolous anywhere. Every featurette meticulously touches on whatever it happens to be about. The commentary by Nimoy and Shatner is the best. Anytime you get these two guys in a room to reminisce it’s a real treat. If you saw the DVD release of “Mind Meld” last year, you’ll know what I mean.

If you’re a big fan of the Trek Universe, I don’t have to tell you to pick up a copy of this “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Chances are you’re already set to be at the store that night to buy the first copy as the doors open. However, if you’re a casual fan of the series, I’m telling you to grab a copy. Following up the 2nd and 3rd movies’ VHS quality with this DVD, we immediately saw the difference. Both the video and audio are superb, and will greatly enhance the next Trek marathon YOU have.

Directed by: Leonard Nimoy
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takai, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and Catherine Hicks
Extras: Disc 1: Commentary by Shatner and Nimoy, Text Commentary by Michael & Denise Okuda.
Disc 2: The Star Trek Universe Featurettes: Time Travel- The Art of the Impossible, The Language of Whales, A Vulcan Primer, and Kirk’s Women. Production Featurettes: Future’s Past – A Look Back, On Location, Dailies Deconstruction, and Below the Line – Sound Design. Visual Effects Featurettes: From Outer Space to the Ocean and The Bird of Prey. Tributes: Roddenberry Scrapbook and Featured Artist- Mark Lenard. Archives: Storyboards and Production Gallery. Original Interviews: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Deforest Kelley. Theatrical Trailer.
Specifications: Widescreen Version Enhanced for 16x9 TVs. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround and French Stereo. English Subtitles, Motion Menus
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 3/4/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home an A.