Star Trek: Fan Collective - Captain's Log DVD: Review By Dodd

With the popularization of DVD, television shows have become affordable like never before. Being that, at this point, short-lived 80s sitcoms are being unearthed, it is no surprise that every popular series sits proudly on a store shelf somewhere for fans to consume. One of those popular shows is Star Trek. Ever since its conception in 1960s, the science fiction series has come and gone in the form of different spin-offs. All of the seasons are currently available and are already owned by rabid fans. But what is one distribution company to do once every Star Trek season is available and purchased. With a franchise as huge as Star Trek, there is surely more money to be made. Enter the Fan Collective series. Just when every series becomes proud of owning every episode, they must be reminded that the same episodes are available for re-purchasing with new extra features.

Since the conception of this Fan Collective series, I've had two or three fall into my hands for review. As someone who is not a fan of Star Trek, it is difficult to accurately judge the content. However, I was always successful at judging the series for what it really way: a rip-off. I realize that these DVDs are made for the fans, but it is a tough action to suggest a DVD that is made for such greedy reasons. The latest entry to come along in this series is Captain's Log. While other DVD's have focused solely on a singular character, this one is a smorgasbord of episodes that revolve around the different captains of the Starship Enterprise. While I still smell a money-making scheme, I must admit that this is one of the more fully-loaded and rewarding compilations of the recycled episodes.

The DVD does not miss a beat as it covers three episodes on each disc. One of these episodes is selected by the actor who played the captain, while the remaining two are hand-picked by fans. Everything is here from Shatner to Bakula. We get a small sampling of William Shatner and his retro crew on the vintage Enterprise set. Of course this is followed by a little bit of Patrick Stewart playing leader to a next generation and Avery Brooks going into Deep Space Nine. This goes without mentioning Kate Mulgrew's stint on Voyager and Scott Bakula as leader of Enterprise.

As I mentioned, I am not a fan of the series. Therefore, I am not at liberty to say whether or not these episodes will satisfy die-hard fans of the legendary series. Actual program content aside, I can look at this objectively and say this is a Star Trek compilation that will give its viewers more bang for their buck. This is particularly so because of the special features.

This is the point where I generally break each and every special feature down into its own section to explain why one is unique from the others, and if it is worth watching. This is a different case because the special features blend together, and I find it fitting for my descriptions to blend together as well.

The DVD is all about chronology and evolution of a science fiction series, and the DVD adheres to this idea. The first disc has an introduction by the first captain himself, William Shatner. The closing remarks on the final disc are fittingly done by Scott Bakula.

Speaking of introductions, this DVD is chock full of them. On at least one episode per disc, the captain performer will sit down to discuss what he or she remembers and admires about the storyline and production. Nostalgic fans will surely appreciate Shatner's sit-down for his pick as he invites Joan Collins to converse with him about their collaboration. Some actors stick around for the long haul, and introduce all three episodes, while others choose to represent their personal pick rather than what the fans enjoy.

The DVD's also come with brief featurettes that sometimes recur from disc to disc. With titles such as "The Captain's Log" and "Looking Back", these pretty much serve the same purpose and could have been meshed together to form one featurette per disc. However, the DVD goes more for quantity, and we watch the actors do monologue for clusters of a few minutes at a time. One particularly unique interview has Captain Kirk himself discussing the legacy of his iconic character.

Full Screen and Widescreen. There is obliviously some change in quality as we see the series evolve from 1960s cheese to the CGI effects of today. In regards to DVD quality and restoration, everything looks squeaky clean.

Dolby 5.1 and 2.0. The availability of surround sound depends on the newness of the episodes. However, everything comes through loud and clear.

Five discs come packed in three thin, plastic cases. Each disc is devoted to a specific captain with three episodes. All three of these plastic cases are packed in a thicker cardboard case.

I can detect when DVD's are being desperately sold by the masses for the sake of more profit. This particular title is no exception, but it is probably the most impressive of the recycled Star Trek episode selections that I have seen. If you are on the role with the Fan Collective series, then you will surely appreciate this. I still must recommend that anyone else pass on this title and go for the real meat, which are the full seasons.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com