STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION started to develop by leaps and bounds in season three.  The first two seasons were hit and miss with the stories.  It had strong stories that include the Cold War (THE ENEMY, THE DEFECTOR), the Prime Directive (WHO WATCHES THE WATCHERS, old characters (SAREK), new twists (the excellent paradox tale YESTERDAY’S ENTERPRISE), political intrigue (SIN OF THE FATHER which is the first story to develop the Klingons), terrorists who want freedom for their people (THE HIGH GROUND), the Captain getting some (CAPTAIN’S HOLIDAY), and the return of the Borg (THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Part 1- the best cliffhanger of the series).   The show still had some duds like MENAGE A TROI and DEJA Q.   I still didn’t care for Captain Picard (that came around season 4 and 5) yet.  I still thought Commander Riker and Data were better characters while the writers still didn’t know what to do with Troi or Dr. Crusher or Geordi.   It was a good thing to shift the show to have the episode being about one of the main characters instead of it just being about story or the guest stars.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Every episode can be played with or without episodic promos.  Extra from the DVD release have been carried over for the blu-ray set.

DISC 1-

ARCHIVAL MISSION LOG: MISSION OVERVIEW YEAR THREE- a look at the variety of stories for season three

Audio commentary for THE BONDING by Ronald D. Moor and Mike & Denise Okuda

DISC 2-

ARCHIVAL MISSION LOG: SELECTED CREW ANALYSIS YEAR THREE- the cast reflect on their characters and how they developed and how the writing didn’t quite help some characters.

DISC 3-

ARCHIVAL MISSION: DEPARTMENTAL BRIEFING YEAR THREE: MEMORABLE MISSIONS- a brief look at some of the most featured episodes of the third season

Audio commentary for YESTERDAY’S ENTERPRISE by David Carson

Audio commentary for YESTERDAY’S ENTERPRISE by Ronald D. Moore, Ira Steven Behr, and Mike & Denise Okuda

DISC 4-

ARCHIVAL MISSION LOG: DEPARTMENTAL BRIEFING YEAR THREE: PRODUCTION- a behind-the-scenes look at the making of season three

Audio commentary for THE OFFSPRING by Rene Echevarria and Mike & Denise Okuda

Audio commentary for SINS OF THE FATHER by Ronald D. Moore, Dan Curry, and Mike & Denise Okuda

DISC 5-

The gag reel is worth watching at least once.

IN MEMORIAM DAVID RAPPORT is listed for this disc, but it is missing from the disc.

DISC 6-

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, INSIDE THE WRITER’S ROOM- a reunion of the key writing staff (Ronald D. Berman, Brannon Braga, Naren Shankar, Rene Echeavira) and moderated by Seth MacFarlane.  The writers discuss how it was working with Michael Piller, the best episodes, the wrost episodes, what worked and what didn’t.  They discuss the whole range of episodes made during the seven seasons of TNG in this 70 minute discussion.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE- ASSIMILATING STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION which is a three part retrospective documentary which covers the range of ups and downs of season three as script editor Melinda Snodergrass  as she tells the story of how she tried to write the holodeck out of the show (that didn’t make Gene Roddenberry happy), discussions about pivotal episodes, the season three cliffhanger with the Borg, and how some of the cast had problems with how their characters were written (Gates MacFadden had to fight to get the writers to write for her character again after being gone for a season while it dawns on Marina Sirtris she should have had discussions with the writers about where she saw her character instead of waiting for them to write for Troi).

PART ONE: BIOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS

PART TWO: TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS

PART THREE: THE COLLECTIVE

A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL PILLER- Michael Piller’s wife and the cast and crew of STAR TREK: TNG remember Michael Piller as they talk about his career and his time on TNG.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  The show looks and sounds great in HD while the new and old extras provide a wealth of extras to explore for fans of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (with the best extras on disc six).  Season Three is a must buy for STAR TREK fans in the first season where TNG started to shine.

This review is (c)4-26-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com