I keep reading on TrekWeb and similar sites about what Paramount is doing in regards to the Trek franchise on DVD, and it fits with what appears to be their general policy regarding the DVD format.

Take a good look at any Paramount-produced DVD, and you will find that the disc is generally bare of any truly good extras. The original cuts of Treks 2 - 9 are a prime example. There are hardly ever commentaries, occassionally a trailer or two, and (my personal favorite) the rather lackluster "interactive menus". Only in the past year or so has Paramount realized that people want more from the DVD format than just the movie. High sound and picture quality are certainly a must, but there is a desire among fans of Trek - and even movies in general - to go beyond the movie when they spend the money on a DVD.

So, that's misconception #1 out of the way: Paramount is not just screwing over the fans of the Trek franchise when they produce a DVD.

Misconception #2 is that Paramount actually gives a damn about what people want. If you think this, you are overly naive. Paramount doesn't care about what people want, they care about what people will spend their money on. And it has been shown time and again that people will spend money on something with the Trek name attached to it. (See "Trekkies".)

Why should they spend the extra effort when the Trek name is such a sure thing? Though I see a number of people saying that they won't buy this movie or that movie on DVD without specific extras or a new cut of the movie, the truth is that these people are in the minority.

Yes, Nemesis bombed at the box office and Enterprise's ratings aren't nearly as strong as TNG's or DS9's. But the fact of the matter is that Trek is a sure-fire cash-cow for Paramount, and Paramount intends to milk that cow dry.

What is needed, therefore, is not people complaining to one another about how much they hate where the Trek franchise is going or how much they hate what Paramount is doing with their opportunities to please the fans. Rather, this energy should be directed at Paramount, if you feel so strongly about the subject.



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Christian D. Clem,
Fightin' Texas Aggie
Class of 2001

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http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400

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I'll only be buying them if the DVDs are anamorphic (enhanced for widescreen TVs). I can't imagine that the extras for V will be much more than "How to make a Star Trek movie on an extremely small budget".

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I am all for Shatner and Nimoy being a part of all future commentaries, but why is Paramount so unwilling to pursue other cast members? I am sure we would all like to hear commentary from Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig and James Doohan. It could be an edited scene specific track which melds ther most interesting things they have to say, but it would be fun to hear a few of them get together and just talk! The same goes for the missed commentary opportunities for the TOS, TNG and DS9 DVDs - what I would have given to hear thoughts by cast members, directors and writers on various episodes!

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So basically they're saying that even though a longer cut ALREADY EXISTS, they're not going to use it? WHY NOT? Why not use branching to have both cuts? Cheapskates...I just assumed that they would at least give the option to view the longer cut. Why is Paramount doing this? I'm certinally not going to purchase Star Trek V without a new cut, and now I'm beginning to wonder about Trek VI. I thought it would be the longer cut simply because they wouldn't have to pay to have a new one made, but now it seems as though Paramount is simply pissing on us. Screw them. I'll be more than happy to purchase a properly redone 2-disc set. I think that at this point, First Contact is about the only film that doesn't need a new cut (well, Trek VI doesn't either, but it really annoys me that they can't even give us the preexisting one). Therefore, First Contact is the only film I will purchase without a new cut. Trek 3 and 4 didn't need it, but Trek 5, 7, 9, and espeically 10 do.

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-James

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I hope ST6 will at least keep the extended video version's scenes left in. I'd rather hear Nimoy and Meyer gving commentary than Shatner as they were the main one's behind the scenes.

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