Star Trek: The Animated Series - The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek

 

 

Create your own review

Four years after its demise Filmation working directly with creator Gene Roddenberry ressurected the original Star Trek series in animation.In the interim years Star Trek began to build an even larger audience in syndication than in its' intial run so when TAS came out it was naturally an eager and much anticipated follow up to the series.

The wonderful fact then as now is as you watch these episodes is just how close and true to the Star Trek universe they were.All of the original voices manned the original on screen characters with some,epsecially James Doohan and Majel Barrett, doing double,triple and sometimes quadruple duty as other characters alien and/or human.And the scripts were generally well written mainly because many Star Trek alumni were involved in their creation thereby boosting its' appeal and its' subsequent ability to stand the test of time.

Gene Roddenberry himself has stated that TAS was NOT an official part of the Star Trek universe.I find this very strange as you will see he is listed as "executive consultant" on every episode.Just cosmetic?

Well to go into a pro and con debate on the legitmacy of TAS is much like stepping into the "Trekkers" and "Trekkies" maelstrom.I will say that there have been more than a few pieces of material lifted from these episodes and accepted into the Star Trek universe and that I think to dismiss TAS outright is sheer folly and "quite illogical",to quote a famous Vulcan.Remember as fans all one had was TOS and TAS in 1973.Movies and/or new Star Trek TV shows were for the most part just fanciful longings.But in hindsight without these two shows spurring along its' ever growing fan base,and visa versa,the future might never have occurred as it did.

Wherever YOU stand however I do believe that there will be no argument as to your enjoyment of TAS.Technically it has been cleaned up and remastered to a degree I have never seen it.It is a joy to watch.Kudos to the Paramount team who worked on this.

The set is presented like TOS set cases,this one in a white and orange-lettered colour combination.The entire series is here,uncut,with quite a few extras and even the option of scene selection for each episode.

In conclusion as you watch these shows you might want to think that someone at the time(Filmation) thought TAS had at least some type of chance as a series or otherwise they wouldn't have touched the property with a ten foot barge pole to begin with.And to give it even more authenticity they worked as closely as they could with TOS cast,writers and its' very creator.They could have just gone it alone on the cheap and used all unknown voices in approximation and their own script writers throughout.But they thought enough of the product to not cop out and take the easy road thus creating something much more appealing,true to the Star Trek universe and enduring.

TAS has its limitations and numerous faults but I think Filmation created quite a superior product all things considered.Watch it yourself and I think you just might come to the same conclusion.

I was 9-10 years old when this cartoon was first on TV. From the "Saturday Morning Previews" to the episodes each week, I was hooked. Add to that the Star Trek reruns every weekend. These DVDs brought back tons of memories. I extracted them for my iPad. Perfect! Also: it's another way fro my youngest son(11) to understand things "Star Trek".

Great storytelling, and the 1970's graphics are nostalgic. What makes the series work is the original actors voicing the episodes. D.C. Fontana was at the reigns producing, so of course it is well done.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!