The debut season of STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series features fan favorites from season two of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.
For in-depth thoughts on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Complete First Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s reviews from its original streaming release here.
Video Quality
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds comes to DVD with 10 episodes over 4 discs which offers a good amount of room to avoid compression issues. Due to the limitations of the format, these episodes are not going to look anywhere near as good as they do in high definition or 4K, but the presentation is very strong within the DVD format. Even without the added resolution, this is still a sleek show with fine details easily visible in favorable environments. Skin tones look natural, and close ups look quite good throughout with great texture. Black levels are not quite as flawless, as shadowy scenes lose some of the outlines of objects within the shot. Colors are rendered exceedingly well, and there are remnants of texture in the clothing and uniforms. This season was also released on Blu-Ray, and a 4K UHD Blu-Ray is due out in May. If you are a fan of the show, you may want to spring for these more advanced versions on physical media. It deserves it.
Audio Quality
This DVD set comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that sounds pretty solid for the format. Dialogue is rendered clearly with a focus in the center channel. Sound effects and the soaring score never overpower the dialogue causing obscured information. The rear speakers create a fairly dynamic atmosphere as the multitude of settings and environments envelop you at all of the appropriate times. The mix has a fine sense of directionality so that nothing ever feels like it is coming from the wrong place. This track gives you what you would want from a modern science fiction show, as it executes all of the key elements perfectly. A lossless track will be more dynamic on the more advanced formats, but most will not complain here. There are optional English SDH and French subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: There is an audio commentary on the pilot with Anson Mount and Akiva Goldsman.
- Deleted Scenes: There is unused material from Children of the Comet, Ghosts of Illyria, Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach, The Elysian Kingdom, and All Those Who Wander. Some of the scenes include some unfinished special effects.
- Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1, Episode 14 “Balance Of Terror”: It is not a Star Trek wedding without the Romulans crashing the party. Catch an episode from the original series.
- Pike’s Peek: A nearly 18-minute piece from Anson Mount with clips from the show interspersed. You gain a lot of nice insights into the process of shooting the show from the front lines, the emotions that are conjured during production, and how his background informs the character.
- World Building: A 12-minute featurette which takes you through the Holodeck technology on the ship.
- Exploring New Worlds: A 54-minute piece which takes a look at the journey throughout the season including the overall story, new and returning characters, the setting, themes, the cinematography, the structure of the season and so much more. This is a fairly involved piece with a lot of good information.
- Gag Reel: This three-minute piece showcases some of the giggle fits, malfunctioning props, forgotten lines, and otherwise ruined takes that are quite funny.
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is one of the best things to come out of the Star Trek universe in quite some time. While the franchise has delivered many entertaining shows and movies over the past decade or so, this is the one that feels most spiritually in line with the original ethos of the property. This is not an action-packed drama disguised as a science fiction show – this actually gives you the thoughtful approach to science fiction we deserve as an audience. This coupled with an episodic format provides an experience that is hard to top for longtime fans. CBS Home Entertainment has provided a DVD set featuring an admirable A/V presentation and some enlightening special features. This is a series that every Trek fan will want to own, but those who want the best quality will want to spring for the Blu-Ray or 4K UHD release. Highly Recommended
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The Complete First Season is currently available to purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray and Limited Edition Blu-Ray SteelBook. The series will be available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on May 16, 2023.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: CBS Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
