William Shatner Movie:

		List Price: $175.98		Label: CBS Paramount International Television Salesrank: 19875 Released: December 14, 2004
		Our Price: $318.99
		Used Price: $173.99
		MPAA Rating: Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES features the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the command of Capt. James Kirk (Shatner) and his first officer, Lt. Cmdr Spock (Nimoy) during the 23rd century. They are on a mission in outer space to explore new worlds, where the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen.

Description of Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Seasons 1-3:
The facts have become legend. Star Trek, the NBC series that premiered on September 8, 1966, has become a touchstone of international popular culture. It struggled through three seasons that included cancellation and last-minute revival, and turned its creator, Gene Roddenberry, into the progenitor of an intergalactic phenomenon. Eventually expanding to encompass five separate TV series, an ongoing slate of feature films, and a fan base larger than the population of many third-world countries, the Star Trek universe began not with a Big Bang but with a cautious experiment in network TV programming. Even before its premiere episode ("The Man Trap") was aired, Star Trek had struggled to attain warp-drive velocity, barely making it into the fall '66 NBC lineup.

The series' original pilot, "The Cage," featured Jeffrey Hunter as U.S.S. Enterprise captain Christopher Pike--a variation of the role that would eventually catapult William Shatner to TV stardom. Filmed in 1964, the pilot was rejected by NBC the following year, but the network made a rare decision to order a second pilot. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was filmed in 1965, and only one character from the previous pilot remained--a pointy-eared alien named Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), whom Roddenberry had retained despite network disapproval. The second pilot was accepted, and production on Star Trek began in earnest with the filming of its first regular episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Never a ratings success despite a growing population of devoted fans, Star Trek was canceled after its second season, prompting a letter-writing campaign that resulted in the series' third-season renewal. It was a mixed blessing, since Roddenberry had departed as producer to protest the network's neglect, and Star Trek's third season contained most of the series' weakest episodes. And yet, the show continued to "to explore strange new worlds…to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no man [a phrase later amended to "no one"] has gone before."

There were milestones along the way. The first interracial kiss on network primetime TV (between Shatner and series co-star Nichelle Nichols) furthered a richly positive and expansive view of a better, nobler future for humankind. The series offered a timelessly appealing balance of humor, imagination, and character depth. And at least one episode (Harlan Ellison's "The City on the Edge of Forever") ranks among the finest science fiction stories in any popular medium. Beloved by long-time fans in spite of its cheesy sets and costumes, and the now-dated trappings of late-1960s American culture, "classic Trek" has aged remarkably well, and its sense of adventure and idealism continues to live long and prosper. --Jeff Shannon

The three 2004 DVD sets collect all 79 episodes of the show, including "The Cage" in both a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white. Each set is supplemented by over an hour of featurettes incorporating new and old interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, other cast members, and producers, and there's also some vintage footage of Gene Roddenberry. Accompanying the 20-minute seasonal recaps ("To Boldly Go...") are a number of interesting featurettes: "The Birth of a Timeless Legacy" examines the two pilot episodes and the development of the crew; "Sci-Fi Visionaries" discusses the series' great science fiction writers; Nimoy debunks various rumors in "Reflections of Spock"; "Kirk, Spock & Bones: The Great Trio" focuses on the interplay among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley); and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, James Doohan (Scotty), slowed by Alzheimer's but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes. As they've done for many of the feature-film special editions, Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda provide a pop-up text commentary on four of the episodes filled with history, trivia, and dry wit. It's the first commentary of any kind for a Star Trek TV show, but an audio commentary is still overdue. The technical specs are mostly the same as other Trek TV series--Dolby 5.1, English subtitles--but with the welcome addition of the episode trailers. The plastic cases are an attempt to replicate some of the fun packaging of the series' European DVD releases, but it's a bit clunky, and the paper sleeve around the disc case seems awkward and crude. Still, the sets are a vast improvement both in terms of shelf space and bonus features compared to the old two-episode discs, which were released before full-season boxed sets became the model for television DVDs. --David Horiuchi

Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Seasons 1-3 Reviews:
the original
2009-12-06 - while these sets are still available(used),people not wanting the remastered versions with al new CGI scenes need to purchase this while you still can. nothing can be said about the original STAR TREK series that hasn't already been said.the best sci fi franchise ever...

The original series is simply the best
2009-10-01 - Despite a somewhat lackluster third season (which was still very enjoyable) the first two seaons of ST: TOS are the greatest of the Star Trek scifi saga. Bill Shatner is super talented and appealing as (of course) Capt. James T. Kirk and though he could have been the sole central character and carried the show he gets good help from excellent supporting player Leonard Nimoy as (naturally)cool, mostly unemotional Mr. Spock, the second most important man on the ship and show.
The stories themselves are usually full of what is called spatial spookiness. And it all has a wonderful 60's feel to the whole thing (from the hairdos to the mini-skirts). It also isn't too heavyhanded with seriousness. Of the supporting cast DeForest Kelley shines as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Kelley's role expanded as the show continued). Him and Spock are often at odds with each other and this tension between them adds to the show and gives it great zest (in the first TV series sequel Star Trek: The Next Generation there was no tension between the characters like on TOS and that later show was all the much blander for it).

Star Trek: TOS Seasons 1-3
2009-08-20 - I believe this product to be one of my best investments. I only recently became a Star Trek fan after seeing Star Trek XI and at the request of a friend, I rented Seasons 2 and 3. I instantly loved it. I bought all three seasons and haven't regretted it. All three seasons still have the grainy imaging, which I think makes it authentic. Plus, you can't beat the acting. :) I recommend this product to anyone looking for any kind of entertainment. Even though it is a science-fiction show, it still has humor, love, etc.

STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES-THE COMPLETE SEASONS 1-3
2009-03-08 - TO BAD THERE WERENT MORE SEASONS
YOU GET STARTED WATCHING AND YOU WANT MORE.CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT TO START.
KIRK ,SPOCK,MCOY,AND ALTHE REST WAS VERY GOOD CARETURSES.

Please, Paramount/CBS...Reissue this set!
2009-02-14 - I hate it when "They" muck up a good thing.

Why cant well enough be left alone? Why does everything have to be redone, to be made shiny and new?

Star Trek is a TV Classic. It was a child of it's time, cheezy special effects and all. It's as if the Borg Collective reached back into the Paramount offices, and took over, saying, "You must upgrade... you must conform...We will assimalate you".

Star Trek does not need to be assimilated, updated, remastered, or fooled with. Fans of the show love it for what it is, an OLD TV show and the warts be dammned. The TOS of Star Trek IS TV history.

So please, Paramount/CBS: Reissue this set, and allow new fans to see TOS as it originally aired. Don't be like the Borg, and bury a true slice of American TV history for the new and shiny.