If you want just one Star Trek DVD set in your collection, Star Trek Fan Collective: Time Travel may be it. Of the 15 time-bending episodes on the affordably priced four-disc set, two are perhaps the most acclaimed in franchise history: the Original Series'"The City on the Edge of Forever" (written by sci-fi giant Harlan Ellison) and Deep Space Nine's "Trials and Tribble-ations" (in which the DS9 crew is cleverly edited into the original crew's"The Troubles with Tribbles" episode). The other selections are the Original Series'"Tomorrow Is Yesterday"; The Next Generation's "Yesterday's Enterprise,""Cause and Effect," the two-part"Time's Arrow," and the series finale"All Good Things..."; DS9's "Little Green Men"; and Voyager's two-part"Year of Hell" and series finale"Endgame."

One could quibble with the episode selection. Because the Fan Collectives were compiled by vote from fans, Voyager's series finale"Endgame" was included even though it was also on Fan Collective: Borg. It would have been nice to remove that duplicate and substitute the acclaimed DS9 two-parter"Past Tense," which would have been a better representation of that series than"Little Green Men" (in which the Ferengi travel to Roswell) and"Tribble-ations," both of which are deserving selections but considerably lighter in tone than the series as a whole. Also, Enterprise isn't represented at all. -- David Horiuchi

Star Trek V left us nowhere to go but up, and with the return of Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer, this sixth instalment restored the movie series to its classic blend of space opera, intelligent plotting and engaging interaction of stalwart heroes and menacing villains. Borrowing its subtitle (and several lines of dialogue) from Shakespeare, the movie finds Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and his fellow Enterprise crew members on a diplomatic mission to negotiate peace with the revered Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner). When the high-ranking Klingon and several officers are ruthlessly murdered, blame is placed on Kirk and crew. The subsequent investigation, which sees Spock taking on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes, uncovers an assassination plot masterminded by the nefarious Klingon General Chang (Christopher Plummer) in an effort to disrupt a historic peace summit. As this political plot unfolds, Star Trek VI takes on a sharp-edged tone, with Kirk and Spock confronting their opposing views of diplomacy and testing their bonds of loyalty when a Vulcan officer is revealed to be a traitor. With a dramatic depth befitting what was to be the final movie mission of the original Enterprise crew, this film took the veteran cast out in respectably high style, with the torch being passed to the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the following movie, Star Trek: Generations . -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

With hindsight, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the satisfactory middle instalment of a well-rounded trilogy that began with The Wrath of Kahn and ended with The Voyage Home (after which this crew really should have retired gracefully). But on its first release, few fans knew what to expect and initial impressions were disappointing. The biggest talking points were that the film was Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut and that his name wasn't in the opening credits. Naturally, the biggest question was just how would the loss of Spock affect the franchise? That question was neatly dodged and what audiences got instead was a tale of team-spiritedness, sacrifice and rebellion that ended on a question mark. In other words it was a fun ride without many answers. The centrepiece of the movie has to be stealing The Enterprise, a beautifully conceived sequence that remains at the heart of classic Trek 's filmic storyline: sacrificing all for the sake of friendship, Kirk and co. set out to rescue their lost companion; this single action defines everything the characters had ever meant to each other, and has an effect on everything that followed. And if the loss of Spock had left audiences eager for more, that was as nothing compared to the loss of The Enterprise.

On the DVD: Star Trek III on disc does not come in a new transfer as the previous two special edition DVDs, and you won't find any deleted or new scenes either. The extras package is fascinating, nonetheless, especially with the contributions from Nimoy. His fond reminiscences in the commentary track are priceless, with good support from writer-producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis (Saavik). The text commentary from the Okudas isn't as involving as the others, sadly, but this is made up for by the trivia dished out in documentaries covering: model-making, costume design, the science of Terraforming, and how to speak Klingon. The best inclusion is"Captain's Log" featuring interviews with an enthusiastic Nimoy, a sarcastic Shatner, an appreciative Curtis and the rarely seen Christopher Lloyd. -- Paul Tonks

The fourth series of Deep Space Nine can be summed up in one word: Klingons! The show's producers apparently felt beset from all sides. Babylon 5 was a huge hit, as was Star Trek: Voyager , the flagship of new channel UPN. Stepping up DS9 's action quotient seemed to be the answer. Time would tell, however, whether doing so via Trek 's tried-and-tested former bad guys was the best solution. Opening with a special two-hour extravaganza, the new year was immediately unfamiliar. Dennis McCarthy's original theme--despite winning an Emmy--was deemed too subdued. As its upbeat new rendition kicked off, the station was seen in battle and swarming with activity. Moments later, we met old/new crewmember Worf, whose sudden appearance was the result of a brewing invasive strategy by the Klingons. This initiated the first of many loyalty shifts, as the Cardassians became the victims. With plenty of re-appearances by Gowron, Kor and Kurn, it was clear that an ongoing space opera was being crafted. Dukat revealed a tragedy-ridden daughter; Odo's relationship with his people (and Kira) became increasingly melancholy; and even the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers were given a sympathetic angle by their drug addiction.

Adding to the layers of ambiguity about Earth's (read: the Producers') position over being at war, was the"outing" of Eddington and Sisko's girlfriend as rebel activists. Lest we forget the homely/spiritual side of the Captain, time was spent with a future version of Jake, with his father (Brock Peters), and on the nature of his role as"The Emissary". Avery Brooks worked behind the camera a couple of times, but this year the surprise was LeVar Burton directing five shows. There was still time for comedy: the Ferengi warped back to Roswell in 1947 and Bashir played at James Bond. But the year will be recalled predominately for its violence. One of the episodes Burton directed had its fight scenes drastically cut, while the series as a whole won an Emmy for its space battle effects.

On the DVD: Deep Space Nine, Series 4 contains more than two hours of extra features. Although they might all have been better compiled into one long documentary, the sections devoted to Aliens, Production Design and Artwork are, nevertheless, nicely contained."Charting New Territory" is a 20-minute featurette on all the big changes attempted this year: Worf's introduction, arming the station and being daring with stand-alone episodes. There's also a terrific and candid dossier on Michael Dorn (Worf), ten mini-cameo cast tales, four seasons' worth of episode introductions, and a well-stocked Photo Gallery. All this can be found on the set's seventh disc; there's also the fourth CD-ROM disc, which allows you to build your own station at home. -- Paul Tonks END

The most famous episode in franchise history,"The Trouble with Tribbles," is one of the highlights of the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series . A deserved classic, the humourous story centers on an ever-expanding mass of furry creatures that memorably rain themselves down on top of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and into the middle of a Federation-Klingon showdown. It inspired one of the most memorable episodes in the spin-off series Deep Space Nine ,"Trial and Tribble-ations." Also in the second season, the Vulcan culture of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is fleshed out in"Amok Time" (in which Spock is faced with the possibility of killing his captain and friend) and"Journey to Babel" (introducing Spock's father, played by Mark Sarek, in what would turn out to be a long-recurring role). A new character, navigator Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), was introduced; his Monkees haircut was intended to appeal to the younger audience, but he was also a Russian, which at the height of the cold war reflected Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of a more enlightened future. Other social-commentary opportunities presented themselves in"The Omega Glory,""The Doomsday Machine," and"Assignment: Earth," the last also one of those periodic opportunities to scrimp on the budget by time-traveling to an earlier version of Earth. Another example was"A Piece of the Action," a comic episode set in the Roaring Twenties and memorable for, among other things, Kirk's teaching a made-up card game called Fizzbin. In other significant episodes,"I, Mudd" saw the return of the bounder from season 1,"The Changeling" was the original inspiration for the first Trek feature film a decade later,"Wolf in the Fold" (penned by the author of Psycho) provides an example of the series' great writing, and"Mirror, Mirror" introduced the concept of the parallel universe inhabited by vicious, amoral counterparts of the regular crew, another theme later borrowed (more than once, and to good emotional effect) by DS9. -- David Horiuchi

CHRIS EVERARD travels to EGYPT for this two hour documentary - and investigates the MAGICAL RITUALS and TELEPATHIC TECHNIQUES of the ancient world. He shows us stone carvings which resemble 'blueprints' or 'circuit diagrams' of PSYCHIC TECHNOLOGY. Chris Everard then presents official documents from the Pentagon Archives which prove that the U.S. Air Force have trained an entire army of PSYCHIC WARRIORS at AREA 51. Top Nuclear Physicists, such as Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking have proposed that there are several parallel universes - and that a 'wormhole' can be created by bending and manipulating gravity. Official U.S. Air Force documents prove that a 'STAR GATE' has been developed using a team of Psychics. These psychics 'bend' gravity waves with their mind and can 'see' the spiritworld using telepathy. Chris Everard presents footage of giant WORMHOLES in the sky above military bases and shows us the documents which prove that there is now some kind of STARGATE connecting planet earth with other universes and also with the SPIRITWORLD. For the first time on film, we see official documents, photos and film footage of the most important psychic experiments in the history of mankind. Chris presents some of the film from inside the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid - and investigates Quantum Physics, Telepathy, Angels, Spirits and Demons - this documentary is packed with rare footage of psychics in China, Russia, Australia and the USA. This film includes 3-dimensional computer animation of PSYCHIC TECHNOLOGY which was used by the Ancient Pharaohs - and how this technology was used by leading scientists such as Sir William Crookes and the inventor of television, Mr John Logie Baird. TRUTH really is stranger than FICTION! Without the general public knowing anything about it - the Pentagon, Chinese and Russians have opened Wormholes which allow extra-terrestrials, ghosts, angels and demons to enter our universe!

The second series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine must have caused mixed feelings for those involved. There was a sense of optimism behind the scenes that stemmed from having gained a loyal following--made up of plenty of new fans--in its relatively short first year. The show had genuinely succeeded in being different from its predecessors. Better still, The Next Generation would be bowing out gracefully halfway through this year. So it was that, with several more series guaranteed, the writers changed tack from standalone tales and into long-running story arcs. This was immediately evident in the format-testing three-part opening. Through the actions of Kira and her old pals, we saw that the Bajorans would only ever work toward their own agenda, whereas the Cardassians easily switched sides to suit their various agendas. The Federation was hardly innocent of political machinations either, especially with the discovery of the Maquis terrorists a few episodes later.

This three-way dynamic would underpin the entire run of the show. Expanding upon it was the handover of the Klingon saga from The Original Series and TNG , in which old warhorses Kor, Kang and Koloth first appeared. That left the Ferengi to maintain an element of fun with their Rules of Acquisition (Number 112:"Never have sex with the boss's sister"), exploration of their sexist culture and, naturally, through everything touched by the scene-stealing Quark (who was rewarded with a cameo for his real life wife). What seemed like standalone stories--Odo meeting his mentor, a trip into The Original Series ' parallel universe and the culminating encounter with some super-soldiers (the Jem'Hadar)--later turned out to be more optimistic seed-sowing. Unfortunately, this second series also began with some concern about a competitor franchise, which started at exactly the same time as TNG ended. The impact of Babylon 5 on DS9 and TV SF in general by the end of the year could never have been envisioned at the start. -- Paul Tonks

With Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) trapped in the 31st century, season 2 of Enterprise opens with a rousing resolution to season 1's cliffhanger finale. The first four episodes instantly became fan favourites:"Shockwave, Part II" advances the Suliban's role in the Temporal Cold War;"Carbon Creek" reveals the real first contact (albeit a secret one) between humans and Vulcans in Pennsylvania in 1957, allowing Jolene Blalock to play T'Pol's"second foremother" in a Sputnik-era scenario; in"Minefield," Reed (Dominick Keating) is nearly killed by an explosive device attached to Enterprise's hull; the damage is repaired in"Dead Stop," featuring award-winning digital modeling effects as the disabled Enterprise encounters a mysterious automated space station. Season 2 also emphasises Archer's ongoing friction with the Vulcan High Command, exacerbated when T'Pol's career is threatened (in"Stigma") by her involuntary involvement with ostracised mind-melders. Connections to the original Star Trek (series and films) continue with episodes involving Tellarites, Tholians, Klingons, Andorians, and even a brief appearance by a Tribble (one of many occasions for humor in Dr. Phlox's sickbay, the setting of many of the season's finest dialogue-driven scenes). Early warp-drive history is also explored in"First Flight," a Right Stuff-like episode guest-starring Keith Carradine as Archer's friend and rival in breaking the Warp 2 barrier.

Consisting primarily of stand-alone episodes that integrate ongoing story arcs, season 2 showcases the primary cast with generally good results: Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) visits the"boomer" cargo ship he was raised on in"Horizon"; Hoshi (Linda Park) experiences unsettling transporter symptoms in"Vanishing Point"; and Tucker (Connor Trineer) plays a pivotal role in several episodes, notably"Dawn,""Precious Cargo" and"Cogenitor." And while"Regeneration" provoked controversy among fans for introducing the yet unnamed Borg in an early Starfleet context, it's a fine episode (with echoes of The Thing ) that holds up to scrutiny, while others (including"The Crossing,""The Breach" and"Cogenitor") feel somewhat recycled, indicating the challenge of finding new ideas in the Star Trek canon. Overall, however, season 2 is consistently strong, with several episodes directed by cast alumni from previous Trek series, including NextGen's LeVar Burton, and Voyager's Roxanne Dawson and Robert Duncan McNeill. They all lead up to a devastating attack on Earth (with seven million casualties, including Trip's younger sister) in"The Expanse," ending the season with high-stakes mystery as Enterprise enters a treacherous region of space in search of the Xindi, an enemy race that factors heavily in season 3.

Abundant bonus features include a generous selection of deleted scenes (non-essential, but interesting to fans); audio commentary (on"Dead Stop" and"Regeneration") by writers Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong, who explain the challenge of writing under constantly shifting production conditions; and text commentary (on"Stigma" and"First Flight"), in which Trek veterans Michael and Denise Okuda demonstrate their encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek fact and fiction. Six Easter eggs, known as"NX-01 Files," are hidden on the Special Features menus; they offer brief glimpses into specific aspects of production, including set recycling and art direction."Enterprise" secrets are revealed for those who pay meticulous attention to detail;"Inside 'A Night in Sickbay'" offers a behind-the-scenes assessment of that memorable episode; and"LeVar Burton: Star Trek Director" celebrates the actor's smooth transition to directing after his stint on Next Generation ."Enterprise Profile: Jolene Blalock" is a tribute to the sexy actress by her fellow cast members and executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, including Blalock's assessment of T'Pol's pivotal role as Enterprise's resident Vulcan. Best of all, however, are the hilarious outtakes: They show the cast as a family unit, combining hard work with humour as the second season progresses. -- Jeff Shannon

This Dvd Is Brand New And Sealed - Check Out My Other Fishing Dvd's

After the confidence of the previous two years, the fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation too often disappointed by not seeing a good idea through to the end. Denise Crosby was swept back under the carpet in the Klingon soap opener ("Redemption Part II"). No one could make the prospect of Deep Space 9 attractive enough to Michelle Forbes, so her fantastic performance as"Ensign Ro" seems wasted in retrospect. And no one could re-schedule for Robin Williams to guest star, so we had Matt Frewer instead ("A Matter of Time"). Of all stories to use Leonard Nimoy in,"Unification" wallowed in Romulan politics instead of anything emotionally engaging. Gene Roddenberry wanted to introduce a gay character, but mere months after his death all we got was the trite"The Outcast".

This was inarguably where the rot set in, without The Great Bird overseeing what was going on. Worst of all, his hard-as-nails bad guys The Borg were given a touchy-feely side ("I, Borg"). But scattered in-between were some of the very best of all 178 shows."Darmok" had the feel of a Classic Trek episode, dealing with language as metaphor."The First Duty" challenged Wesley Crusher's loyalties. Best of all was the painfully melancholy"The Inner Light", in which Picard experiences an alternate lifetime. There were great guest stars: Paul Winfield, Ashley Judd, Kelsey Grammar, Famke Janssen, and Jerry Hardin. As always there were contributions from Q, Lwaxana and Barclay too. Fans and critics now appreciate that behind-the-scenes focus had shifted from The Next Generation to the next spin-off, and it would never fully return. -- Paul Tonks

With hindsight, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is the satisfactory middle instalment of a well-rounded trilogy that began with The Wrath of Kahn and ended with The Voyage Home (after which this crew really should have retired gracefully). But on its first release, few fans knew what to expect and initial impressions were disappointing. The biggest talking points were that the film was Leonard Nimoy's directorial debut and that his name wasn't in the opening credits. Naturally, the biggest question was just how would the loss of Spock affect the franchise? That question was neatly dodged and what audiences got instead was a tale of team-spiritedness, sacrifice and rebellion that ended on a question mark. In other words it was a fun ride without many answers. The centrepiece of the movie has to be stealing The Enterprise, a beautifully conceived sequence that remains at the heart of classic Trek 's filmic storyline: sacrificing all for the sake of friendship, Kirk and co. set out to rescue their lost companion; this single action defines everything the characters had ever meant to each other, and has an effect on everything that followed. And if the loss of Spock had left audiences eager for more, that was as nothing compared to the loss of The Enterprise.

On the DVD: Star Trek III on disc does not come in a new transfer as the previous two special edition DVDs, and you won't find any deleted or new scenes either. The extras package is fascinating, nonetheless, especially with the contributions from Nimoy. His fond reminiscences in the commentary track are priceless, with good support from writer-producer Harve Bennett, director of photography Charles Correll, and Robin Curtis (Saavik). The text commentary from the Okudas isn't as involving as the others, sadly, but this is made up for by the trivia dished out in documentaries covering: model-making, costume design, the science of Terraforming, and how to speak Klingon. The best inclusion is"Captain's Log" featuring interviews with an enthusiastic Nimoy, a sarcastic Shatner, an appreciative Curtis and the rarely seen Christopher Lloyd. -- Paul Tonks

Region 2 Spanish import, plays in Englsih without subtitles. Robert Taylor star as Marshal Jake Wade in John Sturges's Western melodrama of a thief turned sheriff. Settled down in a quiet town, former bank robber Jake is suddenly confronted by former colleague Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark). After Jake arranges his release from a regional jail, Clint reminds him of the money he buried in Comanche territory after one of their jobs and suggests that he turn it over to him. When this method fails, Clint kidnaps Jake's fiancée, Peggy (Patricia Owens), and leverages her to get Jake to lead a digging party to the location of the money. When they reach the burial spot, a ghost town in the middle of nowhere, they find themselves under attack by a Comanche war party. Clint momentarily forgets the stash as the small band engages in a nightlong battle to survive. This standard Western is enlivened by Widmark's snarling bad guy turn and the elegant compositions of Robert Surtees. Cast: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, DeForest Kelley, Burt Douglas, Patricia Owens, Henry Silva, Robert Middleton, Eddie Firestone

The seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always remain a curiosity in TV SF history. Despite the end being definite, despite Deep Space Nine taking over, despite knowing there'd be a movie six months after the series' end, and despite Babylon 5 starting that year with its pre-determined story arc, there is nothing here to suggest things were coming to a close.

Wesley finally gets dispatched ("Journey's End"), but everyone was waiting for that anyway. Some continuity was attempted, such as a sequel to Season 1's"The Battle" ("Bloodlines"), Alexander following the Klingon soap saga through ("Firstborn"), the Maquis and the Cardassians being mentioned several times and final instalments being provided for Lwaxana Troi, Barclay, Lore, Guinan and Ro Laren. None of this brings any form of resolution, however.

The one-off storylines seem to throw out ideas that beg for development."Force of Nature" suggests frequent high-warp travel is damaging the very fabric of space-time."Parallels" has Worf experiencing multiple realities including one where The Borg won at Wolf 359."Lower Decks" finally introduces some secondary crew from the more than a thousand supposedly supporting Picard and co. There are even hints at some romance at long last between Dr Crusher and Picard as well as Worf and Troi.

In the long run, even after terrific guest spots from Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Robin Curtis, or from Paul Sorvino and Kirsten Dunst, there's one thing for which the final year is remembered:"All Good Things..." is a near-perfect denouement for the show. With terrific production values and FX, not to mention standout performances from all concerned, it was an amazing surprise to have Q suggest there'd been a story arc right from the get-go. If only this final script had been fully conceived earlier on, The Next Generation might not have been overshadowed by the glut of TV SF that followed in its wake. -- Paul Tonks

The second series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine must have caused mixed feelings for those involved. There was a sense of optimism behind the scenes that stemmed from having gained a loyal following--made up of plenty of new fans--in its relatively short first year. The show had genuinely succeeded in being different from its predecessors. Better still, The Next Generation would be bowing out gracefully halfway through this year. So it was that, with several more series guaranteed, the writers changed tack from standalone tales and into long-running story arcs. This was immediately evident in the format-testing three-part opening. Through the actions of Kira and her old pals, we saw that the Bajorans would only ever work toward their own agenda, whereas the Cardassians easily switched sides to suit their various agendas. The Federation was hardly innocent of political machinations either, especially with the discovery of the Maquis terrorists a few episodes later.

This three-way dynamic would underpin the entire run of the show. Expanding upon it was the handover of the Klingon saga from The Original Series and TNG , in which old warhorses Kor, Kang and Koloth first appeared. That left the Ferengi to maintain an element of fun with their Rules of Acquisition (Number 112:"Never have sex with the boss's sister"), exploration of their sexist culture and, naturally, through everything touched by the scene-stealing Quark (who was rewarded with a cameo for his real life wife). What seemed like standalone stories--Odo meeting his mentor, a trip into The Original Series ' parallel universe and the culminating encounter with some super-soldiers (the Jem'Hadar)--later turned out to be more optimistic seed-sowing. Unfortunately, this second series also began with some concern about a competitor franchise, which started at exactly the same time as TNG ended. The impact of Babylon 5 on DS9 and TV SF in general by the end of the year could never have been envisioned at the start. -- Paul Tonks

Star Trek V left us nowhere to go but up, and with the return of Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer, this sixth instalment restored the movie series to its classic blend of space opera, intelligent plotting and engaging interaction of stalwart heroes and menacing villains. Borrowing its subtitle (and several lines of dialogue) from Shakespeare, the movie finds Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and his fellow Enterprise crew members on a diplomatic mission to negotiate peace with the revered Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner). When the high-ranking Klingon and several officers are ruthlessly murdered, blame is placed on Kirk and crew. The subsequent investigation, which sees Spock taking on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes, uncovers an assassination plot masterminded by the nefarious Klingon General Chang (Christopher Plummer) in an effort to disrupt a historic peace summit. As this political plot unfolds, Star Trek VI takes on a sharp-edged tone, with Kirk and Spock confronting their opposing views of diplomacy and testing their bonds of loyalty when a Vulcan officer is revealed to be a traitor. With a dramatic depth befitting what was to be the final movie mission of the original Enterprise crew, this film took the veteran cast out in respectably high style, with the torch being passed to the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the following movie, Star Trek: Generations . -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

As the sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production, everyone knew that attentions would soon be permanently divided by the debut of Deep Space Nine . Sure enough that meant crossovers ("Birthright"), guest stars and references back and forth. The sense of baton-passing drew the TNG family closer, however. Directorial debuts begun in Season 5 allowed for repeat group-huddle ownership of several shows. Jonathan Frakes bettered"The Quality of Life" by"The Chase", which finally offered an explanation why most races in the Trek universe are humanoid with knobbly foreheads. Patrick Stewart crowbarred a Western into the franchise in"A Fistful of Datas". LeVar Burton introduced the far more exciting Riker clone Thomas in"Second Chances". But here we still find that inability to follow through a good idea, since it was intended for Tom to replace Will. Barclay outstayed his welcome with a lacklustre"Ship in a Bottle" (despite a hammy cameo from Stephanie Beacham) after he'd injected creepiness into"Realm of Fear". The same happened with Q and the painfully weak"True Q" contrasted by the philosophically challenging"Tapestry", where Picard faced the decisions of his youth.

Yet ultimately the year provided more memorable moments than either year 5 did or year 7 would. There was the fun of a pint-sized Starfleet in"Rascals", the shocking comment on political torture in"Chain of Command", the endless Matrix -like guessing game of reality in"Frame of Mind", and even a jokey genre nod often called"Die Hard Picard" instead of"Starship Mine". The two biggest attention-drawing moments came via stellar cameos. There was the bittersweet sight of James Doohan revisiting the original Enterprise Bridge on"Relics", then a quick contribution by Stephen Hawking in the cliff-hanger"Descent". Both were attempts at keeping TNG the connoisseur's Trek incarnation of choice. -- Paul Tonks

With Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) trapped in the 31st century, season 2 of Enterprise opens with a rousing resolution to season 1's cliffhanger finale. The first four episodes instantly became fan favourites:"Shockwave, Part II" advances the Suliban's role in the Temporal Cold War;"Carbon Creek" reveals the real first contact (albeit a secret one) between humans and Vulcans in Pennsylvania in 1957, allowing Jolene Blalock to play T'Pol's"second foremother" in a Sputnik-era scenario; in"Minefield," Reed (Dominick Keating) is nearly killed by an explosive device attached to Enterprise's hull; the damage is repaired in"Dead Stop," featuring award-winning digital modeling effects as the disabled Enterprise encounters a mysterious automated space station. Season 2 also emphasises Archer's ongoing friction with the Vulcan High Command, exacerbated when T'Pol's career is threatened (in"Stigma") by her involuntary involvement with ostracised mind-melders. Connections to the original Star Trek (series and films) continue with episodes involving Tellarites, Tholians, Klingons, Andorians, and even a brief appearance by a Tribble (one of many occasions for humor in Dr. Phlox's sickbay, the setting of many of the season's finest dialogue-driven scenes). Early warp-drive history is also explored in"First Flight," a Right Stuff-like episode guest-starring Keith Carradine as Archer's friend and rival in breaking the Warp 2 barrier.

Consisting primarily of stand-alone episodes that integrate ongoing story arcs, season 2 showcases the primary cast with generally good results: Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) visits the"boomer" cargo ship he was raised on in"Horizon"; Hoshi (Linda Park) experiences unsettling transporter symptoms in"Vanishing Point"; and Tucker (Connor Trineer) plays a pivotal role in several episodes, notably"Dawn,""Precious Cargo" and"Cogenitor." And while"Regeneration" provoked controversy among fans for introducing the yet unnamed Borg in an early Starfleet context, it's a fine episode (with echoes of The Thing ) that holds up to scrutiny, while others (including"The Crossing,""The Breach" and"Cogenitor") feel somewhat recycled, indicating the challenge of finding new ideas in the Star Trek canon. Overall, however, season 2 is consistently strong, with several episodes directed by cast alumni from previous Trek series, including NextGen's LeVar Burton, and Voyager's Roxanne Dawson and Robert Duncan McNeill. They all lead up to a devastating attack on Earth (with seven million casualties, including Trip's younger sister) in"The Expanse," ending the season with high-stakes mystery as Enterprise enters a treacherous region of space in search of the Xindi, an enemy race that factors heavily in season 3.

Abundant bonus features include a generous selection of deleted scenes (non-essential, but interesting to fans); audio commentary (on"Dead Stop" and"Regeneration") by writers Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong, who explain the challenge of writing under constantly shifting production conditions; and text commentary (on"Stigma" and"First Flight"), in which Trek veterans Michael and Denise Okuda demonstrate their encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek fact and fiction. Six Easter eggs, known as"NX-01 Files," are hidden on the Special Features menus; they offer brief glimpses into specific aspects of production, including set recycling and art direction."Enterprise" secrets are revealed for those who pay meticulous attention to detail;"Inside 'A Night in Sickbay'" offers a behind-the-scenes assessment of that memorable episode; and"LeVar Burton: Star Trek Director" celebrates the actor's smooth transition to directing after his stint on Next Generation ."Enterprise Profile: Jolene Blalock" is a tribute to the sexy actress by her fellow cast members and executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, including Blalock's assessment of T'Pol's pivotal role as Enterprise's resident Vulcan. Best of all, however, are the hilarious outtakes: They show the cast as a family unit, combining hard work with humour as the second season progresses. -- Jeff Shannon

MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS - GRAHAM CHAPMAN'S PERSONAL BEST - NEW BUT NOT SEALED