Professor Xavier mentally receives a cry for help from the stars and a vision that something terrible will happen on the Eagle One Space Station to both the crew and Dr. Corbeau. He asks his X-Men to secretly board the space shuttle Star Core in order to prevent a disaster. Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Beast, and Jean Grey all manage to get aboard with the help of Storm and Jubilee, who remain on Earth. At the Eagle One, Jean senses it is a trap, but too late, as Erik the Red, a Shi'ar emissary, knocks them out using gas. Erik reveals that the Shi'ar Emperor, D'Ken, has ordered him to capture his sister, Lilandra, and that using a wormhole, her path will cross in front of the space station. Lilandra has the M'Kraan crystal, a source of the greatest power in the universe, and is fleeing with it to keep it safe from D'Ken. The X-Men come to their senses, and manage to stop Erik. But because of the battle, the Eagle One is about to explode. The X-Men retreat back to their shuttle, which was damaged, and learn that their path home takes them through the energy trail of Lilandra's ship. Beast suggests that they will be safe from the radiation in the solar probe on board, but one of them must stay behind the try and pilot the ship. Jean volunteers, as her psychic shielding should protect her from most of the radiation. It proves too much for her, however, and the mysterious Phoenix Force overtakes her as she passes through the energy trail. The ship crash lands back on Earth, where Professor Xavier tells them of another vision of the crystal and Lilandra. The X-Men must then find Lilandra and the crystal first, prevent them both from being captured by D'Ken, unravel the mystery behind Jean and the Phoenix, and ultimately, save the galaxy.

X-Men: The Animated Series was one of my favorite cartoons as a younger teen, as I read comics and was familiar with all the characters. While I only vaguely remember seeing the Phoenix Saga originally on TV, this DVD collection gave me a chance to refresh my memory. The Phoenix Saga is quite the animated epic as it is interesting and portrays the X-Men in one of their most helpless and confused times. The series could've condensed everything a bit more though. Tons of guest stars from the Marvel universe make cameo appearances as well, which was neat. After seeing this, I can only hope that more episodes make their way to DVD. And as a side note, I'm not sure why Universal picked out the cover they did for this collection, as neither Magneto nor the Sentinels make any appearance in the episodes.

Picture:
X-Men: The Phoenix Saga is presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as it appeared on TV. The animation is quite good for a mid-nineties American cartoon with vibrant colors and solid blacks. The picture does have a few marks, but it looks terrific compared to what I remember seeing on TV.

Sound:
X-Men: The Phoenix Saga is presented in Dolby 2.0 Surround in English and Dolby 2.0 Mono in French. The dialogue is crisp and clear throughout the five episodes with active surrounds as well. Optional English Captions are also available.

Extras:
The aforementioned English Captions and separately selectable episodes are the only extras included.

Summary:
X-Men: The Phoenix Saga comes recommended for fans of the X-Men comics and especially for fans of the animated series, though the price tag is a bit steep for what you actually get.