After the dazzlingly spectacular high definition Blu-ray releases of “Star Trek: The Original Series” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” many fans have been wondering if the third series, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” will get the same treatment. I'm one of those fans. I love Blu-rays! I love all the detail that comes out in a newly restored film or TV show. As a Trekkie, I was thrilled with the efforts that the good folks at CBS put into the first two Trek series. It was recently announced that “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager” would be see a new re-release on DVD. But why no Blu-ray? An article by Brian Wilkins seems to answer that question. Wilkins interviewed Robert Meyer Burnett who played a big role in restoring “The Original Series” and “Next Generation” for Blu-ray. It's an interesting read. Burnett talks about the painstaking processes they all went through to give us such quality video products. What most of us didn't realize is how much more difficult it will be to try to get “Deep Space Nine” in glorious high definition. When it comes down to it, CBS has to ask itself, “is it worth it monetarily-speaking?”
I now think I see where the studios are coming from, so here are my five reasons why I believe “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” deserves a Blu-ray release.
1. The fan base is bigger than before.
“Deep Space Nine” wasn't as popular as the show-runners would have liked it to be when it originally aired. It received good reviews, but not as many people were watching DS9 as were watching “The Next Generation.” Not only that, but more and more syndicated shows were appearing (which means more competition). There were also time slot changes throughout the years. It also wasn't promoted very well. Apparently, Paramount want to promote “Voyager” more because it was on their own network UPN.
Despite the low amount of initial viewers, DS9 has found a much bigger fan base in recent years with help from the likes of Netflix. The show has more fans than ever before, and younger audiences are now discovering the show as well. It's interesting now to see fan polls on the official Star Trek websites that favor things from “Deep Space Nine.” People are realizing that some of the very best material Trek has to offer can be found in episodes of “Deep Space Nine.”
2. The fans have proven that they WILL pay for more “Deep Space Nine.
Ira Steven Behr, one of the show-runners on “Deep Space Nine,” recently announced that a new documentary was underway taking a look back at the series. There's even supposed to be a segment where the original writers get back together to sort of map out what a potential season eight would be like. This announcement for the documentary got a lot of fans excited, but there was a catch: to make film, the makers needed to raise $150,000 on IndieGoGo.com. To everyone's astonishment, the goal was met and exceeded in under 24 hours! This is pretty ironic since the show wasn't though to be popular enough to earn a Blu-ray release.
3. “The Next Generation” already proved how wonderful “Deep Space Nine” will look.
In the TNG season six episode “Birthright,” we get to see a few scenes that take place on the station DS9. It. Is. Gorgeous! Just take a look for yourself at the video below! The exterior shots of the station show so much detail. The interior shots on the promenade are so full of color and depth. This shows that “Deep Space Nine” deserves an HD transfer.
4. CBS has already put a lot of love into the 'TOS' and 'TNG' Blu-ray releases. They can show the same love to DS9.
If you haven't seen the newest HD iterations of the first two series in the Trek universe, do yourself a favor and go buy them! The quality difference between them and the old DVD releases is extreme! I'm not kidding when I say watch them is like watching a show that was filmed yesterday. While “Deep Space Nine” would be harder to do because of the more advanced effects, CBS would do the job right.
5. 'Deep Space Nine' needs to be preserved as best as possible for the next generation.
with me here. I think “Deep Space Nine” is possibly the most morally and aesthetically pleasing Trek series to date. It has so much to offer fans because it is its own animal. It tackled things that other Trek series wouldn't. It gave us situations that were more relatable than what came before. It gave us stories and characters that went deeper than any other series. It stole our hearts. Personally, I think it is this last reason alone that ought to be grounds enough for a Blu-ray release.
What do you think? Do you want to see DS9 get a Blu-ray release? What are your reasons why? Make your voice heard!
