Search - Star Trek: Alternate Realities on DVD

To really BOLDLY GO and that's an understatement!

Reginald D. Garrard | Camilla, GA USA | 10/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set is divided along four themes: Mirror Universe, Twisted Realities, Parallel Dimensions, and Alternative Lives, showcasing some really outstanding stories from the five Trek incarnations.

The "mirror universe" episodes of "Star Trek" allow the respective casts to pursue not just their darker sides but their uninhibited personas, especially in regards to affairs of a sexual nature.

The original series got things started with "Mirror, Mirror," the classic episode with Kirk (William Shatner), Bones (DeForest Kelly), Scotty (James Doohan), and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) trapped in a reality wherein they belong to a totalitarian society of treachery, deceit, and assassination to get ahead. Guest star Barbara Luna gets to emit one of the best lines in Trek history and Uhura gets to bare some skin and show a don't-mess-with-me attitude when approached by an amorous Sulu (George Takei).

"Deep Space Nine" decided to revisit the same universe in three great episodes ("Crossover," "Through the Looking Glass," and "Shattered Mirror" featured in this compilation and the results are just as titillating. Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks), Dax (Terry Farrell, Chief O'Brien (Colm Meany) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig)have alternates that are a lot less-restrained than their counterparts, allowing some wonderful interplay between them. Kira (Nana Vistor) gets to meet her alternate self, a woman that has "interests" in both the male and female of the species. Both Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Worf (Michael Dorn) have evil twins that allow the actors portraying them a change of pace from their regular "goody-goody" roles. Garek's (frequent player Andrew Robinson) doppelganger is probably more akin to the side of the character that has remained a mystery during the show's seven-year run. Counterparts to Quark (Armin Shimmerman) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) are equally intriguing.

Even Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) gets to visit the mirror universe as he is "kidnapped" by the mirror version of his long-dead mother (guest Felecia Bell).

"Enterprise" chooses to have a two-parter whereby ALL of the regular's alternate personnas take center stage. This makes for a lot of fun as the story features a power-hungry Archer (Scott Bakula), a sexually-charged Hoshi (Linda Park), a sadistic Dr.Phlox (John Billingsley), a merciless Reed (Dominic Keating), and Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) as Archer's silent "muscle. T'Pol's (Jolene Blalock) alternate is almost the same as her counterpart but with a little more revealing attire.

"The Twisted Realities" episodes are just as engrossing, with the standouts being the classic "The Enemy Within" from the original to "Frame of Mind" from "The Next Generation, the latter with a bravura performance from Jonathan Frakes as Commander Ryker.

"Alternate Realities" showcase three of the best ever from "The Next Generation." Tony Todd is brilliant as the adult Jake Sisko in "The Visitor" while Patrick Stewart shines in "The Inner Light," an episode with a crafty premise and a wonderful musical score. "Yesterday's Enterprise" is, without a doubt, one of the top ten from the Next Generation. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar was inspired, but not as much as her surprising second "reincarnation" which would happen some years later.

The two installments under the "Parallel Dimensions" heading are a mixed bag. While "Parallels" benefits from the captivating situation that Worf finds himself in as he bounces from one dimension to the next, the original series' "The Alternative Factor" only serves to remind one of the ill-fated theatrical "Star Trek V." Once seen, the viewer will understand the comparison.

Of the remaining episodes, highlights include a spectacular crash of Voyager in "Timeless," a jaw-dropping destruction of Earth in "Twilight" and the tear-jerker "Course: Oblivion."

In addition to the quality of the episodes, the new visuals on the original series are fantastic!

The special features are cast and crew reflections on the episodes featured in the compilation. Particularly touching are the recollections from guest star Tony Todd about "The Visitor.""

It's Cool!

David N. Knottnerus | Somewhere in Iraq | 09/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody has wrote an actual review of this product yet, so I guess I'll do it.

This is a pretty neat set, especially compared to the other ones,like the Borg, and Klingon sets that don't give you much more than what you already have if you have the complete season sets. I havn't seen the "Captains" set so I really can't compare it to that. I was skeptical at first when I picked it up because I have all the OST, TNG, and ENT episodes, but the extras were worth it.

The OST episodes are neat in the fact this was the first time I had seen the Remasters on a screen bigger than my ipod.(I downloaded a few for an international flight) And the shots you do see at the begining and end of "Turnabout Intruder" are really cool. There's commentary on quite a few of the episodes. The One for the "Enemy Within" is alot of fun; the Star Trek authors, Judith Reeves-Stevens and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, give alot of fun insight into the mistakes that nitpickers have been point out for years. "Alterantive Factor" is one of my favorites just because it so weird and doesn't really make any sense.

Brana Braga gives commentary on "Parallels", And David Carson gives commentary on "Yesturday's Enterprise". There's a few other commentary's aswell. Sussman on The Enterprise Episode "Twilight" and there's a couple others I think. Each disc has a little documentary on the episodes for that disc.

It's a fun set for fans, who want the Mirror episodes or the better episodes for a particular series but don't like it enough to by the complete sets, for me that would be DS9 and VGR.

And thank god they didn't reissue "All Good Things" again.

"