Star Trek, the granddaddy of all modern science-fiction franchises, turns the big five-oh this year. There have been all kinds of celebrations planned, including the big 50th anniversary convention coming to New York City this fall. But now joint Star Trek rights holders CBS and Paramount Pictures are teaming up to bring fans the ultimate Blu-ray collection featuring the original cast. You can see what the box set will look like in the image below:
The Star Trek 50th Anniversary TV and Movie Collection is set to hit stores on September 6, 2016, which is just two days before the official 50th anniversary date of the first episode of Star Trek, which aired on NBC back in 1966. This new box set contains all three seasons (that’s 79 episodes) of the original series, as well as all six films featuring the original Enterprise crew.
And for the first time ever, the two seasons of Star Trek: The Animated Series will be included in HD as well. The short-lived animated show featured the original voice cast returning to their roles, and ran from 1973-75. All together, there are 30 discs in this package, including 20 hours of bonus materials.
Also included just for this box set is a new multi-part documentary Star Trek: The Journey to the Silver Screen, which included the following chapters:
-The New Frontier: Resurrecting Star Trek
-Maiden Voyage: Making Star Trek: The Motion Picture
-The Genesis Effect: Engineering The Wrath of Khan
-The Dream is Alive: The Continuing Mission
-End of an Era: Charting the Undiscovered Country
Also included are collectible Mini-Posters for movies 1-6 by artist Juan Ortiz, and collectible Starfleet insignia pin.
Sadly, what won’t be included is the director’s cut for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Back in 2001, Director Robert Wise commissioned a new cut of his film for DVD, with new CGI effects made to complete ones they didn’t have the money to finish back in 1979. However, the CGI effects weren’t completed in HD, so Robert Wise’s director’s cut has never been on Blu-ray, only standard definition DVD. This would have been the perfect opportunity to finally release an HD version of The Motion Picture.
Aside from that, however, this looks to be the comprehensive collection of the original crew’s adventures on the Starship Enterprise, and a crucial part of any Trekker’s library. The collection is not yet available for pre-order, and doesn’t have an SRP yet, but I can promise this one isn’t going to come cheap. Start saving your pennies, Trek fans, and stay tuned to Nerdist for any additional information.
Are all the newest goodies in the new Star Trek box enough to make you buy the original series all over again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: CBS Home Entertainment / Paramount Pictures
