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The main problems with the movie is that there are far too many plot holes and unanswered questions in John Logan's script, in addition to the fact that Star Trek: Nemesis seems to be trying hard – too hard, in fact – to copy Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. While I won't list them all, I will present this question to those watching the movie: How did the Romulan Empire know Picard would become a major figure in the Federation when they took his DNA sample? According to the movie, we know Shinzon has been on Remus for a minimum of 20 years – probably closer to 25 (his accelerated aging doesn't begin until after he meets up with Picard, or shortly before). Picard's assignment as Captain of the Enterprise happened only 15 years prior to the events of this film. Seems like an awfully good guess by the Romulans, doesn't it? There may have been a logical answer for this in the original script, but there's no explanation in Stuart Baird's film.

The most frustrating thing about Star Trek: Nemesis is that it turns out to be a less-than-satisfying swan song for probably the most interesting and enjoyable of all the various incarnations of Star Trek that fans have seen. The great thing about Star Trek VI was that it gave the original crew a proper send-off. Fans will get no such feeling at the conclusion of Star Trek: Nemesis. Ultimately, the film is a real missed opportunity at closure for this cast of actors.

THE DVD

Before we dive into the features and extras, a little about the DVD itself. Despite plenty of deleted footage (about 30 minutes worth appears on Disc Two, which I'll discuss later in this review), this is still the original theatrical cut of the movie, and no changes have been made.

The DVD packaging differs slightly from previous editions. The outside of the case appears the same, and is the same thickness as the other Collector's Edition volumes, but instead of having two separate openings inside for the two DVDs, there is only one opening on this set and the DVDs are held one on top of the other, in the same configuration DVD viewers have seen on sets like The Pink Panther and others. The spindles that hold each disc seem to be a little deeper than similar sets that use this configuration, so there appears to be a tad more space that makes sure the two DVDs never touch, but as a DVD buyer, I've never been a big fan of this configuration.

Video:
The film is presented widescreen anamorphic at the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and is the exact same transfer of the picture that was on the first release. While slight hints of grain and a speck of dirt here and there are evident in the print, this is overall a pretty good transfer and one of the best looking of the Star Trek DVDs.

Audio:
The big addition here over the initial release is the inclusion of a DTS track, that sounds simply fantastic. The track is highly active and really amps up scenes such as the escape from the planet where Picard, Data and Worf discover B-4; and the big battle between the Enterprise and the Scimitar at the end of the movie. Like the first release, this DVD also contains a 5.1 English track; a 2.0 English track; and a 2.0 French track. English and Spanish subtitles are also available.

Extras:
As has been the case with most of these Collector's Editions, Paramount has pulled out all the stops in the extras department, and I'm happy to report that in addition to the new features on these DVDs, all of the bonus features that were on the first release have been brought over to this release (so other than that spiffy color insert – not included on this release - you won't need to hang on to your old Nemesis disc if you decide to upgrade).

Disc One includes the return of an Audio Commentary by Director Stuart Baird, a man so out of touch with the Star Trek world that he thinks the first scene of the movie is set on Remus (it's Romulus). This is a rather dry commentary, with lots of gaps where no talking is going on at all. Just to clarify, this is indeed the same commentary that was on the first release.

New to this release is an Audio Commentary by Producer Rick Berman, the man many fans consider responsible for "ruining" Star Trek and a track I was really looking forward to listening to – since I expected Berman to defend the movie throughout and perhaps offer excuses for why it didn't perform well. Berman actually avoids such discussion, although it is obvious listening to him that he still believes the movie is quite good. Like Baird's commentary, there are gaps here where Berman just stops commenting for minutes at a time – however, he does provide a lot more interesting tidbits about the movie than Baird does on his track (One I found interesting: Jonathan Frakes was actually Berman's first choice to direct Nemesis, but was already directing another movie and could only commit to the film as an actor. One wonders how much better Nemesis might have been had Frakes had the opportunity to helm it.).

Finally on Disc One, there is a Text Commentary by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda which can be watched along with the movie, or even along with one of the commentaries should you so choose. I've always enjoyed these text tracks because Michael and Denise don't shy away from pointing out the errors and inconsistencies in the movies – and there's a good number in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Disc Two is jam-packed with featurettes and goodies and is the main reason Star Trek fans will want to seriously consider an upgrade to this release. Disc Two is divided into the following sections: Production; The Star Trek Universe; The Romulan Empire; Deleted Scenes; Archives and Trailers.

PRODUCTION

Returning from the first DVD are New Frontiers: Stuart Baird On Directing Nemesis (9 minutes), and Red Alert: Shooting The Action of Nemesis (10 minutes).