Home video review: 'Roddenberry Vault' goes where no 'Trek' fan has gone before
December 31, 2016 at 7:22PM
The new Blu-ray set (CBS/Paramount, $49) is essentially a three-disc "extra," built around work prints of the original 1960s TV series that creator Gene Roddenberry stowed away.
A three-part, 90-minute documentary delves into the alternate takes, deleted scenes and omitted dialogue, which are sprinkled throughout. New interviews with "Star Trek" luminaries, including star William Shatner and writer DC Fontana, and big-name fans fill in some details.
Twelve classic episodes — the ones discussed in the documentary — provide context, although none is embellished with the newly released footage. Those prints are in too rough a shape to be featured that way, although one has to wonder whether the studio will eventually try and restore such scenes after a digital makeover.
Each episode can be watched with the original or redone special effects. But the best extra is the option to watch 11 episodes with isolated music scores (with original effects only). "Star Trek" featured some of the best orchestral music of 1960s television, so this is a boon for soundtrack fans.
The compiled workprint snippets from other episodes make up another extra, while two other short retrospectives about the series round out a collection that will please most completists — even with the continual "Star Trek" repackagings.
Tim Walz appears to learn of Taylor Swift endorsement on live TV