I think having a broken DVD player is one of the worst things that can happen to a DVD reviewer. Imagine my horror when my player wouldn't read discs anymore, and it was going to take 3 weeks to fix. Anyway, the player is back now so here's the long overdue review of Season 3.
It's argued that season three was the best of the series. After most of the writing staff was dismissed, and new ideas brought in, the stories and characters seemed to thrive. Dr. Crusher returns to the ship to see her son is growing into a man, Q returns, and the season finale, "The Best of Both Worlds" part 1 with the Borg.
When I asked David Lambert which were the best episodes on this set he listed almost all of them for different reasons. "The Offspring" was Jonathan Frakes' first time directing; "Deja Q", Q gets tossed out of the Continuum and needs the help of the Enterprise crew ; "Captain's Holiday" when we first meet Vash; "Hollow Pursuits" where we meet Barclay. Those are just a few of the episodes he mentioned from this season.
The Packaging
This 7 disc set comes in the same packaging as season one; a seven panel fold out containing the discs and a booklet. Each disc lists the episodes and the production number on the disc art.
Menus
There were some changes to the menus this time around and the new format is a tad confusing for those not familiar with the episode order. The previous sets had the episodes listed from top to bottom, but the new menu style has episodes broken up into quadrants; two on the top, two on the bottom. When I placed the first disc in my player I wasn't sure which order the episodes were supposed to be played in. The order on the disc art is read from top to bottom, left to right. After grabbing the box the DVDs come in I realized the menu is set up to read from left to right, then top to bottom, different from the layout on the disc. A minor complaint, but I think it's a valid one for those customers that don't have the episode order memorized and are left puzzled, even if just for a few moments.
Video
Like most TV shows, "Star Trek: TNG" was broadcast in full frame (1.33) and is presented that way on these discs. Shot on film, the print displays some dust and grain. A few of the scenes are fuzzy, some of the space scenes display shimmering. The contrast problems that were very obvious in the first season, and slightly noticeable in the second, are now gone. The picture looks much, much better.
Sigh. I wonder if the person doing quality control on these sets falls asleep while at work. There are bad chapter points on 5 of the 26 episodes. I'm not a fan of watching the open theme 26 times for a set so I skip to the next chapter. It's a pain when you have to rewind because the chapter is set incorrect. Note to Paramount guy: get with it man! It only takes a few minutes to check the chapters.
Audio
We get a very nice Dolby Digital 5.1 track on this release, along with a Stereo track. I listened to the 5.1 track for this review, and overall I was happy with it. It's really cool to hear the ship zipping by you in the opening credits. The rears are mostly used for music, the ship zipping by and the ambient hum in some scenes. Overall it's a very nice mix. English subtitles are included.
All the featurettes in the set include English subtitles.
Mission Overview (17:40)
Cast and crew talk about the third season of the show, focusing on: the new writing staff, "Yesterday's Enterprise", the return of Dr. Crusher, "The Offspring", special guests that visited the set and the season finale.
Selected Crew Analysis (13:50)
Cast members talk about their characters in season three.
Departmental Briefing - Production (20:02)
We hear from various members of the Star Trek crew covering production, writing, visual effects and music.
Memorable Missions (13:24)
Cast and crew share their memories of: "Sarek", "The Offspring", "Deja Q", "The Most Toys", "Who Watches the Watchers", "The Enemy" and "Ménage à Troi".
Summary
One of the best seasons of one of the best Sci-Fi series makes for some pretty darn good TV. I really hope the person responsible for checking the chapter placement either wakes up or is replaced, but the pessimist in me is expecting season four to contain the same problems as the previous ones. Look for these actors guest staring in the third season: Ken Jenkins (The Stand, Scrubs), Amy O'Neill (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids), Mark L. Taylor (Melrose Place), James Greene (Adventures of Brisco County Jr.), Ray Wise (Twin Peaks), Albert Hall (Brimestone, Ali), Andreas Katsulas (Babylon 5), Marc Lawrence (The Shipping News), Stephen Lee (The Sopranos), James Cromwell (Citizen Baines, Babe), Richard Cox (Sliders), Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Major League), Christopher McDonald (Flubber, Family Law), Michael Cavanaugh (C-16: FBI, Collateral Damage), Charley Lang (Dark Skies) and Dwight Schultz (A-Team).
Don't forget, season four comes out September 3rd.
