Based loosely on the 1999 novel by science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer, the show was originally developed at HBO. However, executives there felt that it was better suited for a broadcast network and sold it to ABC. David S. Goyer (the Blade trilogy) wrote the pilot, along with Brannon Braga (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and they both served as executive producers.

All good science fiction shows start off with a great premise and Flashforward’s is a doozy. FBI Special Agent Mark Benford (Fiennes) wakes up in a crash with his car turned upside down. He crawls out of the wreckage to find the world around him in utter chaos. We flashback a few hours and meet a wide variety of characters. Suddenly, in the middle of their respective lives, they all simultaneously blackout for 137 seconds during which time they experience visions of their lives six months in the future.

This phenomenon appears to have affected everyone in the world except, for some unknown reason, Benford’s partner, Demetri Noh (Cho), who experienced no flashforward. He interprets this to mean that he’s going to die. Flashforward explores how a diverse cast of characters interpret and react to their own flashforwards with the focus on Benford’s investigation of the blackout. In his flashforward, he saw the results of the investigation into the global blackout and uses it to recreate the investigation in the present. Over the course of the first ten episodes, many of the characters uncover all kinds of tantalizing clues.

The show takes this intriguing premise and runs with it in a compelling way with the FBI investigation being the most interesting storyline and the one that drives the narrative. It would be a shame if this show was canceled before it got a chance to offer some resolution for its loyal fans.

Special Features:

“Creating Catastrophe: The Effects of a Global Blackout” takes a look at how they shot the blackout sequence with all kinds of stunts and special effects. Obviously, a lot of planning went into it and this extra sheds light on what it took to pull it off.

“Flashforward: A Look Ahead” features a clip from an upcoming episode.

“Could” is a teaser for the remaining episodes for this season.

Set in the near future, Surrogates imagines a world where 98% of the population uses synthetic people to represent themselves in real life. You can now look as beautiful as you want and don’t have to leave the comfort of your home, thereby risking harm. The crime rate drops dramatically as society moves towards a kind of utopia. However, there are a growing minority of people led by Zaire Powell a.k.a. “The Prophet” (Rhames) that believe that these replicants are an “invasion of the inhuman.”

Trouble occurs when a surrogate collage student affiliated with the reclusive Dr. Lionel Canter (Cromwell), creator of the world’s replicants, is killed. FBI Agents Greer (Willis) and his partner Peters (Mitchell) investigate the incident and discover a complicated mystery behind this crime. The FBI discover that the operator of the student surrogate was also killed – he’s directly linked to his replicant – something that is considered impossible. It turns out that the student was the son of Dr. Canter. When Greer’s surrogate is destroyed while chasing a potential suspect (Noseworthy) through a reservation of anti-surrogates, he is almost killed in real life. He’s suspended for trespassing and decides to continue his investigation au natural.

Radha Mitchell is appropriately icy as an FBI fembot while Bruce Willis tones down his wisecracking action hero persona to something approaching a flawed character in the vein of 12 Monkeys. Of note, Willis’ surrogate looks oddly enough like a cross between a life-sized Ken doll and the protagonist he played in Breakfast of Champions (1998).

Director Jonathan Mostow does a nice job of establishing this exotic world with eerie shots like that of a subway car occupied by slightly plastic-looking replicants all staring straight-ahead like obedient, soulless robots. He is a solid genre director responsible for the road rage thriller Breakdown (1996) and did a fairly decent job with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). While the screenwriters seem to aspire to make some deep statement about what it means to be human and the dehumanizing effect of technology a la Blade Runner (1982), Mostow’s direction only comes to life when the conspiracy thriller aspects kicks in. As a result, the script is sometimes at odds with the film’s direction and so Surrogates comes across like the popular video game The Sims as if programmed by Philip K. Dick when it could have been so much more, like Children of Men (2006).

Special Features:

There is an audio commentary by director Jonathan Mostow. He talks about the practical and stylistic reasons he decided to shoot the film in Boston. He points out that this is the most visual effects-heavy film he’s ever worked on and most of it was done on the actors. Mostow wanted to get away from the shaky, hand-held camerawork currently en vogue in favour of 1960’s era John Frankenheimer (i.e. Seconds). Mostow speaks eloquently and knowledgeably on this informative track.

“I Will Not Bow” music video by Breaking Benjamin. This very Linkin Park-sounding song features a standard movie tie-in video that mixes footage of the band playing with clips from the film.

With Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, released on DVD tomorrow, some of those problems have been addressed. Firstly, the action sequences. They are now edited properly and are, not to heap too much praise on Bay, excellent. The opening sequence where Optimus Prime battles with a huge crane Decepticon and Sideswipe destroys a Decepticon Audi R8 is fantastic. Better than anything in the first movie.

Optimus himself is now finally the Autobot he should have been in the first film. The scene where he takes on three Decepticons at once, including Megatron and Starscream, is superb.

Just like the first film, where we see Megan Fox getting her iconic ‘opening Bumblebee’s bonnet’ shot, in Transformers 2 we get the ‘straddling a bike’ shot, as Bay gives the little boys in the audience just what they want. It’s gratuitous, but we don’t care.

The addition of the Decepticon Wheelie is a great one. Wheelie transforms into a radio controlled truck, and is a lewd creature with a crush on Michaela. He’s the sort of comic relief that works, unlike much of the other comedic moments in the film.

There is a point in the film where it looked as though we were moving in Species, where the Decepticon who took the disguise of a teenage girl tried to seduce Sam and steal what was in his head. This isn’t quite what Transformers is about, but at least Bay kept his diversion to a minimum during the film and went back on track very quickly.

While Transformers 2 is better, there are still some big problems with the film:

The biggest problem I have with this movie, and with the first one for the matter, is Bay’s insistence on filling the screen time with pointless comedy. With Transformers 2 however I’m not referring to the comedy scenes with Sam’s parents, instead the problem is the comedic Transformers themselves. Why does Bay insist on inventing Transformers characters such as the ‘Twins’? They’re not funny and they’re not needed.

Is the Transformers Universe not big enough that characters such as these need to be invented? Their onscreen antics take away from the real quality of the film, such as the scenes where we finally see Optimus Prime acting like the character that he is, and the great relationship between Megatron and Starscream.

As for what Bay did to Jetfire, that’s inhumane. Jetfire is one of the best of the original Transformers. He is extremely powerful, fast and above all torn. Whether you follow the cartoon continuity or the comic continuity, the character of Jetfire is very complex, and he is a confused soul.

Yet Bay decided to turn him into comic relief and have him as an old duffer. It was senseless and a waste of a great character.

Another negative of Revenge of the Fallen, and this is going to annoy a great many people, is the relationship between Sam and Michaela (Shia and Megan). Shia is an OK actor, and Megan has proved in films since that she’s more than just a pretty face and a hot body, she can act. Yet in this film the pair are given wafer thin characters and are expected to make them work. They are given a lot of screen time and dialogue, but it doesn’t work. The childishness of Sam’s character, refusing to speak for ten seconds when being chased by a Decepticon and his insistence that he’s trying to keep Michaela interested by not telling her he loves her doesn’t ingratiate him to the audience, nor would it to anyone.

His character comes across as very annoying, which is a shame as he’s supposed to anchor the film.

Don’t get me wrong, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen is much better than the first film. The action sequences are shot, and more importantly edited, much better and Optimus Prime gives the impression that he really is a ‘kick ass’ leader. There’s still some way to go however before Bay makes a Transformers film that does the franchise justice.

When the idea of a fourth Terminator movie was first floated around, it met with much scepticism. The third Terminator, Rise of the Machines, was so bad that any thought of another movie left the blood cold. Cameron’s first two movies were so good, whereas the third was so bad, that surely the franchise had been terminated?

Despite this, the TV series ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ breathed new life into the franchise, and wisely ignored the presence of T3 altogether. The fourth Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation, is along the same lines as the series, only bigger, darker and better.

Terminator Salvation takes place after judgment day, so you don’t get any of this time travel gimmickry that the first three movies had. It’s a cold, dark world, and there’s no escape from it. This helps with the intensity of T4, as the Terminators are everywhere, they can attack at any time and they have secret weapons.

John Connor is back, this time played by the now legendary Christian Bale, who clearly wanted to be the centre of two franchises at the same time. He is outstanding in the role, bringing the depth, intensity (there’s that word again) and credibility needed for the saviour of mankind.

Connor isn’t the leader of the resistance. Instead he is challenged in everything he tries to do as the actual leaders don’t believe in his mother’s foretelling of events. This isn’t so much of a problem, as those under him do believe.

Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a murderer who was sentenced to death by lethal injection, yet wakes up in the future feeling much better than he should. His dark past is nothing compared to his even darker future.

The film revolves around Connor having to trust his instincts in the face of what he has been fighting his whole life, if he is to save his father, Kyle Reese, before the Terminators get to him.

The film is dark, expertly shot and yes, intense. The scene towards the beginning of the film features a huge single shot sequence where Connor pursues a HK (Hunter Killer) on a helicopter, only to crash land and crawl out before being attacked by a Terminator. This scene being shot in a single, unbroken shot, forces you into the film like the previous three films never did.

Salvation could possibly be the best Terminator movie yet.

The Blu-Ray also features the extended version, which has the odd extra scene and sequence. One of the extra sequences shows Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) removing her clothes to shower in the rain while staring at Marcus Wright. Probably not needed for the plot, but we’re all glad it’s in there!

There are one or two flaws with the film, flaws that were probably added in post production. For example, as Connor and his team attack the Terminator base at the beginning of the film, a line of dialogue was dubbed over the top telling the viewer that the information in the computers is top priority… did we need to know that? We could probably have worked out that they were going in for information, without the info dump.

This is only a minor niggle, as the film is outstanding. The final sequence with the T800 in the Terminator production factory will send shivers down any Terminator fan’s spine.

The boys from the Dwarf are back once again. Slightly older, slightly rounder, slightly less hair and slightly less funny, but back nonetheless.

Red Dwarf has been missing from TV screens for far too long and despite the constant rumours of a big screen outing it hasn’t really looked like returning. Despite the absence of a new series, movie or even a cartoon adaptation (hey, they’ve done that for everything else) Red Dwarf has been on cable almost every day on the TV channel Dave.

Dave is the channel that everyone loves to watch because it always shows the classic TV programs that entertain us, such as Top Gear, Mock the Week, QI and of course, Red Dwarf. Dave was called Dave because everyone (and this is a fact) has a friend called Dave… go on, think about it.

Now, while Red Dwarf became one of Dave’s most popular shows, and since the BBC showed no interest in bringing it back, Dave itself decided to commission a new three part episode of the classic Sci-Fi show.

The fans were in raptures.

Red Dwarf was originally a low budget, two man show about Dave Lister (Craig Charles) being stranded in space as the last man in existence. In order to keep him sane, the computer (Holly) brought his best friend/enemy Arnold J Rimmer (Chris Barrie) back to life as a hologram. The two men would spend their days arguing and getting on each other’s nerves as much as possible.

Then the Cat (Danny John-Jules) was introduced as a human/cat hybrid, followed by Kryten (later played by Robert Llewellyn) as the helpful android. As the show progressed the budget became bigger and the scope of the show increased. The series peaked around series 3 or 4 before starting to go downhill and become too self referential, pandering to the demands of the fans who wanted to see recurring characters such as the Cat’s alter ego Dwayne Dibley, and Rimmer’s more heroic counterpart, Ace Rimmer.

Eventually Chris Barrie left altogether, being replaced with Chloë Annett who, while being better to look at than Barrie, wasn’t as much fun on screen. The final series, series 8, reunited all of the cast in what was widely regarded as a great disappointment.

So what about Red Dwarf: Back to Earth? As expected, the magic of the earlier series of the show was never quite recaptured, but it was more enjoyable than the dire series 8. As Craig Charles now plies his trade on Coronation Street, having the Dwarfers shift into our reality and meet actors from Coronation Street was a stroke of genius. There were elements of Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero as Dave Lister came face to face with Craig Charles in the Rovers Return.

However, moments like these were few and far between, especially with the rather thick imagery of Blade Runner being ever present throughout the three parter before delving into movie parody at the conclusion.

As the special features showed, the effects were of great importance to the production, which is sad as the script writing is what always kept Red Dwarf apart from other shows at the time. The biting dialogue between two men who really despised each other is what fans of the show came to love, and this was sadly missing.

Back to Earth also suffered from being shot like a movie, rather than a TV series. This gave the feeling that you weren’t watching an episode of Red Dwarf at all, it was more like a high budget drama or piece of cinema. With too many cinematic shots, close ups and grand camera movements, the chance for the characters to play off each other was lost.

This was a great idea from Dave, and worth it for the scenes on Coronation Street, but next time give the fans what they need, not what they want.

Created by Eiji Tsuburaya, a special effects innovator who had a hand in the creation of Godzilla in 1954, Ultraman focuses on the adventures of the five-member Science Special Search Party of the International Science Police Organization. They are stationed in Japan investigating unusual phenomena while protecting Earth from alien invaders from outer space.

While investigating a UFO, deputy captain Shin Hayata’s (Kurobe) jet plane is taken out by a strange spherical object. Hayata’s unconscious body is enveloped by an alien red sphere where he is confronted by a being from the M78 nebula. The alien has been pursuing another extra-terrestrial known as Bemular, a “devilish monster who disturbs the peace of space.” The M78 nebula alien merges with Hayata so that when he is trouble he can transform into this powerful being known as Ultraman.

The show has fairly cheap production values, including shots of fighter jets that look like models right out the Thunderbirds, and stiff acting but this only adds to Ultraman’s charm. All of the episodes follow the same basic formula: a strange alien monster threatens Earth forcing Hayata to transform into Ultraman and stop it. There are also a lot of snazzy gizmos, cool weapons and neat vehicles that you couldn’t get enough of when you were a kid. The rubber-suited monsters evoke the ones made popular by the Godzilla films only on a much smaller budget. As a result, it is a lot of fun to see Ultraman slug it out with one of these things.

The first episode didn’t do much to sway my opinions either as it started with a clichéd dream sequence, as many bad films and TV series tend to do. However, the dream sequence is a staple of the Terminator franchise and is something that Lind Hamilton’s Sarah Connor would frequently do. Also, the Sarah Connor Chronicles was played out as though Rise of the Machines never happened (always a good thing) and instead picked up where Terminator 2 left off.

Sarah Connor Chronicles was also helped by its excellent casting, with Lena Headey being more than an ample replacement for Linda Hamilton. It helps that she’s also pretty damn hot! Thomas Dekker, as John Connor, found the perfect blend between petulant teenager and saviour of mankind. He was also far better in the role than either of the two actors who’d played him beforehand.

As I gave the series chance I quickly realised that I was watching quality, and series 2 had a lot to live up to; luckily it didn’t disappoint.

Sarah Conner Chronicles season 2 managed to produce shocks along the way, playing with the tried and tested Terminator mythology as it grew. The introduction of a T-1000 (played by Shirley Manson from Garbage) gave the series more gravitas and allowed it to build to a startling climax. Just as with Terminator 2, you were never sure who the good guys and who the bad guys were until they revealed their hand, and when they’re Terminators, their hands are often revealed with devastating consequences.

One of the best aspects of this series is the way it isn’t afraid to kill off central characters, much in the same way as the original Terminator comics. A character could be around for several weeks (even from series 1) and they could still be despatched without a heartbeat’s of emotion from a Terminator, or the director for that matter. This puts the characters in jeopardy all the way through, before the climactic cliff-hanger that, thanks to Fox, left audiences angry when the show was cancelled without a series 3.

Sarah Conner Chronicles is an excellent series and one that deserved a third series.

The essence of the film is that you have a space warrior crash landing in Norway in the middle of the Viking age, having brought a ferocious space monster with him. His own people couldn’t stop this thing with loads of space age weaponry, but we’re fairly sure some Vikings with swords and hammers can do the trick. Sure enough, we’re not disappointed.

When Kainan (James Caviezel) crashes in his ship he sets about launching a distress beacon and exploring his surroundings, where he sees evidence that his space monster (the Moorwen) has also survived the crash and has began killing the local populous.

At this point Kainan manages to get himself captured by Wulfric (Jack Huston), the heir apparent to his clan, as the Viking sneaks up on him, despite the fact that Wulfric is on horseback and Kainan has a space age gun. Just how you sneak up on someone when you’re on horseback is beyond me, but he managed it.

It’s actions like this that make you think that Kainan isn’t much of a warrior, yet his escape from capture would lead you to suggest otherwise. Surely they’ve not forgone the character for the purposes of advancing the plot?

Anyhow, throw in Sophia Myles as Frey, the feisty Viking who Wulfric intends to make his wife and a village full of Viking warriors and you have a smorgasbord of victims ready for the Moorwen to set about, and set about he does in very violent fashion.

Be warned, this isn’t some creature flick where the victims are dragged kicking and screaming into the darkness. People lose limbs, heads, get split in two and then there’s the money shot of the creature’s lair, brim filled with bodies for its young to feast on. This is a film full of disturbing imagery.

The battle scenes in the film are suitably entertaining, with a small role for Ron Perlman adding to the carnage as only he can do, but it’s the bonding sequences and the predictability that let the movie down.

Surely when the hunting party killed a bear in the woods they knew it wasn’t the Moorwen? Yet still they celebrated, right up to the point where it started killing them again.

Outlander is no Predator, but it’s no AVP either. It’s somewhere in between and should provide a few good chuckles on a Saturday night as you play ‘guess which Viking will get killed next’.

Millions of years ago on the planet Cybertron, two warring groups of transformable robots are draining their world of its energy. The cruel Decepticons, led by the merciless Megatron, want Cybertron for themselves. They have almost made the peaceful Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, extinct. Both sides decide that they must look to other planets for the energy they so desperately need. Each side sends their best representatives and it doesn’t take long before they continue their battle in outer space.

In the ensuing chaos, the Transformers crash land on Earth where they lie dormant for many years. A volcanic explosion revives the Autobots and Decepticons. Megatron plans to take all of the resources they need and return to Cybertron, while Optimus Prime wants to stop them. In order to remain undetected, the Transformers can change into things common to our planet: automobiles, airplanes, a portable radio, a gun, and so on. And so, the epic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons continues on Earth with humanity caught in the middle.

The series kicked off with a three-episode mini-series before settling into a familiar formula as the Decepticons try to drain the planet of its resources and the Autobots try to stop them. One of the things that makes the show work so well is that it has a great villain in Megatron and a true hero in Optimus Prime. They represent tried and true archetypes that are easy to root for and against. It doesn’t hurt that there is something inherently cool about giant robots fighting each other.

This first season saw the introduction of two new sub-groups of Transformers – the Dinobots, inspired by dinosaur skeletons but unfortunately with the same level of intelligence, and the Insecticons, robots that can turn into nasty insects. The former ally themselves with the Autobots, while the latter team up with the Decepticons.

For anyone who grew up watching The Transformers, these DVDs will be a wonderful trip down memory lane. The episodes all look great with the correct animation colour inserted back in which was missing from the previous edition. The recaps of previous episodes and previews for upcoming ones are included, as well as bumper spots for commercial breaks that will instantly take you back to when you first saw them. I, for one, can’t wait for season two, which, of course, is the build up for Transformers: The Movie (1986).

Special Features:

“Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen” is a 20-minute retrospective featurette about The Transformers phenomenon. The show’s origins came from several Japanese toy lines. An American company named Hasbro decided to bring it to North America and create a cartoon around them, giving each robot its own personality and create a storyline. They also created a comic book to go with the toys. With this featurette we get the lowdown behind the names for the various robots in this informative and engaging extra.

Also included are three original commercials, vintage ads that tie in the toys with cartoons. The one featuring the Insecticons is a particularly memorable one.

“Public Service Announcement” is an example of how each episode used to end with a Transformer imparting a safety lesson and this one sees Bumblebee convincing a kid not to run away from home. This is all good cheesy fun.

Finally, there is a PDF copy of the script for “Transport to Oblivion.”

People tend to forget how much was riding on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). The first one was considered by Trekkies and everyone else to be a big bore and not really indicative of the television series. The powers that be wanted to make sure that the next film would not repeat the previous one’s mistakes. So, they dusted off a classic villain from the show and gave James T. Kirk (Shatner) a decidedly personal stake in this new mission.

Khan Noonien Singh (Montalban) manages to escape the desolate planet prison that Kirk banished him and his crew to and decides to exact revenge on his most hated enemy. So, he kidnaps two key crew members from the U.S.S. Reliant and steals Project Genesis, a device that will take a lifeless planet and bring it violently back to life. An old ex-flame and the son (Butrick) that resulted from their brief union send out a distress call which Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise intercepts, unaware that Khan has set a trap for them.

There’s a reason why The Wrath of Khan is considered the best film in the series: it pits the Enterprise crew against a truly formidable opponent, features thrilling spacecraft battles, and has an incredibly moving finale. The veteran cast from the show inhabits their roles with the ease and confidence that comes from years of practice.

Even better, we get to see who can overact more, William Shatner or Ricardo Montalban, as they take turns chewing up the scenery with melodramatic gusto. Part of the enjoyment that comes from this film is watching these two go at it. Director Nicholas Meyer keeps things moving at a decent pace but knows when to let things breath for nice, character-driven moments that provide important motivations for future actions later on in the film. These moments also enrich the already beloved characters.

After the shocking death of Spock (Nimoy) in The Wrath of Khan, the fan backlash was immense and so the filmmakers found a way to bring this beloved character back in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). Kirk and his crew are still mourning the death of their crew member and are heading home while his son and Lieutenant Saavik (Curtis) are exploring the planet that Project Genesis created. Meanwhile, Klingon Commander Kruge (Lloyd) has acquired data about Genesis and wants to harness its power.

If things weren’t bad enough, Dr. McCoy (Kelley) appears to be losing his mind, Scotty (Doohan) has been assigned to a new starship, and the Enterprise is going to be permanently mothballed. Spock’s father (Lenard) meets with Kirk and implores him to go to Planet Genesis, retrieve Spock’s body and bring it back to Vulcan, thereby defying strict Starfleet orders. Naturally, it’s not going to be that easy and those pesky Klingons stir up trouble once again.

If The Wrath of Khan is a good ol’ fashion dogfight, then The Search for Spock is a quest to find an old friend. DeForest Kelley has a blast playing McCoy who has elements of Spock’s personality running around in his brain thanks to a prior Vulcan mind-meld done just before he died. The predominant theme of this film is friendship and loyalty. Kirk and his bridge crew become fugitives for their fellow crew member and friend, Spock.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) completes a three-film story arc and is the most accessible one of the series as it features broad comedy and takes place mostly on contemporary Earth. Starfleet debates the actions of Kirk and his crew in The Search for Spock with the Klingons claiming that the Enterprise captain is a murderer. Spock has been resurrected and the crew of the Enterprise head back to Earth to face the music. However, a mysterious alien probe is heading towards Earth, threatening to destroy the planet. Kirk and company figure out a way to travel back in time to 1986 and find a solution on Earth to the dilemma in their own time.

After the life and death melodrama of The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock, the mood is lightened considerably in The Voyage Home as we get to see the Enterprise crew interact with our world. Much of the film’s humour is derived from the inevitable culture clash as Spock learns some of our curse words, Scotty deals with our antiquated computers and Kirk finds romance with Gillian (Hicks), a woman who works at a local aquarium and may have the solution to the problem in the future.

The Voyage Home is just a flat-out entertaining film with a definite message about preserving the environment. It is definitely the lightest in tone of all the Star Trek films – a bone of contention amongst Trekkies – but this is a nice change of pace and is what makes it stand out from the others in the series.

Special Features:

If you already own the special editions of these films that were released a few years ago, you may not want to buy this new set as none of the extras are carried over and The Wrath of Khan is only presented in its theatrical version and not the Director’s Cut.

The new extras on The Wrath of Khan DVD include an audio commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Star Trek: Enterprise producer Manny Coto. Meyer admits that he knew nothing about Star Trek when he accepted the job. He says that Kirk and his crew reminded him of the famous Horatio Hornblower novels and how the Enterprise reminded him of a submarine. Meyer cites authors Jules Verne and H.G. Wells as influences. Coto does a good job of asking Meyer the right questions and keeps him talking.

“Starfleet Academy Scisec Brief 002: Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI” is a mock Starfleet training film that explains the background of the planet that Khan was banished to.

“Collecting Star Trek’s Movie Relics” takes a look at some of the more memorable props from some of the Star Trek films with clips that show which film they are featured.

“James Horner: Composing Genesis” features an interview with the film’s composer. He talks about how Jerry Goldsmith’s work on the first film influenced him. Horner talks about his approach to scoring The Wrath of Khan including specific musical cues.

Finally, there is “A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban” which features a fine celebration to the late great actor by Meyer.

The new extras on The Search for Spock DVD include an audio commentary by former Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine staffers Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor. They were huge fans of the original series and reminisce about seeing this film for the first time on the big screen. They talk about how The Search for Spock takes place right after The Wrath of Khan and starts off with a melancholic vibe. They also talk about the depiction of the Klingons and how it influenced their depiction in later shows.

“Starfleet Academy Scisec Brief 003: Mystery Behind the Vulcan Katra Transfer” gives the lowdown on this rare practice, how it is performed, and what happens.

“Star Trek and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame” features screenwriter Harve Bennett talking about how he got the gig to write for the Star Trek films. He wasn’t a fan of the show or the first film but told the studio that he could do a better job. He also talks about Star Trek’s place in science fiction.

“Industrial Light & Magic: the Visual Effects of Star Trek” examines how the visual effects for the Star Trek films were done. Some of the artists who worked on them talk about certain memorable examples.

“Spock: The Early Years” features an interview with Stephen Manley who played Spock at 17 in the film. He talks about how he was cast and shares some of his experiences working on the film.

Finally, the new extras featured on The Voyage Home DVD include an audio commentary by Star Trek (2009) screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. They approach this film from the fan perspective, talking about when they first saw it. Orci and Kurtzman discuss the informal trilogy of The Wrath of Khan through to The Voyage Home and the notion that this film is a “message picture.” They also talk about how the threat in this film comes from the unknown but is really man. They analyze this film from a screenwriting perspective – i.e. story structure, themes, and so on.

“Starfleet Academy Scisec Brief 004: The Whale Probe” is a brief explanation of the mysterious alien probe from The Voyage Home.

“Star Trek for a Cause” takes a look at the film’s environmental message. Greenpeace representatives talk about how commercial whaling is depleting the Earth’s population of whales.

“Star Trek: Three Picture Saga” examines the dramatic arc of these three films. It was an accidental trilogy but a sense of continuity was established. Various key crew members talk about their involvement in these films.

“Pavel Chekov’s Screen Moments” features actor Walter Koenig talking about the significance of his character in The Voyage Home and how he actually got to do things in this one. He shares some of his memories working on it and is quite candid about what he had to (or didn’t do) in the other films.

While all of these new extras are nice, they are definitely geared towards new fans and not to Trekkies. If you already own these films on the previous released special editions then it really isn’t worth double-dipping.