Ah, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Actually, we have been here before, kind of, so I suppose it's not that bold of a trip. Star Trek: The Original Series was released for Standard Definition DVD back in 2004. Like the Star Trek DVDs that came before and after it fans did one of two things with the series: they either gobbled it up or they complained about Paramount's ridiculous price and shoddy packaging.

As far as the show itself is concerned, you may or may not be aware, but the classic original Star Trek underwent a facelift some time ago. In 2006 Paramount dusted off the original negatives of the series and gave Michael Okuda the ultimate goal of revitalizing the show for the digital age; a daunting task by anyone's standards as you can imagine. I mean, you'd need to have nerves of steel to tamper with an icon such as Star Trek which is adored by millions across the globe.

When I first heard about the project I must admit that I was skeptical about the whole thing. I mean, why mess with a classic? After seeing the continuous tampering by George Lucas with the Star Wars trilogy, I had envisioned a bizarre presentation where Kirk shot first or Zachary Quinto's face was digitally grafted over Leonard Nimoy's. Thankfully the end result of Okuda's project was much subtler, easy on the eyes, and not very Lucas-esque at all. In other words as long as you approach the series with an open mind for special effects and aren't bothered by the fact that the Enterprise is now CGI then you'll be pleased enough by the effort.

If the idea of this project turns your world upside down and makes the green blood in your veins boil then don't worry; the original is still out there. What the Remastered Edition brings to the table is a slew of slick looking shots of the Enterprise whether it's orbiting a planet or facing off against an alien force. Not only that but the picture quality has been kicked up a notch and random special effects such as phaser fire looks much crisper now than it did forty years ago. The plots, stories, and dialogue remain unaltered though so in between these nifty new effects you still technically have the same classic Trek.

As far as the DVD versions of the new edition are concerned, the first season was released on HDDVD about a year ago as a combo format set. In an effort to get the rest of the show available before the holidays the second season was released three months ago with the third right behind it. Once again this set is available only in the Standard Definition format, so if you were hoping to finally get Kirk on Blu-ray you're going to be waiting a while longer.

Like the other two season that came before it, the third season of Star Trek is regarded as a classic in the world of science fiction, though maybe not quite so much as the earlier years. There's no denying that some of these episodes are very entertaining, but with the third season it seemed as though the production team was trying different things. The quality of the 24 (25 if you count "The Cage") episodes in this season is all over the map and by comparison it's simply not as good as what came before it. Held to that standard the third season has an impossible hill to climb, but it does eek out enough value for Trekkies to sink their Klingon dentures into.

Though this season is wrought with ups and downs, there are some outstanding episodes peppered here and there. The first episode that raises the bar is "The Enterprise Incident", which features some tensions between the Federation and the Romulans over their latest cloaking technology. In the episode Kirk gets things started by acting erratically as he orders the ship into the neutral zone seemingly for no reason. Soon enough some Romulans come along to take Kirk and Spock prisoner, but events such as they are Spock "kills" Kirk by rendering him in a deathlike state so he can get back to the Enterprise. Once there we discover that Kirk is actually under orders to acquire the cloaking device and from then the episode follows the Captain as he becomes a Romulan and conducts some espionage. It's a fun episode that is well executed and it stands as one of the shining examples of this season at its best.

A few episodes after "The Enterprise Incident" is an interesting one entitled, "Day of the Dove". This was another solid episode that saw Kirk's crew pitted against the Klingons and a mysterious alien entity hell-bent on causing friction between the two. Naturally the Klingons need very little prodding to get their blood boiling, but slowly throughout the episode little outbursts and ramblings from the crew of the Enterprise begin to escalate. Things take a turn for the worse as the Klingons are forced aboard the Federation ship and the alien gives everybody weapons whilst making them paranoid to boot.

"The Tholian Web" is arguably one of the most iconic episodes from this year's crop. This one sees the Enterprise going to help out another Federation ship (the Defiant) which has become trapped in some strange sort of anomaly. Once they find the ship and get aboard, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Chekov discover that the crew killed each other, or themselves. Needless to say that's unsettling, but to make matters worse the Defiant is phasing in and out of space. In a mad dash back to the Enterprise Kirk becomes trapped aboard, leaving his crew to presume his death. On top of that, the Tholians come along stating how the Enterprise is violating its space and they unleash an energy web of sorts that will destroy the ship. With Spock in command and Kirk lost things look bad for the Enterprise.

Those three examples are without a doubt the better episodes from this season and can be held with the highest regard when looking at the Original Series. Several other episodes this season are very good as well, but none of them quite reach the level of quality offered in those. Other good episodes here include "Wink of an Eye", "All Our Yesterdays", "Spectre of the Gun", and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?". The season is also home to some important moments in Trek canon and television history such as Kirk and Uhura's kiss in "Plato's Stepchildren". With all of that being said, there's no denying that the third season also contains some of the worst episodes of Roddenberry's franchise. "Spock's Brain" is probably the most hideous offender of the bunch, but "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Way to Eden" are a close second a third.

All in all, this third season of Star Trek is definitely not the franchise's collection of finest moments. There may be a few classic episodes here but by and large, compared to the rest of Kirk's adventures, this season is simply all over the map. Despite that fact, the season was entertaining as a whole. The real question for Trekkies is whether or not the Remastered Edition is better than the original DVD release. I stand by my earlier statement by saying that if you approach the Remastered Edition with an open mind you'll walk away pleased with the upgraded visuals and snazzy special effects. In most cases the efforts are subtle enough, but even in the most extreme examples the effect was handled deftly by Okuda and company.

Keeping with tradition Paramount has released the third season of Star Trek in a stylish package. The hard outer plastic case is nicely designed and the red keeps in line with the other colorful sets. If you have been collecting their releases to date then you are most likely aware of their jaded history regarding quality assurance. Most of these sets are easily damaged during shipping and over time they break even from light shelf use. I'm pleased to say that my third season arrived in perfect shape, unlike the second one, but just because I beat the odds doesn't mean that you shouldn't be careful while selecting your package.

While the first season of Star Trek: The Remastered Edition was released with high definition in mind, the following seasons were not. For what it's worth the picture quality here is exemplary but without the support of a full 1080p it's hard to deny that the picture just isn't quite as sharp as it could be. With that being said, this release still looks better than the original DVD set from 2004.

The nice thing about this Remastered Edition is that the special effects aren't the only thing that has been altered; the overall picture quality has been improved as well. Okuda and company went through and overhauled the series from top to bottom. The end result is a show that looks significantly more vibrant than its age should allow and in all honesty the vision of the original series has never been better. It's quite evident that a great deal of effort went into producing this edition and that alone definitely makes it worth upgrading over the 2004 DVD set.

When judging the Remastered Edition of Star Trek it's important to remember where this show's roots are. The image quality here isn't sparkling and it's not without flaw. There is a fair bit of grain, some digital artifacts can be spotted at times, and some dirt is scattered throughout. With that being said the picture is simply much more solid all around with warmer colors, deeper shadows, richer textures, and sharper details. If you're coming from the 2004 release you'll be astounded, but if you're picking this Standard Definition DVD up after experiencing the series in HD 1080p you'll probably be slightly disappointed.

Star Trek: The Original Series Remastered Edition is presented on DVD with English Dolby Digital 5.1 as its main track (Spanish and French mono offerings are available as well). The sound quality is very good all around and in many cases it's a noticeable step up from the 2004 release. The audio is much crisper and cleaner than before and the rear channels have much more use this time around. The difference in sound between the original DVD release and this one isn't quite as dynamic as the video quality is but it's definitely better all around. From the sound of a phaser's fire to the chirp of Kirk opening his communicator the audio is simply sharper here.

Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included as well.

Much like the 2004 DVD release, this Remastered Edition features some nice bonus content to sink your teeth into.

The seventh disc here includes the original pilot episode, "The Cage", which featured Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) being held captive by aliens. This was later reassembled as "The Menagerie" in order to bring Shatner into the picture as Kirk. Two versions of the episode are presented here with one being a remastered version with upgraded special effects and the other being a spliced together black and white footage with the reused components. It's a nice inclusion that I'm pleased was ported over and remastered from the 2004 DVD because it's a worthwhile piece of Trek history.

The third installment of "Bill Blackburn's Treasure Chest" (10:52) is packed onto the seventh disc as well. Once again Blackburn chimes in with some fond memories of his time working on the show and there's plenty of rare footage to sate even the hungriest Trekkie's appetite. "To Boldly Go... Season Three" (22:36) brings some of the cast and crew back to talk about the season as a whole. This feature was included on the 2004 DVD, so if you already have the previous set in your collection chances are very good you have watched this before.

Keeping in line with the rehash of 2004's bonus material, "A Star Trek Collector's Dream Come True" (7:06) takes a look at one fan's impressive collection of Trek valuables. "Life Beyond Trek: Walter Koenig" (10:58) features the actor talking about his life, both Trek and non-Trek. "Chief Engineer's Log" (6:11) is a somber feature which has the late James Doohan talking about the show some memories from it. "Memoirs from Mr. Sulu" (8:42) features George Takei discussing the show, politics, and some of what he's been up to. "Star Trek's Impact" (9:04) offers up Eugene Roddenberry to talk about how Star Trek influenced his life. "Collectible Trek" was actually a feature that was included on the Best Buy bonus disc, but has been tossed into this set for good measure. The feature includes more commentary on the fans and collectibles.

While most of the material we discussed here has already been released on the previous release of the season, there is still one new feature available here. "Captain's Log: Bob Justman" (9:34) features the late Justman discussing his time with the Trek crew. It's a touching discussion as members of the cast and production team chime in about Justman and what it was like working with him.

Star Trek: The Original Series Remastered Edition is a fun way to experience Kirk's Enterprise and it shouldn't be missed by anyone who holds Trek close to their heart. At first I was put off by the knowledge of new special features being added to the series but the end result is so much more than that. The show had a facelift and the overall presentation has been kicked up a notch to help shake off the forty year old dust.

The third season of the show has the unfortunate distinction of being the last. While the majority of episodes are decent, only a few stand out as "best of the best" material. It's safe to say that the team experimented quite a bit during the third year, but ultimately it just wasn't quite as good as what came before it. This is still creative, fun science fiction and any Trekkie should want this in their collection. Recommended

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