Star Trek: Short Treks Blu-Ray Review
3 min read
“Star Trek: Short Treks brings fans of the Star Trek universe together on a thrilling exploration of the themes and characters we’ve already come to love. Witness the Star Trek: Discovery story line expand with episodes featuring fan-favorites Rainn Wilson (Harry Mudd), Ethan Peck (Spock), Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike), Rebecca Romijn and more.
“Experience nine thrilling shorts which deliver nearly two hours of live-action and animated adventures never-before-seen in Star Trek‘s history. Special features include a making-of featurette, in-depth cast interviews and exclusive series commentaries. This must-own addition to the Star Trek franchise is guaranteed to take you further into the galaxy than ever before.”
The Contents:
Nine Short Treks:
- Runaway
- Calypso
- The Brightest Star
- The Escape Artist
- Q&A
- The Trouble With Edward
- Ask Not
- Ephraim & Dot
- The Girl Who Made The Stars
Bonus Content:
- Coming of Age – 7:30. Tied to the Runaway short, the first installment of the new Short Trek format was written by executive producers Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman about Tilly finding a stowaway with whom she can relate. In this behind-the-scenes interview, Kurtzman, Director Maja Vrvilo and star Mary Wiseman talk about the use of the short to give the audience further insight into Tilly’s character.
- Shall We Dance – 8:15. Writer Michael Chabon and Director Olatunde Osunsanmi discuss the challenges of creating a compelling story with only one on-screen character in the familiar setting of the USS Discovery for the Calypso short.
- First Contact: Kaminar – 5:09. A deep dive into The Brightest Star short and creating Saru’s backstory with the Star Trek actors and writers.
- Covered in Mudd – 4:52. Tied to The Escape Artist short, an interview with star Rainn Wilson about directing the Harry Mudd short and his experience on both sides of the camera.
- Ensign Spock’s First Day – 10:16. Writer Michael Chabon talks about writing for Ensign Spock and finding hidden talents in relation to the Q&A short.
- Here Comes Tribble – 3:43. Fans will dive into The Trouble With Edward short as prop master Mario Moreira discusses bringing back the beloved Tribbles for the shorts.
- Score! – 6:09. A behind-the-curtain discussion with Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino about taking the reins on Ephraim and Dot and directing and composing for Star Trek: Short Treks.
- Bedtime Stories – 7:45. Writer Brandon Schultz, director Olatunde Osunsanmi, and actor Kenric Green (“Mike Burnham”) discuss the development of The Girl Who Made the Stars, the animated Short Trek about a bedtime story.
- The Making of Short Treks – 4:25. An in-depth discussion with executive producer Alex Kurtzman and more about how and why the new concept Short Treks were made.
- Two Audio Commentaries: Featuring Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman [and] Jenny Lumet providing commentary for the Runaway short, and star Anson Mount providing commentary for the Ask Not short.
The Review:
The Short Treks are delightful glimpses into the world of Star Trek. From backstories on Harry Mudd and Saru, to glimpses into the past via Ephraim and Dot and the future via Calypso, there is something here for everyone.
One thing I particularly liked when it came to the special content was that all but one of the items were in the menu directly below the Short Treks episode to which they referred. This made it easy to watch the Short Trek, and then to hop right to the bonus content for that episode.
It was great to see these Short Treks again, and the bonus content is icing on the cake.
The cost for the Star Trek: Short Treks set is reasonable and every Trek fan should get a copy of Star Trek: Short Treks. You can order yours here, in either Blu-ray ($19.96) or DVD ($14.96).
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