Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Blu-ray Movie Review

TNG's best season?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 16, 2013

Star Trek: The Next Generation's fifth season shows a maturity and a comfort with itself that are built on the tremendous success of its previous seasons. The program shows the confidence to introduce a new character, temporarily bring back an old favorite, and take its established characters into bolder, more morally and personally challenging and, therefore, more deeply satisfying arcs. Even with around 100 episodes to its credit, the program innovates but nevertheless remains much the same at its core, playing up that balance and building on it not just through a series of well-written, visually exciting, and personally satisfying episodes but expanding its universe, not simply the galaxy the Enterprise physically explores but also the complex humanity that makes it all happen. Season five is nothing less than tremendous television and amongst the finest groupings of episodes in Star Trek history, maybe rivaled only by latter seasons of Deep Space Nine that evolve minute-by-minute through the desperate battling and political maneuvering of the Dominion War. About the only thing season five doesn't have going for it is a truly unforgettable finale and cliffhanger, but then again not every season can enjoy the fruits of "The Best of Both Worlds."

She's a beauty.

Season five is home to a good number of terrific efforts, including "The Inner Light," an episode in which Captain Picard lives an entire second life on an alien world in the matter of minutes. It's the perfect representation of the season, combining a terrific Science Fiction plot device with a soulful examination of man under extraordinarily unique circumstances. Indeed, the season runs the gamut between classic Trek-styled tales of time loops and time travel and alien encounters as the primary story building blocks to a number of episodes that explore the essence of life, the breadth of the soul, and the boundaries of morality, duty, honor, and family all through the prism of the futuristic Star Trek universe. The series remains incredibly well written and expertly acted. Cast cohesion is never tighter than it is in this season, in part thanks to the four-season run that's built a significant camaraderie but largely due to the many inspired ideas and the terrific executions thereof that effortlessly construct each episode's dramatic content and continue to evolve its characters even beyond the major defining series moments in previous episodes like "The Measure of a Man" and "Redemption".

Season five introduces a few new things, chiefly a semi-regular new character with Michelle Forbes' Ensign Ro Laren, a Bajoran by birth and a Starfleet officer with a chip on her shoulder. While she's not disrespectful of the concepts of order, duty, and the chain of command, she does harbor something of a disdain for the way things or work or, at least, her place in how they work. She's the perfect foil for the much more structured world of the Enterprise as seen in previous seasons, seasons certainly not without strife that leads to character enhancement but without that constant edge of conflict amongst the inner circle. Forbes' character doesn't disrupt the series' winning cast formula but in many ways enhances it, with many thanks to the writers and producers and the rest of the Trek inner circle for feeling comfortable with the idea of inserting a wild card dynamic into an established familial crew, showing a confidence in where the series has been and where it's headed. It's unfortunate Forbes is not more of a fixture throughout the season and the remainder of the series. She falls into that gray area of "glorified guest star" but certainly benefits the show when she's involved in the story. Season five also sees the return of Leonard Nimoy's Spock in the two-part "Unification." Considering the show's established success, Nimoy's appearance feels fully complimentary rather gimmicky as it may have in a previous season while the show was still trying to find its footing.

Season five highlight episodes include:

• Redemption, Part II: For a full review, please click here.
• Darmok: The Federation has tasked the Enterprise with making diplomatic headway with a mysterious alien race known as the Tamarians. Previous negotiations have failed due to linguistic incompatibility. Reports suggest the Tamarians are a peaceful race, seemingly with the best of intentions behind their indecipherable means of communication. When negotiations begin, neither Data nor Troi can decipher the alien tongue or even the basic meaning behind it. Suddenly, Picard and his alien counterpart are beamed to a nearby planet, and it appears they’re meant to fight. It quickly becomes clear to Picard, however, that their meeting is not to be one of violence but rather communication. He slowly deciphers the alien dialect to realize they communicate through metaphor rather than literal speech. Meanwhile, above the planet, the Enterprise crew works diligently to retrieve its captain and unscramble the alien dialect.
• Ensign Ro: Picard’s haircut is interrupted when he receives word of an incoming distress call from a Federation outpost situated near Cardassian territory that has fallen under attack. A suppressed, displaced race known as the Bajorans claim responsibility for the incident, and the Enterprise is ordered to the region. Meanwhile, the Enterprise receives a new officer, a Bajoran named Ro Laren, a former Cardassian prisoner and a woman with a negative reputation that proceeds her. She brings with her a hostile attitude that alienates many of the crew. However, her insight into the Bajoran crisis proves invaluable to the mission while relating to the Enterprise crew the truths behind her people’s plight.
• Silicon Avatar: On an away mission, Riker, Crusher, and Data encounter the dangerous "Crystaline Entity." They and a number of colonists are forced underground out of its way. They are rescued by an away team soon thereafter, and the Enterprise receives Kila Marr, an expert on the entity who is all too eager to get up close and personal with the destruction and to interview the survivors. The Enterprise pursues the entity. Marr’s belief that Data is in some way connected to the entity is revealed, frustrating the investigation when she refuses to work with the Starfleet android. However, when Marr learns Data may hold a key to better understanding her past, their relationship changes in an instant.
• Disaster: The Enterprise crew is enjoying a well-deserved break from strenuous duty. With the bridge crew scattered about the ship, disaster strikes. An injured Picard finds himself trapped in a damaged turbo lift with several schoolchildren. Geordi and Crusher are stuck in a cargo bay packed with a volatile payload. On the bridge, ranking officer Troi is forced to take command, employing the help of Chief O’Brien and Ensign Ro. In Ten-Forward, Riker and Data establish a plan of action for assessing the damage and locating survivors. There, Keiko O’Brien goes into labor with only Lt. Worf left to delivery the baby.
• Unification, Parts I and II: For a full review, please click here
• A Matter of Time: A type-c asteroid has struck an unpopulated continent on a world, and the Enterprise has been dispatched to help. En route, Worf detects a temporal distortion. Suddenly, a flamboyant man by the name of “Rasmussen” beams aboard the Enterprise. He claims to be a time traveler from the 26th century on a mission to study Picard and his crew, on a specific day and for a specific purpose. He’s vague but wiggles his way into command’s inner circle. Of course, as is so often the case with people like him, there’s more to the story than he's willing to reveal.
• New Ground: A new method of propulsion is begin developed, and the Enterprise has been sent to be amongst the first to test the new technology. Meanwhile, Worf receives a message from his mother, who announces she and Worf's son, Alexander, are preparing to beam aboard. His mother informs him that Alexander has grown distant and disobedient. He needs his father, she says, and leaves him on board. Worf quickly realizes he knows little about his son. Alexander’s presence interferes with his ability to carry out his duties, and Worf must come to terms with the realization that his son is not a boy who understands neither the value of honor nor his Klingon heritage.
• Hero Worship: The Enterprise is dispatched to investigate a research vessel that has fallen silent. They discover the vessel severely damaged and adrift. Riker, Geordi, and Data beam aboard and, in the wreckage, discover a single survivor, a young boy. The rescue effort proves dangerous, leaving Data only capable of making the attempt. The rescue is successful. No other survivors are discovered, and the boy's parents are found amongst the dead. The boy quickly takes to Data. Troi recommends the two spend more time together, both for the boy’s own well-being and to help further the investigation into the disaster. Soon, he models himself after Data, attempting to become more android and less human in an effort to suppress the emotional toll of the tragedy.
• Conundrum: Subspace signals indicate potential new alien life for the Enterprise to investigate. En route, the ship encounters an alien vessel with advanced scanners that penetrate the Enterprise’s shields and effectively wipe the crew’s memory, leaving them capable of communicating and performing ship’s functions but absent their memories of themselves and of one another. Worf assumes command but clashes with Picard, who advises taking a more cautious, by-the-book approach to the problem rather than preparing the ship for a possible fight, as Worf suggests. It soon becomes apparent to the crew that the Enterprise is a key piece in a long-standing war against a mysterious alien race.
• Ethics: Worf is severely injured in a cargo bay accident. He awakens in sick bay and learns that his spinal cord has been crushed, leaving him paralyzed. Dr. Crusher informs him that there is no chance of recovery from his injury. A visiting medical specialist recommends an advanced, experimental procedure that may restore Worf's mobility. Meanwhile, Mr. Worf chooses Riker to help him perform a Klingon suicide ritual, fearing the life of "pity and shame" that he is sure will befall him.
• Cause and Effect: The Enterprise is severely damaged. She's venting drive plasma and losing attitude control. An evacuation is ordered, but she explodes, killing all on board. Suddenly, everything returns to a time hours before the incident. The Enterprise crew begins to experience vague recollections of repeating incidents. It soon becomes clear that the Enterprise has become stuck in a time loop that ends with the ship's destruction prior to the reset.
• The First Duty: Picard and the Enterprise crew are returning to Earth. Picard is to address the Starfleet Academy commencement gathering and reunite with Wesley Crusher. En route, the Enterprise receives word of an accident involving Wesley and his flight squadron. All five ships are destroyed following a collision. One of the group is killed. However, Wesley and his surviving squad mates choose to hide the truth rather than admit their fault in breaking protocol.
• Imaginary Friend: A young girl named Clara lives on board the Enterprise and enjoys the company of an imaginary friend named Isabella. Her father has hopped from ship to ship for his duties. Counselor Troi believes Isabella to be a natural reaction to earning and losing friends. With time on the ship, Troi believes, Isabella will simply disappear. While studying a spacial phenomenon, a small alien probe enters the ship and creates a very real and very dangerous manifestation of Isabella.
• I, Borg: An Enterprise away team makes a startling discovery: wreckage of a Borg vessel and a single Borg survivor. Dr. Crusher insists the being be brought aboard in hopes of saving it. Picard devises a plan to use the being to "infect" the Borg collective and eliminate the threat. However, Crusher works towards repairing the Borg. It's fed and repaired and begins communicating with the crew. The Borg is named "Hugh" and effectively and becomes more human as it grows to understand life away from the collective.
• The Next Phase: The Enterprise is responding to a distress call from a Romulan vessel. LaForge, Ro, Riker, and Worf beam over to lend assistance. A return transport of Ro and LaForge goes wrong, and their patterns are lost. They materialize on the ship, but are effectively rendered invisible to everyone but one another.
• The Inner Light: For a full review, please click here
• Time's Arrow, Part I: The Enterprise has been recalled to Earth on a priority mission when work crews unearth artifacts dating back hundreds of years. Tricorder readings indicate a rare energy source that could only be extraterrestrial in origin. The Enterprise's place in the mystery becomes clear when the final artifact — Data’s head — is revealed. Analysis shows it to be Data, not his brother Lore, and that the head has been on Earth for nearly half a millennia. Though the crew attempts to protect Data from his fate, an away mission requires his presence and forces him backwards in time and into the window of his demise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nothing new or out of the ordinary here. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5 looks marvelous on Blu-ray, just as do the previous seasons before it. Paramount's restoration remains nothing short of breathtaking and a testament to both the franchise's profitability and fan demand. Even through five seasons, it never gets old to behold the Enterprise in all her high definition glory, to revel in the intricate ship details and the gloriously vibrant colors on it, whether the blue and red nacelle and deflector colors or the lighting inside each window. Image clarity is fantastic and it's usually sharp as a tack with only the occasional softer shot interspersed throughout. Uniform textures are fantastic, with close-ups revealing little imperfections and fabric details both. Alien makeup reveals secret seams, textures, and details that were before practically invisible in standard definition; Paul Winfield's character in "Darmok" is particularly noteworthy in that regard. The image is so well defined that little flaws on consoles, carpeting, and props stand out almost to a fault, but the improved definition is certainly worth the tradeoff in the sacrifice of just a little bit of the illusion. Colors are extraordinary. The image handles the bright red command uniforms nicely, ditto the more reserved blue and mustard tops. Black levels -- particularly outer space -- are nicely defined, and flesh tones never present any major problems. The image does show a bit of noise, at times, but is otherwise nearly off-the-charts excellent.

Notes:
"Power Play" contains approximately 1 minute and 44 seconds of standard definition footage unconverted to high definition.
"The First Duty" contains approximately 37 seconds of standard definition footage unconverted to high definition.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5 warps onto Blu-ray with the series-typical DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. As always, it's excellent. The opening title music enjoys high volume but rich details, full stage spacing, and pinpoint instrument clarity. The stage becomes awash in the sound of the Enterprise swooshing throughout. Basic sound dynamics rate highly. The Enterprise interiors spring to life with a sense of size and strength with the low hum of the engines filling in the background on the bridge or, particularly of note, in engineering. Console beeps, alarms, and other ship-specific sound effects play with flair and accuracy in every instance. Minor planet-side environmental ambience in episodes like "Darmok" and "The First Duty" are also beautifully integrated into the track. "Disaster" sports some of the most aggressive bass and action-oriented sound effects the season has to offer. "Cause and Effect" enjoys a symphony of sonic Star Trek chaos. Every time the track rises above simple dialogue, it excels. Even those quieter scenes -- exchanges in Picard's ready room, for example -- are handled expertly. General dialogue flows from the center with a natural, lifelike texture. This is a fantastic sound presentation in all areas of concern.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5 contains a large amount of quality bonus content spread across the entire set. Note that every episode features an optional "episodic promo" (SD, ~ 0:30), fun little retro advertisements for the episode in question. Below is a disc-by-disc breakdown of what's included:

Disc One:

• Mission Overview Year Five (SD, 17:54): An overview piece that begins with a look at Leonard Nimoy's guest appearance and the two-part "Unification" episode and moves on to briefly cover the creation and themes of "Darmok," "The Inner Light," and "I, Borg."

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scene (HD, 1:30): A cut scene from "New Ground." The supplement begins with a text blurb setting the scene for the footage.
• Departmental Briefing Year Five: Production (SD, 15:17): The piece begins with some insight into "The Inner Light" (and returns to it later with a look at the episode's music) and follows with discussions of "Ethics," "Cause and Effect," and "The First Duty."

Disc Three:

• Departmental Briefing Year Five: Visual Effects (SD, 17:47): A vintage supplement that takes a look at series' special effects, the work of Image G on the show, and the process of creating a few specific visual effects, including the holodeck and the title sequence.

Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (HD): Bonus scenes from "Ethics" (1:45), "The Outcast" (1:58), "The First Duty" (3:16, two scenes) and "The Cost of Living" (3:45, two scenes). The scene are again included with an establishing text card.
• Audio Commentaries: Writer Brannon Braga and Star Trek Fan Seth McFarlane discuss "Cause and Effect" and Writers Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar cover "The First Duty."
• Memorable Missions (SD, 18:03): Brief looks at and anecdotes from "The Game," "Hero Worship," "The First Duty," "Power Play," "The Perfect Mate," and "Disaster."

Disc Five:

• Deleted Scene (HD, 1:56): An extra scene from "The Perfect Mate." A text introduction is again included.
• Audio Commentary: Writer René Echevarria and Star Trek Experts Mike & Denise Okuda discuss "I, Borg."
• A Tribute to Gene Roddenberry (SD, 28:23): Interview clips with Roddenberry and assorted members of the Star Trek family are included with several clips from a building dedication on the Paramount lot in Roddenberry's honor. Topics include Roddenberry's personality, cast and crew's fond memories of his presence on the set, and his passing. Stay tuned through to the end for a fun moment with Captain Picard.
• Intergalactic Guest Stars (15:50): Cast and crew look back at some of the series' most famous guest stars and the characters they played.
• Alien Speak (SD, 12:49): A short look at alien language development for the screen. Vulcan, Borg, and Klingon are the focus.

Disc Six:

• Audio Commentary: Writer Morgan Gendel and Star Trek Experts Mike & Denise Okuda discuss "The Inner Light." Note that this commentary was not included with the previously released sampler that featured "The Inner Light."
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 7:00): Five scenes from "The Inner Light."
• Gag Reel (HD, 7:33).
• In Conversation: The Music of Star Trek: The Next Generation (HD, 1:14:21): Jeff Bond, Author of The Music of Star Trek, sits down with Composers Dennis McCarthy, Ron Jones, and Jay Chattaway. They deliver a fascinating chat on not only the music of Star Trek but also the world of music in entertainment. This is another first-class Star Trek Blu-ray supplement that's well worth the time investment.
• Requiem: A Remembrance of Star Trek: The Next Generation Part One: The Needs of the Many (HD, 29:58): The piece begins with Gene Roddenberry discussing the role of entertainment artists in commentating on the world through their craft. Ronald D. Moore, René Echevarria, Brannon Braga, Naren Shankar, and Morgan Gendel discuss the unique brand of conflict within the Star Trek universe, the Moore-Braga collaboration, bending the Prime Directive for dramatic value and better organizing and delivering a specific theme, the writing process, the place of science in the show, Roddenberry's vision for the future, the franchise's place in history, and more.
• Requiem: A Remembrance of Star Trek: The Next Generation Part Two: The Needs of the Few (HD, 28:59): René Echevarria discusses a personal moment from his only meeting with Gene Roddenberry and follows to take a look a Roddenberry's legacy through a segment from Entertainment Tonight. Cast and crew remember Roddenberry's death, his place in their lives, and his funeral. The piece continues to look at Michelle Forbes and Colm Meaney's roles in the series, Wil Wheaton's growth on the show, creating the explosion for "Cause and Effect," and the success of "The Inner Light."

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

TNG's fifth season may very well be its finest. Considering its maturity, nearly endless string of quality episodes, a brief return for Spock, and stories that cover a wide range of styles and themes, it's certainly amongst the great seasons in Star Trek history, if not the single greatest of them all. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5 offers the expectedly splendid video and audio presentations to go along with a mountain of bonus content, both new and vintage. This release earns my highest recommendation.