Nothing is more fascinating than watching a smooth-headed British actor portray
a French captain aboard a starship some 300 years in the future…and have
him do it well. When Star Trek: The Next Generation began its
seven season run in 1987, Patrick Stewart was the man who had a huge hurdle
to overcome: live up to the standards of Captain Kirk. Of course for years after
geeks argued over the internet which captain was the superior – I don’t
know which won the battle, nor do I care. All I do know is that Patrick Stewart
took the character of Captain Picard on an incredible metamorphosis over those
seven seasons. Did I mention how incredibly smooth-headed he is? Now to honor
a great character in an equally as fantastic television show, here comes The
Jean-Luc Picard Collection (pronounced John-Luke Pickard); a two-disc
set from Paramount to compliment the prior release of the seven seasons
on DVD. If you’re not a fan of Star Trek (in any form)
and you’ve read this far, I applaud you – and do feel free to keep
reading.
I haven’t done my research, so I don’t know how renowned Patrick
Stewart was in the acting business back in 1987. I also wonder at times what
he was thinking when he auditioned for the roll of Captain Picard. Early in
the series, it seemed as though his stolid, brooding nature wouldn’t allow
his crew, or fans of the show, to warm up to him. He seldom smiled, laughed,
or was entertained by jokes, irony, satire, or even incessant ramblings of an
android. He hated children, and was always business. You know how they say all
work and no play makes Jean-Luc a dull boy. However, experience changes people.
And over the course of seven years, through the brilliance of the writers and
the great acting ability of Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned
from a hard-ass into a respectable, and mighty man.
Even though The Jean-Luc Picard Collection is supposed to showcase
the remarkable character at his best, the two-disc set comes only comes with
seven episodes which is the set’s first drawback. The second, and perhaps
most harmful drawback is the selection of episodes. Of the seven, I would only
classify four of them as really showcasing the Picard character – and
only two of those are truly dedicated to the character, and Stewart’s
incredible acting. The episodes included are “The Big Goodbye,”
“Sarek,” “Family,” “The Drumhead,” “Darmok,”
“The Inner Light,” and “Tapestry.” The two episodes
that are really only truly worthy are “The Inner Light,” where Picard
is trapped in the life of another man on an unknown planet (a truly uplifting
story), and “Tapestry,” in which the omnipotent Q returns as Picard
is near death and offers him a chance to change his life. “Tapestry”
is one of my favorite episodes of The Next Generation series, as it shows how
a person’s life is weaved together from all his experiences, personalities,
and goals in life. And it offers the question that if given the chance, would
you change anything? Would you cash in on your regrets? It’s a fantastic
episode and by far the best on the set.
However, when one reflects upon the pool of seven seasons that Star Trek: The
Next Generation had to offer, there are many others that would have better suited
this collection, such as “Captain’s Holiday,” “Starship
Mine,” and the incredible two parter: “The Best Of Both Worlds.”
Those are just a few that come to mind. I feel as though those who put together
this collection really didn’t have much knowledge of Star Trek –
someone just told them to find a few where Picard was in the forefront. Which
is a disappointment, because many of the Picard-centered episodes are really
good. Aside from this major factor, the set has little to offer in special features.
The only extra included with the set is a documentary featuring Stewart as the
narrator called “From Here To Infinity.” It looks like something
that was shown on PBS’s NOVA – except from around 1985. It’s
a fairly poor guided tour of most of our solar system, and some of the phenomena
within our galaxy. Not even Stewart’s suave voice could overcome the cheesy
use of classical music, and atrocious computer generated images. Also, if you’ve
seen some episodes of The Next Generation, then you’ll
notice that a bunch of the scenes and pictures used in this documentary were
taken right from there. Overall, I was actually bored watching it. I love space
and the universe, and everything that’s out there, but this documentary
was a snoozer.
When it comes right down to it, the Jean-Luc Picard Collection
is a DVD set for someone who isn’t looking to spend a lot of money to
get some half-way decent episodes. The season sets from Paramount cost
over $100 each, so if you’re not willing to fork over that amount of money
for the complete season, then maybe this set is a good start for you. I’m
curious to know if Paramount is planning on release set like this that
center around the other main characters of the show. Personally I think it’s
a great idea, except I hope they get someone who knows their Trek to pick the
episodes. If you’re not a fan of Star Trek, then I don’t
know why you even bothered to read this review. But it might be a good place
to begin taking interest. The selection of episodes covers many of the seasons,
and allows the viewer to see how not only Picard progressed, but many of the
other characters as well. Not to mention how the sets, demeanor, and special
effects of the show changed over time. Maybe then you could justify the price
for the seasonal sets and pick some up. For those who already own the seven
seasons, then I don’t think you’ll need to add this to your collection.
The DVD case is nice and offers a few spiffy bits of trivia about the Captain,
but other than that there isn’t anything that makes you need this set.
So, in the end it’s up to you. Make it so.
Collection Episodes: C+
Collection Extras: F
Overall: D+
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