Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: April 30, 2013
Run Time: 85 minutes
Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
For all “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fans, we all know that “The Best of Both Worlds” was one of the best arcs in the series. The classic two-part cliffhanger ended the third season and started the fourth season. This Blu-ray contains both parts of this great story blended into one seamlessly edited feature length film. The only issue with this Blu-ray is that since “The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1” was one of the best cliffhangers ever, putting the two parts together kind of takes a little bit of that away anticipation away. But I love this story and this new edit works quite well. Also “The Best of Both Worlds: Part 2” isn’t available until Paramount releases the “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 4” on Blu-ray possibly later this year. But in the meantime fans can enjoy it in advance right here.
Official Premise: The powerful cliffhanger: The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 and 2 has been fully restored in brilliant 1080p HD and seamlessly edited together into one feature-length presentation…and the crew of the Enterprise is asked: How do you stop an unstoppable foe? The Enterprise team discovers the devastated remains of a Federation colony as an ambitious young officer joins the crew to confirm the presence of the deadly Borg. Soon after, Borg drones abduct Captain Picard, mutilating him horribly as they assimilate him into their collective. Commander Riker must take over as Enterprise captain as Steerfleet braces for an all-out battle to defend Earth. But the Borg’s power proves overwhelming, and resistance is futile. Will Riker be forced to destroy his former captain to save Earth and the Federation?
So I wouldn’t really consider this a double-dip since it does come with some great special features. This is also the only place to watch the two-part edit since only Part 1 is available on the third season Blu-ray. Some fans also might want to only own the episodes in a feature-length format then the whole seasons. The Blu-ray presentation is pretty sharp as well with a nice Velcro snap half-cover slipcase, simple but nice touch. Another bonus to this release is that Paramount is including a UltraViolet digital streaming copy of the episodes. They are beautifully presented in 1080p with a stunning 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The episodes have never looked or sounded better. The special features include an audio commentary track with Cliff Bole, Mike & Denise Okuda and Elizabeth Dennehy. There is also a featurette “Regeneration: Engaging the Borg” and a Gag Reel included. These bonus features are also not available on the “Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three” Blu-ray release.