Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

"Klingons do not laugh!"

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Three ended with a killer cliffhanger that added a nice little jolt to the series. In fact, The Best of Both Worlds did so well, the sci-fi show wanted to see if lightning could strike twice.

CBS and Paramount are giving Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption its own Blu-ray, just like the studios did with "Worlds." The single-disc release comprises the Season Four cliffhanger with its continuation from the beginning of Season Five.

The story finds Worf (Michael Dorn) torn between his Starfleet duties and the Klingon empire. Believe it or not, he ditches his post on the Enterprise and all hell breaks loose -- literally. Heck, even Denise Crosby comes back!

It was kind of cool to have The Best of Both Worlds on one disc. Now, the studios are starting to come off as a little greedy! If you're already buying the Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Four and don't mind waiting (or you've already watched the show), this one can probably wait.

The Picture

Like the rest of the season, Redemption has its softer moments, but this is an overwhelmingly pleasant viewing experience. The colors are deep and bold and there's a good amount of detail here. The 1.33:1 transfer is at its best during close-up shots, where you can see the makeup, the wrinkles, the shiny faces, and the texture on clothing.

The Sound

Most of the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track starts off pretty mellow, but just wait. When the Klingon Bird of Prey attack the Bortas, there's a nice burst of immersive sound. From there, the 87-minute release offers plenty of powerful moments like that. It's the type of track that lets you feel the action. That's impressive for any release, let alone one for a 22-year-old TV show.

The Extras

Here's where things get a little tricky. In "The Film" section above, I said that you could probably hold off on this one. However, any rabid Star Trek: TNG fan wouldn't be able to do that, because this single-disc actually has two special features that aren't included with the Season Four set. The first is an audio commentary that has Mike and Denise Okuda sitting down with acclaimed sci-fi screenwriter Ronald D. Moore. The second is "Survive and Succeed: An Empire at War," a 30-minute short that covers Klingon mythology and includes new interviews with Moore.

Final Thoughts

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption is a really good cliffhanger. Hence, the good rating I've given this release. That said, it's hard to recommend it as a stand-alone purchase. It doesn't pack the punch of the previous season's cliffhanger and the Season Four set is so good, you should really put your money towards that instead. Unless you need to have everything and anything TNG-related, feel free to skip this one. Just know that it does have those extras that have yet to be released elsewhere.

Product Details

• Actors: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Diana Muldaur, Denise Crosby, Colm Meaney
• Directors: Cliff Bole, David Carson
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Mono (French, German, Japanese)
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: NR
• Studio: Paramount
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: July 30, 2013
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• List Price: $24.99
• Extras:
  • UltraViolet Digital Copy
    
  • Commentary by Ronald D. Moore and Mike & Denise Okuda
  • Survive and Succeed: An Empire at War
  • Episodic Promos:
    • Part 1
    • Part 2