8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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 and the crew in the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.
Starring: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Babs Olusanmokun, Christina ChongSci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | 87% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is not a brave new world in the Star Trek canon. Rather, it is a comfortable, retro-themed, but modernly styled revisit of the classic Star Trek timeline, established not only with The Original Series but also in the unaired (at least at time of production) pilot episode "The Cage." Strange New Worlds is set in the Captain Pike era. Pike captained the Enterprise prior to Kirk, and this iteration of Captain Pike, and the streamlined (though still charmingly retro-ish) Enterprise and her crew were first seen throughout the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. It sounds like a convoluted web of influence and screen appearances that literally span decades of Star Trek content, but the ten-episode first season plays tightly and smoothly like Star Trek should, with first-rate storylines, excellent characterization, and a bold return to the essence of what makes Trek great, an essence that is not entirely missing from Discovery but that hasn't really been nailed down since the days of Voyager.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 1 beams onto Blu-ray with a striking 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation that stands well above the
Blu-ray release. The Dolby Vision color grading makes an immediate impact with richer, more vivid colors. Tones are beautifully rendered, producing
satisfying accuracy and realism. The various Starfleet red, yellow, and blue tops are amongst the most obvious points for color excellence, each offering
shades that are more vividly robust compared to the Blu-ray, while various accents around the bridge, for example the turbolift doors and computer
readouts at the stations along the bridge periphery, all enjoy brighter, crisper, more efficient and nuanced colors. Black levels enjoy superior depth and
stability, especially out in space. White balance enjoys a boost to vividness and stability as well. Look at Nurse Chapel's uniform at the 25:50 mark.
There are striking white levels on display in that scene. Flesh tones are rich and lifelike in every shot.
There is certainly nice gain to image sharpness and stability as well. Facial features are much crisper here, revealing fine hairs and pores with razor
sharpness. In good light, like in sickbay, the material definition cannot be matched. Various Enterprise surfaces -- inside and out -- offer
wonderful details that allow viewers to soak in the finest instrument or object detail with clarity that may not blow the Blu-ray away but that certainly
pushes the envelope for home theater clarity. This is a terrific upgrade from the Blu-ray. Noise management and compression are first-rate, too.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is plenty big and potent. While an Atmos track would have been preferable, there is no mistaking that the 5.1 mix offer serious aggression and plenty of discrete effects and general surround usage. Several of the discrete effects are so realistic that they will literally turn heads, something that feels rare rather than commonplace today. General surround immersion is well done, too, especially in action and battle where phaser fire and other elements spill through the back that, along with intense music, drops the listener into the show's most intensive moments. Musical clarity is excellent; one could not ask for firmer, more satisfying yield. Little sounds around the ship are nicely positioned and perfectly clear, seamlessly dropping the listener into the bridge, sickbay, or other areas throughout the Enterprise. Dialogue is clear and center focused for the duration.
Strange New Worlds: Season One includes an audio commentary track on disc one, a few deleted scenes across all three discs, and several
meatier extras on disc three. No Blu-ray or digital copies are included.
Disc One:
Strange New Worlds is the best new TV Star Trek in decades. Enterprise was largely enjoyable, and Discovery can be solid in spurts, but this is consistently excellent and feels more like Star Trek than anything that's released on the small screen since Voyager, and pound for pound it's the best Trek since Deep Space Nine. It's essentially a re-imagining of the TOS timeline with updated visuals while maintaining the essential spirit of Gene Rodenberry's original vision. I can't imagine any die-hard Star Trek fan not at least highly enjoying it, if not outright loving it. Paramount's three-disc UHD is a must buy. Supplements are solid but more important picture and sound are first-rate. This release (and its SteelBook companion) earns my highest recommendation.
2022
Limited Edition
2022
Limited Edition
2022
2023
2023
Limited Edition
2023
2023
2020-2023
2023
2024
2024
Budget Re-release
1987-1994
The Director's Edition | Remastered
1979
1993-1999
1995-2001
1966-1969
Budget Re-release
2001-2005
45th Anniversary Edition
1978
1973-1974
1982
1996
1994
1998
Collector's Edition
2020
1986
1984
2002