Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie Review

These are the voyages of the U.S.S. Discovery and her crew, as well as a few beyond its scope, that weren't necessarily in need of episode-length constructs. Rather than simply reduced to the scrap heap of forgotten ideas, the good folks putting Discovery into orbit decided to make a short film collection. Each one either tangentially or directly relates to someone or something from the Discovery or the larger Star Trek universe, some taking place in the past, some in the far future, some in the present. Whether fun little asides into the distant corners of life in Strarfleet, such as during "Q&A" when Spock and Number One bond in an unexpected place and in unexpected ways, the future-set world of “Calypso” that follows the bonding of a single man and a sentient A.I., or a glimpse into the origins of and tragedies born from Tribbles in “The Trouble with Edward,” there’s a little bit of something for everyone as the episodes support Disco directly or tell tales from well beyond the show’s here-and-now.

• Runaway* (15:20): While Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) wrestles with her mother over her career choices and caffeine, she discovers the presence of a Xahean known as Po (Yadira Guevara-Prip). The two quickly bond. Tilly learns that Po is a runaway genius who is going to radicalize dilithium regeneration but who needs to get home to be coronated as her world’s queen.
• Calypso (18:05): A man known as “Craft” (Aldis Hodge) has long lived in solitude aboard the long-abandoned Discovery. He learns that the ship has been settled in a single point in space for a millennium and her computer system known as “Zora” has become sentient and capable of emotional attachment.
• The Brightest Star* (14:46): Saru (Doug Jones), on his home world of Kaminar and prior to his enlistment in Starfleet, clandestinely sends a message into space in hopes of broadening his horizons and escaping the harsh realities of life as a Kelpien. He receives a response that will forever change his destiny and, perhaps one day, that of his people.
• The Escape Artist (15:34): Fugitive Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) has been captured, again, this time by a zealous Tellarite bounty hunter, but he has a trick up his sleeve to maintain his freedom, so to speak.
• Q&A (14:06): When Ensign Spock (Ethan Peck) beams aboard the Enterprise, he finds himself stuck in Turbolift Six with Number One (Rebecca Romijn). As they await repair, Spock is ordered to bombard his superior officer with questions to become better integrated into the crew. What begins as a frustrating venture morphs into the beginnings of a friendship.
• The Trouble with Edward (14:37): On board the science vessel USS Cabot, a socially awkward but unusually brilliant officer named Edward Larkin (H. Jon Benjamin) has been busy researching, and eating, Tribbles, which are little more than fur and protein. He believes that genetic engineering could create a quickly reproducing food source for a struggling society. He’s reassigned off the task but continues to conduct his research in secret. Big mistake. Be sure to stay tuned after the credits.
• Ask Not (9:17): During a crisis on Starbase 28, an incarcerated Captain Pike (Anson Mount), who has been put into custody under charges of treason, is put under the charge of young officer Thira Sidhu (Amrit Kaur). He demands to be released and resume command during the crisis, but the young cadet, bombarded with more than just the assault taking place around her, must choose to hold her ground or succumb to her superior’s demands.
• Ephraim and Dot (8:43): The traditionally animated story of one tardigrade as it witnesses several of the Enterprise's most storied adventures.
• The Girl Who Made the Stars (7:45): A digitally animated Star Trek bedtime story.

Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Star Trek: Short Treks looks and feels like Disco's first and second seasons, which should come as absolutely no surprise. That means the image is efficient and usually proficient, showing a few source and encode hangups along the way but generally offering high level detail across the board and good color output as lighting and mood allow. Close-ups do showcase well-defined pores, makeup, hairs, and uniforms details in well-lit scenes and episodes. Probably the best looking one is Q&A which takes place almost entirely on a well illuminated turbo lift. The yellow and blue uniforms worn by Number One and Spock, respectively, play nicely against the white backgrounds and cool accents, allowing those primary tones to pop with a glossy, punchy output. But even in low light close-ups reveal fine clarity, such as in "The Escape Artist" which shows dense alien prosthetics in relatively low light environments. Black levels are relatively strong if not a bit noisy and flesh tones always seem consistent within any location's lighting parameters. There are a few drawbacks. The image is not always tack-sharp and noise can grow fairly dense in more challenging darkness. Noise seems frozen and moves in clumps, at times, alongside characters, such as towards the end of "Ask Not." Banding appears towards the beginning and right at the end of "The Brightest Star" and on the animated Enterprise hull in "Ephraim and Dot." These issues are unmissable but they're not content destroyers. The picture looks fine in total, never reaching reference quality but offering an honest digitally sourced image.

Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Star Trek: Short Treks warps onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's frequently active and capable, making the most of its more traditionally oriented channel configuration. The track proves its excellence early on in "Runaway" when the invisible stowaway darts across the stage in the mess hall, subsequently causing the replicator to go haywire, spitting out food and verbal cues all over the stage. In "Calypso," a myriad of sounds flow through the stage at different points, from celestial storms raging outside the ship to gentle seaside ambience played inside. "Ask Not" proves to be the most sonically engaged short, delivering action effects, explosions, blaring alarm klaxons, and a general chaotic din through most of the episode, which presents in fine balance and layered intensity. Dialogue is always well prioritized throughout the action here, and elsewhere, and always finds firm center positioning and lifelike clarity. Music plays with fine fidelity and impressive stretch. Surround wrap and low end support are both found in just the right proportions.

Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Star Trek: Short Treks contains audio commentaries and featurettes that break down the making of each episode. There's not much reason to break these down individually; they're all constructed in the same manner, intermixing interviews and technical deconstructions with clips from the shorts. Most of the extras are not found under the "Special Features" tab (in fact, only one, The Making of 'Short Treks,' is located therein) but instead the "Episode Selection" tab. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentaries: For "Runaway": Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. For "Ask Not": Anson Mount.
• Coming of Age (1080p, 7:30): Paired with the episode "Runaway."
• Shall We Dance (1080p, 8:51): Paired with the episode "Calypso."
• First Contact: Kaminar (1080p, 5:09): Paired with the episode "The Brightest Star."
• Covered in Mudd (1080p, 4:52): Paired with the episode "The Escape Artist."
• Ensign Spock's First Day (1080p, 10:16): Paired with the episode "Q&A."
• Here Comes Tribble (1080p, 3:43): Paired with the episode "The Trouble with Edward."
• Score! (1080p, 6:09): Paired with the episode "Ephraim & Dot"
• Bedtime Stories (1080p, 7:45): Paired with the episode "The Girl Who Made the Stars."
• The Making of Short Treks (1080p, 4:25): The novelty of short stories in the Star Trek universe and their compositions and perspectives.

Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Star Trek: Short Treks is a fine addition to any serious Star Trek home video library, particularly considering that most of these haven't been previously released on disc. Each is of some intrinsic value to the greater Discovery timeline and/or Star Trek universe. The stories dabble in the familiar and the fantastic, with "The Trouble with Edward" the most broadly accessible and "Calypso" the most dramatically engaging but also the most disappointing that it wasn't expanded into episode length. Technically, the presentation is right in-line with Discovery's Blu-ray releases, which means good quality video and audio and a healthy assortment of extras. Highly recommended.