By GustavoLeao / 11:23, 16 September 2008 / General Star Trek

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STAR TREK: ALTERNATE REALITIES COLLECTIVE (2008)

Reviewed for TrekWeb.com by Bill Williams

STAR TREK: ALTERNATE REALITIES COLLECTIVE (2008)

5 discs, MSRP $42.99

Date of release: September 16, 2008

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost, The Road Less Traveled

In life we are given choices, to go one way or another, to do something that may or may not be contrary to our way of thinking and believing. Did we turn left when we should have turned right? Do we sometimes regret the choices we make? Of course. To deny it is to deny how we live. But what if we had the ability to consider the infinite possibilities that are out there? What if we could alter those choices and prevent those mistakes from happening? Is it to say that another choice we could have made would have been the more correct one than the decision we ultimately made? For that matter, are there infinite parallel versions of ourselves that chose things differently, resulting in different wives, different careers, different families, different lives altogether? The mathematical possibilities are too staggering to even comprehend.

In the STAR TREK universe we have been given numerous glimpses into different lives, parallel universes, and alternate timelines for our beloved characters and their crews. The possibilities continue to astound and amaze us. In STAR TREK: ALTERNATE REALITIES, the sixth of the collective DVD compilations of the five live-action series, we are given 20 episodes that peel the curtain back to reveal such alternate lives and dimensions that add different layers of characterization and growth to the many casts of characters. It´s timely that this DVD set follows on the heels of Pocket Books´ recent publications MIRROR UNIVERSES and MYRIAD UNIVERSES, and the current IDW series "Mirror Images", which similarly continue the theme of parallel timelines and universes.

The first phase of this set is, fittingly enough, devoted to one of the most popular of alternate universe elements in the TREK saga, the Mirror Universe. This parallel universe of pure evil, with the crews´ mentalities of attack and conquer, has consistently been one of the more unique elements of TREK, which is represented with all of its respective episodes in this collection. Disc 1 contains the popular Original Series segment that began it all, "Mirror, Mirror", complete with a cold, calculating Spock and his beard; the agony booth; and crew members who prostitute themselves and kill one another left and right to gain power and control in the Terran Alliance. In the 1990´s DEEP SPACE NINE would revisit the Mirror Universe with three episodes - "Crossover", "Through the Looking Glass", and "Shattered Mirror" - which further expanded upon the original segment´s concepts and featured a Terran Empire broken by its enemies, an underground resistance movement led by the Mirror Universe´s counterpart of Benjamin Sisko, a Mirror version of Intendant Kira Nerys vamping it up with delicious and malicious evil, and more Ferengi corpses than you can shake a domjot stick at.

But the fun doesn´t stop there. On Disc 2 the saga of the Mirror Universe continues with the wonderful two-part tale "In a Mirror, Darkly" from the fourth and final season of ENTERPRISE. In this romp we see how the Terran Empire began its mission of murder and conquest (with a wonderful alternate spin of events from the climax of STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT), leading to Jonathan Archer´s plot to hijack the I.S.S. Enterprise, salvage the starship Defiant from Tholian space (following the events of TOS´ "The Tholian Web"), and use their new toy to bring an end to the war once and for all. It´s a delicious romp, to say the least, but for ENTERPRISE it came too late to salvage the series from an early cancellation.

This new set is not solely limited to the concept of the Mirror Universe. Also included on Disc 2 are two segments that fall under the category of Parallel Dimensions. First up is the Original Series segment "The Alternative Factor". In this segment Kirk encounters a visitor named Lazarus from another dimension, only to meet up with an evil duplicate from a parallel universe of antimatter. One contact between both men can mean instantaneous destruction. This is followed by the first of the NEXT GENERATION episodes represented in this set, "Parallels" from the seventh season. When Worf returns to the Enterprise-D after winning an exciting martial arts contest, he finds that reality around him is much different from what he recalls. This segment posited the thrilling notion of hundreds of thousands of parallel universes running simultaneously amok, among them one where he and Deanna are married, and another where a tired and exhausted Will Riker finds himself on the losing end of the Borg war.

Disc 3 poses the concept of Twisted Realities and puts dark spins on reality as the crews know it. First off is the Original Series´ classic episode from the first season "The Enemy Within", which sees a transporter malfunction splitting Kirk into two beings, one good and the other evil. The series´ final episode, "Turnabout Intruder", puts things on its ear with a beautiful but mad female scientist using an alien device to transfer her mind into Kirk´s body while trapping his mind into her body. The second of the NEXT GENERATION episodes included on this set, "Frame of Mind", puts Riker in the middle of a stage play of a seemingly insane man trapped in a prison, only to find out that Riker himself may be the one trapped in a real prison. Rounding out the disc is "Shattered", the first VOYAGER episode represented in this set, which finds Chakotay passing through different time periods and finding himself negotiating with the crew members along different timeframes.

Discs 4 and 5 showcase the theme of Alternate Lives. First off on Disc 4 is the classic TNG episode "Yesterday´s Enterprise", which features the first and only appearance of the Enterprise-C, sent forward in time, resulting in a war-torn time period with the Federation losing a brutal war against the Klingons - and Tasha Yar seemingly still alive - and only Guinan knows the difference. Also from TNG is the sentimental favorite "The Inner Light", which gives Picard the chance at a normal life, complete with a wife and children, all within a 25-minute time span. In the poignant DS9 episode "The Visitor", an elderly Jake Sisko recounts living his life without his father while trying to bring him back to life after a warp-core accident. Rounding out Disc 4 is the VOYAGER segment "Before and After", which finds Kes jumping backwards in time, but if she goes too far, she will no longer exist.

Continuing with the theme of Alternate Lives, Disc 5 begins with the VOYAGER segment "Timeless", as Chakotay and Harry Kim must alter the timeline of events in order to erase the future and prevent the Voyager and its crew from crashing into an ice planet. Directed by LeVar Burton, who also appears as Captain Geordi LaForge, this moving segment rings with a bittersweet feeling that hadn´t been felt in later segments of the series. Another VOYAGER episode, "Course: Oblivion", features a most bizarre turn: after the Voyager and crew start disintegrating, Chakotay and Tuvok realize the demon planet they visited a year ago copied their DNA, and they are all just duplicates of the real crew. In the ENTERPRISE segment "E2", set during the crew´s deadly mission against the Xindi, Captain Archer and crew pass through a subspace corridor and encounter the families and children of the Enterprise crew from a hundred years in the future. The set concludes with another ENTERPRISE segment, "Twilight", which finds an injured Archer living for the past twelve years on a distant planet with T´Pol, unable to form long-term memories. But Phlox believes he can cure Archer and save mankind in the process.

STAR TREK: ALTERNATE REALITIES COLLECTIVE is presented across five discs, with each episode presented in its original full-screen aspect ratio, except for the ENTERPRISE episodes which are presented in their original 1.78:1 widescreen ratio. All 20 episodes are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, with optional English closed captions and Spanish and French subtitles. (For the DS9 episodes, Portuguese subtitles are also included). As you select each episode, you are also provided a separate menu screen with the episode´s original airdate.

Also included on this set are a number of new bonus features exclusive to this set. First up are audio commentaries on five selected episodes, four of which are newly recorded commentaries. Disc 1 contains a newly recorded commentary with producer David Livingston on "Crossover", as he discusses the concepts of bringing the Mirror Universe to DS9. On Disc 2, writer/producer Brannon Braga contributes a new audio commentary to the TNG segment "Parallels". Disc 3 features a new commentary on "The Enemy Within" by novelists and ENTERPRISE writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. On Disc 4, David Carson, who directed the acclaimed "Yesterday´s Enterprise", contributes an all-new commentary on how he brought the episode to life and gave TNG one of its finest moments. The fifth audio commentary on "Twilight", recorded by Mike Sussman and StarTrek.com webmaster Tim Gaskill, is the only commentary ported from the website and the previous ENTERPRISE DVD set.

Several features exploring the concepts of the Mirror Universe and the alternate universes are included in this set. First up is "Mirror Universe: Part 1", which runs 14 minutes long. In this introductory segment, we look at how the Mirror Universe came to be in the Original Series and its continued development throughout DS9. Archival interviews with David Livingston, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Nana Visitor are included. On Disc 2 the story continues with "Mirror Universe: Part 2", a five-minute feature that explains how the ENTERPRISE cast and crew produced a Mirror Universe tale without having to interrupt the flow of the current storylines, as well as the challenge of creating a full-size replica of the original series bridge and corridors for the Defiant. Mike Sussman describes how the episodes were created, and we also get video footage of cast and crew filming on the full-size bridge. In the seven-minute "Parallel Dimensions" segment Tim Gaskill, Terry Erdmann, and Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens discuss the concept of parallel universes, with Erdmann and Gaskill mentioning a couple of interesting tidbits about Robert Brown replacing John Barrymore, Jr. for the role of Lazarus in "The Alternative Factor". Erdmann also discusses the concept of infinite parallel universes in discussing the episode "Parallels", mentioning how Wesley Crusher´s role was originally written for Tasha Yar, while Brannon Braga is featured in a recycled clip discussing the origins of the episode.

On Disc 3 is the 13-minute feature on "Twisted Realities". Gaskill, Erdmann, and the Reeves-Stevenses describe "The Enemy Within" as a unique take on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", with Gaskill pointing out several interesting bloopers that the fans have noticed over the years. The Reeves-Stevenses dissect "Turnabout Intruder", noting how William Shatner and Sandra Smith got to play different versions of their characters in an episode with virtually no budget and no new visual effects. Sussman comments that "Shattered" began with an image of a man divided between youth and old age and showed the problems inherent of a ship split in time.

Discs 4 and 5, respectively, present two separate interview segments spotlighting the "Alternate Lives" concept. The first segment, at eleven minutes in length, features a new interview with David Carson on presenting the different views of the familiar characters in "Yesterday´s Enterprise", also noting how things changed with Whoopi Goldberg´s addition to the episode, leading to a full rewrite of the script. Gaskill comments on how the clues to "Before and After" are laid out in reverse order throughout the story. Patrick Stewart recalls in a vintage clip how "The Inner Light" became one of the most beloved episodes of TNG, offering Jean-Luc Picard the chance to gain a full life within a short span of time. Terry Erdmann and Tony Todd offer their thoughts on the popular DS9 segment "The Visitor", with Erdmann noting how the original concept for the script evolved into a father-son relationship that bridged space and time, but Todd offers a more personal introspective, noting how the death of his beloved aunt to cancer led him to a sabbatical away from Hollywood for six months and how channeling the feelings over her death led to a very textured performance as the adult Jake Sisko in the episode. The second segment, at nearly fifteen minutes in length, starts with Bryan Fuller´s thoughts on "Course: Oblivion", how it was inspired by a classic episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and how the makeup effects were more expensive than originally conceived. Gaskill notes that "Timeless" became one of the most popular segments of VOYAGER because of the issue of dealing with regret and getting a chance to correct it. Fuller and Sussman comment how the ENTERPRISE episode "Twilight" originally started as a pitch for VOYAGER but evolved into a tragic love story that presented a sci-fi take on Alzheimer´s disease. Sussman also notes that "E2" began as an idea for VOYAGER, and that his favorite character moment involving Malcolm Reed pondering what didn´t happen to him in the alternate timeline almost didn´t make it into the story.

In addition, Disc 1 contains two DVD collection trailers, one for the STAR TREK franchise and the other for different CBS series such as CSI, CSI: MIAMI, MEDIUM, NUMBERS, and THE 4400, among others. As if that weren´t enough, there is a small promotional flyer inside the package that allows you to obtain an exclusive action figure of Geordi LaForge as he appears in "Timeless".

One of the caveats of this set is that the Original Series episodes included in this collection are taken from the recent remastered editions with new CGI visual effects, including the first DVD release of "Turnabout Intruder" from the upcoming third season set scheduled for release later this year. As originally posted on TVShowsonDVD.com, this does bring up the question of whether or not the original 1960´s versions of the episodes will be available in future editions. My advice is to hold onto the previous 2004 DVD releases for completion´s sake.

On the other hand, it´s refreshing to see different episodes from among the various series included in the set and not the same episodes over and over. Having the final VOYAGER segment "Endgame", for example, in the first two Fan Collective sets got a bit repetitive, so it´s nice to see other segments represented. And while other more well-known segments such as TNG favorites "Tapestry" and "All Good Things" could have been easily included in this set, it´s nice that other segments get their equal turn at bat.

I´ve got to admit that I´ve not been too keen on the entire "Fan Collective" series in the past, as each series has been issued in complete sets by season (or, in the case of TNG, complete series), which makes it a bit repetitive and/or wasteful to shell out the extra money to get the sets simply for new bonus features not found on the season sets. For that matter, it may seem that they´re running out of ideas to include in future collections. But the affordable cost of having the episodes in a relatively inexpensive set (as opposed to the $100 price tag CBS and Paramount repeatedly insist on placing on each season set) makes it a good selling point. And not only that, but getting back into the TREK game after a two-year wife-imposed cold turkey hiatus was a good thing for me because I managed to pick up again 20 episodes I´d thought I´d forever lost! (Only 700+ to go now...)