Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (US BD) in April

CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment have announced the US Blu-ray Disc release of Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One on 28th April 2009. All 29 episodes from the first season are included in 1080p high-definition, with a choice of audio tracks, with both the original English mono and English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio available. Both versions of the episodes, those with the original SFX and the so-called remastered versions, are included, with the option to switch between them at any point if you wish to compare. Naturally, the episodes will be in their original 4x3 ratios.

Extras are largely the same as those in the HD-DVD set reviewed here. However, there are a couple of absences - there's no Trekker Connections (no great loss), History Channel documentary Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier (ditto), Red Shirt Diary Easter Eggs (meh), the text commentaries from the SD season sets, or the preview of Star Trek: Online (nooooooo!). The full list of features is as follows:

• Original and Enhanced versions of the episodes
  
• 1080P 4:3 Full Screen
  
• English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
  
• English, French and Spanish DD2.0 Mono
  
• English SDH, French, Brazilian Portguese and Spanish subtitles
  
• Preview Trailers for each Episode
  
• Starfleet Access - On-screen graphical interface allows viewers to access Picture in Picture video commentaries, comparisons of re-mastered vs. original effects, encyclopedic information (science, life forms, technology), episode trivia and more on the following episodes: Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Menagerie, Parts 1 and 2, Balance of Terror, Space Seed and Errand of Mercy.
  
• Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century
  
• Reflections on Spock
  
• Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
  
• To Boldly Go...Season One
  
• The Birth of a Timeless Legacy
  
• Interactive Enterprise Inspection
  
• Sci-Fi Visionaries
  
• Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories
  
• Kiss ‘N’ Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century

And, if all that wasn't incentive enough, there will also be an "exclusive collectible Sulu figure" from Diamond Select Toys available with purchase of the Blu-ray set; fans pay only shipping and handling charges (there is a good chance this will only be redeemable within the USA and Canada).

The set will retail at $118 and the sleeve carries no region coding information suggesting this release will be region free.

Finally, The Digital Bits also says that it's very likely Seasons Two and Three will swiftly follow, possibly as early as May to coincide with the release of the new film. The six TOS films are also coming to BD, details of which can be found here.

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