'Star Trek' Beams Into Living Rooms in November

By William Goss

Man, does it feel like ages since this summer season got off to a proper start. The blockbuster season was surprisingly front-loaded (and May was pretty great for it), so while I don't mind all the solid indies that have come around the bend recently -- Away We Go, Humpday, The Hurt Locker, In the Loop, Moon, (500) Days of Summer, etc. -- I'm still waiting for something big and blockbuster-y to surprise me quite like J.J. Abrams' exciting Star Trek reboot did.

Unfortunately, Paramount's putting off the DVD release for the prime holiday season (November 17th -- hey, whatever happened to that ever-shrinking theatrical video window?!), but the two-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray releases will both be packed with extras, not the least of which are a feature commentary by Abrams and company and several deleted scenes that keen eyes spotted in the trailers, but never made it to the screen.

We've included the full press release after the jump...

DVD:
The STAR TREK two-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
• Commentary-By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
• A New Vision- J.J. Abrams' vision was not only to create a Star Trek that was a bigger, more action-packed spectacle, but also to make the spectacle feel real. Every aspect of production-from unique locations to the use of classic Hollywood camera tricks-was guided by this overall objective.
• Gag Reel-Bloopers featuring the entire principal cast.

Disc 2:
• Digital Copy
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
o Spock Birth
o Klingons Take Over Narada
o Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank
o Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights
o Prison Interrogation and Breakout
o Sarek Gets Amanda
o Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (original version)
o Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl
o Sarek Sees Spock
• To Boldly Go- Taking on the world's most beloved science fiction franchise was no small mission. Director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof, and executive producer Bryan Burk talk about the many challenges they faced and their strategy for success.
• Casting- The producers knew their greatest task was finding the right cast to reprise these epic roles. The cast, for their part, talk about the experience of trying to capture the essence of these mythic characters. The piece concludes with a moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
• Aliens- Designers Neville Page and Joel Harlow talk about the hurdles they faced creating new alien species, recreating the Romulans and Vulcans, and designing the terrifying creatures on Delta Vega for the new Star Trek.
• Score- As a fan of the original series, composer Michael Giacchino embraced the challenge of creating new music for Star Trek while preserving the spirit of Alexander Courage's celebrated theme.
• DVD-Rom:
o STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
o Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
o Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network

Blu-ray
The STAR TREK three-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are as follows:
Disc 1:
• Commentary-By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
• NASA News- This BD-Live feature gives viewers access to the latest NASA news about real space exploration. Learn about new mission developments and check out featured imagery from around the universe.
Disc 2:
• To Boldly Go-See description above.
o Branching Pods:
• The Shatner Conundrum
• Red Shirt Guy
• The Green Girl
• Trekker Alert!
• Casting-See description above.
• A New Vision-See description above.
o Branching Pods:
• Savage Pressure
• Starships-Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss were careful to pay tribute to the design of the original Enterprise, but they also wanted to make it futuristic and cool for a modern audience. This chapter focuses on the unique stories behind the creation of the film's starships.
o Branching Pods:
• Warp Explained
• Paint Job
• Bridge Construction Accelerated
• The Captain's Chair
• Button Acting 101
• Shuttle Shuffle
• Narada Construction Accelerated
• Aliens-See description above.
o Branching Pods:
• The Alien Paradox
• Big-Eyed Girl
• Big Bro Quinto
• Klingons
• Drakoulias Anatomy 101
• Planets- >From the frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan, Scott Chambliss and the art department had a number of radically different planets to create. Abrams' desire to shoot on real locations whenever possible led the production team to a number of strange and surprising locations.
o Branching Pods:
• Extra Business
• Confidentiality
• Props and Costumes- Property master Russell Bobbitt had the unique challenge of designing props that were both true to the original series and pertinent to today's technology. Likewise, costume designer Michael Kaplan talks about how he designed costumes that paid homage to what came before yet were relevant and timeless.
o Branching Pods:
• Klingon Wardrobe
• Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek- When famed sound designer Ben Burtt was hired to create sounds for the first Star Wars film, he took his inspiration from the original "Star Trek" series. Burtt jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to the sounds that sparked his career with the sounds he created for the new Star Trek.
• Score-See description above.
• Gene Roddenberry's Vision- J.J. Abrams, Leonard Nimoy, previous Star Trek writers and producers, and scientific consultant Carolyn Porco describe and commend the optimistic and enduring vision of Gene Roddenberry.
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary-See details above.
• Starfleet Vessel Simulator-Explore extensive data on the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Romulan ship, the Narada. Submerse yourself in breathtaking 360° views and close-ups and review detailed tech information.
• Gag Reel-See description above.
Disc 3:
• Digital Copy
• STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360®
• Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
• Weblink to the STAR TREK® D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation® Network