The Next Level is certainly a Pic-uliar addition to Jon Luc's command...

The disc holds three ‘fan favourite’ episodes; ‘Encounter at Farpoint’, ‘The Inner Light’ & ‘Sins of the Father’. The first is a feature length episode adapted from the pilot, and as a result, it kinda sucks balls. A lot of the dialogue is painful or just sloppy exposition, the editing is crappy & no one in the whole of Star Fleet knows how to walk in any other way than ‘I’m trying to walk like I can’t see the camera’ mode.

The episode picks several different characters to use as an entry point (some of them an hour into the story) and sticks with none of them, yet somehow not treating their achievements as a team effort.

For some reason, the main character attribute we learn of Picard is that he is afraid of children, though I imagine that when this first came out, his policy of non-insemination was a refreshing change from Kirk’s limp-inducing diplomacy.

There are some weird directional choices too; when Wesley Crusher, proud owner of the galaxy’s most flaccid existence award, gets to have a look a the bridge (something we got bored of an hour ago), we cut to a first person view, taking in the majesty of the room before looking Picard up & down, hovering slightly too long on the captain’s log (I might have dreamt that part) with the due solemnity of an absolute fucking tool.

That said, the episode is fascinating to look back upon to see how they introduce all the new concepts (holo-decks, launching the saucer section) and how they treat some of the old classics (transporters, communicators, uniforms, faster warp speeds). The moment where the ship’s aft & saucer section separate is perhaps the biggest money shot. We are treated to tense shots of the separation, which must have blown the mind of fans when they first saw it but the writer clearly thought it was so exciting that we needed to see it again, this time in reverse as the ship is reconnected, complete with same tension as before (even though this time they’re not travelling at full speed with a metaphor for guilt in hot pursuit).

By far the worst thing about the episode was Deanna Troi, who in her early incarnation displays the same skill for telepathy as the girl from Team America (that said, creators Matt & Trey are Trekkies, so Troi as that character’s basis wouldn’t surprise me). For some reason she is allowed on the bridge, and has a seat next to the captain, perhaps following her vapid promotion through the ranks of Star Fleet after demonstrating her rare and highly coveted ability to speak without thinking?

- “Farpoint Station!? Even the name sounds mysterious!” – No, no it doesn’t.

- “He’s frozen!” - To man immobilized by a blast of frost.

- “I’m sensing a powerful mind.” - Cross-eyed from concentration.

Another joy of the pilot was seeing how awkward everyone performing walking shots is. One otherwise pointless shot features Worf walking through the engine room, as we pan & linger on a Vulcan and a human, dressed in blue & mustard respectively.

More acknowledgement of the Original Series comes when a 137 year old Admiral McCoy is walked to his ship by Data, who seems nonplussed by the admiral’s story about how schmoogies are on every damned street (or something to that effect).

All that said, when burdened with the task of introducing a whole new team to an existing universe, whilst playing off said universe’s concepts was never going to be easy, so perhaps I’m judging it too harshly. The disc’s other two episodes are a lot more palatable; character developing stories about Picard (who manages to have grandchildren in the space of 25 minutes) and Worf (who find out he is related to Tony Todd, & seems pretty chuffed about it).

All of the special effects in the episodes of the coming Blu-Ray releases have undergone an update, which has actually made a huge improvement to shots of the ship and giant space jelly fish that occupy the universe. This goes to waste somewhat, as all episodes on the disc are action light, with more explosions in the advert for a ST iPad app than in four hours of Treking.

Furthermore, ‘Sins of the Father’ also makes you well aware that 13 seconds of the original negative reel have been lost, so you must put up with standard definition, which is frankly barbaric.

The biggest issue with paying for HD is that none of the episodes are in wide screen, something which is particularly noticeable in the shots of the ship, which is forced to huddle next to the Klingon War Bird like dogs in Tupperware. In summary; if you’re not already into TNG, then these episodes won’t win you over, and if you’re already a fan you’re better off buying the whole season, though do consider if 3:4 format means you're better off buying the DVD.

Extras

The disc is mostly void of extras, save for a trailer for series 1 in Blu Ray & an iPad app.

0/5

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR SITE, AT NO COST WITH ONE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK 'LIKE' BUTTON BELOW: