Friday Coffee Break – NFL Playoffs and Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1) on Blu-ray

I’m sipping on a cup of the delicious black nectar of the gods, contemplating the upcoming three day weekend. The weekend will be fun filled and action packed; well maybe not so much action, but undoubtedly fun.

For starters my youngest son turns three on the 19th. It’s kind of amazing that the little bugger is growing up so quickly. We are going to have a b-day party for him – Backyardigans is the theme – on Saturday.

NFL Playoffs
We should have some great NFL playoff action on Saturday and Sunday. I’m pulling for the Cardinals, Dallas, Indy, and the Jets. Unlike college football where there is some sort of pent up stupid pride for the SEC, as if victories by Georgia’s rivals somehow make Georgia look better, I have no such emotional attachments with the Saints. I do not want them to advance! Thus says the life-long Falcons fan. Dallas because my dad was a huge Cowboys fan, and they are a distant second favorite team. Indy because I like Peyton Manning, and finally the J-E-T-S, Jets!, Jets!, Jets! Because for some inexplicable reason my seven-year old likes the Jets. Go figure.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 (Blu-ray)
I have been working my way through Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 (ST: TOS) on gorgeous Blu-ray. I finished the first three disks; all episodes, bonus materials, etc. One of the more interesting features is something called Starfleet Access (so far on disk 1 and disk 3):

Disc One begins with Starfleet Access for the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” a feature that “grants you security clearance to explore Starfleet Command’s Database.” This supplement features a diverse selection of “Trek” Producers, Writers, Historians, and Authors, including Michael and Denise Okuda, appearing throughout the show in a picture-in-picture window discussing the story, props, characters, score, updated effects, and more.

I would rather have a full commentary track, or at least more picture-in-picture discussions. With that said, what is included in fascinating.

If you are a fan of ST: TOS you owe it to yourself to pickup this collection. The material holds up great, mostly because the stories are well-written, and the characters are captivating and diverse. Of course the special effects are somewhat cheesy looking by today’s standards, but the producers have done a great job of upgrading the special effects to have a more modern look and feel. Purest should not be alarmed; the episodes in all their 1960’ish effects are included for your viewing pleasure. Highly recommended!

Happy Friday!

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2 thoughts on “Friday Coffee Break – NFL Playoffs and Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1) on Blu-ray”

  1. Well, about the only division rival which I don’t want to see win are the Rams but that goes back decades. Mostly indifferent about the Cards.

    Cowboys are one team I don’t want to see win. Jerry Jones is reason enough, but I don’t particularly resent any of their players. But right now, they match up pretty well against any remaining NFC team. If that DL keeps playing the way it is, they will be hard to beat.

    Wonder about how a show from the ’60s holds up on Blu Ray. Back then though, if they filmed it, especially used a widescreen format, and the prints are in good condition, it should be okay on Blu-Ray.

    I know they have special editions of old movies like Casablanca on Blu-Ray.

    Star Trek used to be on syndicated TV for years so I’ve probably seen every ep. a half dozen times. But now, with all the channels, you can’t find it. Probably because the studios discovered the goldmine of TV box sets and they find they can sell any old show.

  2. Anyone who does not like the Rams is OK in my book. Falcons NFC West rivals from the old days.

    As for Star Trek, you have to consider that I am a huge ST fan and I love SciFi. It holds up well (for me) because the stories are well written, but as I said, even with the updated graphics, some of the effects may come across as cheesy.

    For these Blu-ray releases, they actually went back to the original film and did a fantastic restoration – if you are a fan of ST, you should at least rent.

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