Rating: 
Summary: Shuttles & Tribulations
Review: "The Galileo Seven" A band of Kirk's crew is stranded on a planet. How will they get back before the Enterprise is forced to leave?"Court Martial" Kirk is put on trial for entering a false log entry involving a crewman's death. Riveting!
Rating:
Summary: "Books young man, books!"
Review: Despite what is a goofy, techno-babble ending for "The Court Martial", this episode is one of my favorites for that most wonderful of Star Trek quotes, applicable in 1966 and applicable even moreso in 2003: (Elisha Cook Jr speaking to Shatner, refering to a computer terminal's sterility over the stacks of books apparent in the scene) "Books, young man, books. Thousands of them. If time wasn't so important, I'd show you something-- my library. Thousands of books. ... This is where the law is, not in that homogenized, pasteurized, synthesized--Do you want to know the law,
the ancient concepts in their own language, Learn the intent of the men who wrote them, from Moses to the tribunal of Alpha 3?
Books." By golly if this line isn't worth every deus ex machina and boring, ignorant techno-babble, I do not know what is. It is one of the great lines ever made by Hollywood. More than that, it inspired "My own library. Books. Thousands of them!" And I can't think of a greater gift from Star Trek to my life.
Rating:
Summary: "Books young man, books!"
Review: Despite what is a goofy, techno-babble ending for "The Court Martial", this episode is one of my favorites for that most wonderful of Star Trek quotes, applicable in 1966 and applicable even moreso in 2003: (Elisha Cook Jr speaking to Shatner, refering to a computer terminal's sterility over the stacks of books apparent in the scene) "Books, young man, books. Thousands of them. If time wasn't so important, I'd show you something-- my library. Thousands of books. ... This is where the law is, not in that homogenized, pasteurized, synthesized--Do you want to know the law,
the ancient concepts in their own language, Learn the intent of the men who wrote them, from Moses to the tribunal of Alpha 3?
Books." By golly if this line isn't worth every deus ex machina and boring, ignorant techno-babble, I do not know what is. It is one of the great lines ever made by Hollywood. More than that, it inspired "My own library. Books. Thousands of them!" And I can't think of a greater gift from Star Trek to my life.
Rating: 
Summary: A very disappointing transfer
Review: If you're like me, then you've caved to the very expensive but irresistable prospect of owning the entire series in this superior format. Chalk that up to the high price of posterity. Happily, it's pretty safe to say that the dvd format is here to stay and unless tremendous leaps are made in digital media, this will be the last time you need to invest in the set. The overall picture and sound quality of the original Star Trek series on dvd is much, much better than the video versions previously released by Paramount and certainly better than anything you may have taped off of TV. The packaging isn't bad, but I wish more thought had gone into creating meaningful liner notes. Instead, we get some canned 'trivia' bits and seemingly endless promotions for other Paramount/Star Trek products. This volume in particular has glaring flaws and represents the worst transfer in the collection (through volume 12). Most notably, there are white "lines" running vertically down the screen in several scenes from "Court Martial." I'm glad this has been noted by some other reviewers here, because I initially thought I'd received a defective copy. It's hard to believe that nothing could be done about this awful flaw with all the technology available to those granted the important task of "restoring" and "preserving" this series. Another big problem with this series is that Paramount has neglected to restore any of the trailers. They look like home movies from the '60s. If I may, a pre-emptive gripe about Paramount's plans to release "The Next Generation" on dvd. Why not follow a new trend in TV to dvd and issue seven "complete season" sets of this series? Fox released the complete first season of The X-Files in one very handsome boxed set (7 dvds) that sells for well over $100. Fox plans to release the second complete season this fall and will presumably continue with the 3rd, 4th, etc. This is a much friendlier way to market old TV shows to collectors and it would encourage many more to buy and complete their collections. Past evidence seems to point fairly clearly to Paramount's propensity for ripping off fans. The company moved from including 2 episodes on every VHS release to just one per cassette in the DS9 and Voyager series. Not only does this make completing a collection arduous (your local store may have 15 copies of v. 10 but no v. 11), but it adds considerably to expense and demands twice as much room in your home to store. If TNG, DS9 and yes, even Voyager, were released in season-series sets, I'd buy the whole lot gladly.
Rating:
Summary: A very disappointing transfer
Review: If you're like me, then you've caved to the very expensive but irresistable prospect of owning the entire series in this superior format. Chalk that up to the high price of posterity. Happily, it's pretty safe to say that the dvd format is here to stay and unless tremendous leaps are made in digital media, this will be the last time you need to invest in the set. The overall picture and sound quality of the original Star Trek series on dvd is much, much better than the video versions previously released by Paramount and certainly better than anything you may have taped off of TV. The packaging isn't bad, but I wish more thought had gone into creating meaningful liner notes. Instead, we get some canned 'trivia' bits and seemingly endless promotions for other Paramount/Star Trek products. This volume in particular has glaring flaws and represents the worst transfer in the collection (through volume 12). Most notably, there are white "lines" running vertically down the screen in several scenes from "Court Martial." I'm glad this has been noted by some other reviewers here, because I initially thought I'd received a defective copy. It's hard to believe that nothing could be done about this awful flaw with all the technology available to those granted the important task of "restoring" and "preserving" this series. Another big problem with this series is that Paramount has neglected to restore any of the trailers. They look like home movies from the '60s. If I may, a pre-emptive gripe about Paramount's plans to release "The Next Generation" on dvd. Why not follow a new trend in TV to dvd and issue seven "complete season" sets of this series? Fox released the complete first season of The X-Files in one very handsome boxed set (7 dvds) that sells for well over $100. Fox plans to release the second complete season this fall and will presumably continue with the 3rd, 4th, etc. This is a much friendlier way to market old TV shows to collectors and it would encourage many more to buy and complete their collections. Past evidence seems to point fairly clearly to Paramount's propensity for ripping off fans. The company moved from including 2 episodes on every VHS release to just one per cassette in the DS9 and Voyager series. Not only does this make completing a collection arduous (your local store may have 15 copies of v. 10 but no v. 11), but it adds considerably to expense and demands twice as much room in your home to store. If TNG, DS9 and yes, even Voyager, were released in season-series sets, I'd buy the whole lot gladly.
Rating: 
Summary: Spock and Kirk take their turns facing severe trials
Review: On Volume 7 of the Star Trek DVD series, Spock and Kirk under go severe tests. Spock learns about the burdens of leadership in "The Galileo Seven," when the Enterprise's First Officer is in command of a shuttle mission gone awry. The Galileo is investigating a space anomaly when it loses sensors and crashes on an unknown planet with Spock, McCoy, Scott and four crew members (totaling seven). Meanwhile, the Enterprise has to delivery emergency medical supplies to Markus Three and cannot spend much time looking for the missing shuttle. Back on the planet, Spock discovers the place is inhabited by savage giants who are no more impressed with Vulcan logic than the damaged shuttlecraft. The best parts of this episode have to do with the confrontations between Spock and McCoy, who do not have Kirk acting as a buffer this time around. "The Galileo Seven," one of the better first season episodes of Star Trek, also pretty much proves once and for all which of the pair of senior officers is the most stubborn. "Court-Martial" finds Captain Kirk on trial for having caused the death of one of his officers, Lt. Commander Benjamin Finney. During an ion storm Kirk had sent Finney into a pod to take measurements. Kirk insists he sounded red alert before jettisoning the pod, but the computer records show the exact opposite. Refusing to accept a ground assignment, Kirk is court-martialed at Starbase 11. During the trial things go from bad to worst, but as all the evidence piles up against the Captain, Spock discovers that he can beat the ship's computer at chess. Certainly people try to fake all sorts of things using computers..., but I find it hard to believe that it would be easier to get away with it in the Star Trek universe. "Court-Martial" is another one of those early episodes from the series where it turns out Kirk has had a long relationship with one of the guest star crewmembers for which we are given insufficient back-story. Like the other episode on this DVD, the best scenes in this one are the exchanges between Spock and McCoy. But the court proceedings are nothing special.
Rating:
Summary: Spock and Kirk take their turns facing severe trials
Review: On Volume 7 of the Star Trek DVD series, Spock and Kirk under go severe tests. Spock learns about the burdens of leadership in "The Galileo Seven," when the Enterprise's First Officer is in command of a shuttle mission gone awry. The Galileo is investigating a space anomaly when it loses sensors and crashes on an unknown planet with Spock, McCoy, Scott and four crew members (totaling seven). Meanwhile, the Enterprise has to delivery emergency medical supplies to Markus Three and cannot spend much time looking for the missing shuttle. Back on the planet, Spock discovers the place is inhabited by savage giants who are no more impressed with Vulcan logic than the damaged shuttlecraft. The best parts of this episode have to do with the confrontations between Spock and McCoy, who do not have Kirk acting as a buffer this time around. "The Galileo Seven," one of the better first season episodes of Star Trek, also pretty much proves once and for all which of the pair of senior officers is the most stubborn. "Court-Martial" finds Captain Kirk on trial for having caused the death of one of his officers, Lt. Commander Benjamin Finney. During an ion storm Kirk had sent Finney into a pod to take measurements. Kirk insists he sounded red alert before jettisoning the pod, but the computer records show the exact opposite. Refusing to accept a ground assignment, Kirk is court-martialed at Starbase 11. During the trial things go from bad to worst, but as all the evidence piles up against the Captain, Spock discovers that he can beat the ship's computer at chess. Certainly people try to fake all sorts of things using computers..., but I find it hard to believe that it would be easier to get away with it in the Star Trek universe. "Court-Martial" is another one of those early episodes from the series where it turns out Kirk has had a long relationship with one of the guest star crewmembers for which we are given insufficient back-story. Like the other episode on this DVD, the best scenes in this one are the exchanges between Spock and McCoy. But the court proceedings are nothing special.
Rating:
Summary: "Less analysis and more action is what we need!"
Review: REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 7: The Galileo Seven© / Court-Martial© THE GALILEO SEVEN© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: Logic versus Emotions Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 3 Dead (One off-screen), 2 Wounded (both off-screen) REVIEW/COMMENTARY: I consider this to be the best showcase of the logic-versus-emotions battle between Spock and Dr. McCoy. After an emergency crash-landing of their shuttlecraft on a planet of hostile primitive giants, Spock attempts to get himself and his crew (which includes Scotty, the doctor, and four expendables) out of their predicament by taking the most logical steps towards a resolution. Unfortunately, the results of his calculations rarely achieve logical conclusions, and the rest of his shuttle crew eventually resent his cold methods and bluntness. Unfortunately, Kirk isn't around to help keep things from gettin' too heated, since he's on the Enterprise bridge mounting a search for his lost shuttle crew whilst trying to fend off an overbearing bureaucrat who's breathing down his neck. Yep, it's your basic 'Save-The-Day-At -The-Last-Possible-Moment' kinda eppie. One of my fave 'special defects' moments in the entire series happened at the beginning of this episode. One shot shows the shuttlecraft 'riding the wave' of the turbulence that eventually forces the whole emergency-landing thing I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This effect looked fairly silly, but what really surprised me was how it was almost perfectly imitated two decades later in a SNL sketch featuring William Shatner! You know, that one where Shatner told the audience at the Star Trek convention to "Get a life!"? Which is very good advice, by the way... COURT-MARTIAL© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: The Basic Rights of The Accused / Retaining One's Humanity In A World Of Ever-Increasing Automation/ The Pitfalls of Professional Jealousy Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 1 dead... or is he? REVIEW/COMMENTARY: From Star Trek VI's Klingon Court scene to NextGen's 'The Drumhead' to DS9's 'Rules Of Engagement', I've always had a certain fondness for Star Trek's 'Courtroom Drama'- Style episodes. And even though 'The Menagerie' had quite a bit of legal wrangling regarding Spock's fate, I'd have to say 'Court-Martial' was the first pure legal drama eppie in the history of the franchise. Ol' Jimmers is in hot water over the death of a crew member whose demise may've resulted from his negligence, and he has to stand trial to keep his commission. The prosecutor's (one of Kirk's old flames) case looks to be a slam-dunk, except for one little Perry Mason-esque twist: the person Kirk had supposedly 'killed' may still be alive! Will Jimbo keep his command and clear his name? Well, he must have. I mean, this was an eppie from Star Trek's first season, and the show went on for two more years with Kirk in the command chair for the rest of the run, so he must've beaten the rap, right? Yeah. Uh-oh, did I just spoil the ending? Sorry 'bout that. But aside from so-called 'spoilers', expect to see Kirk gettin' his uniform top rended during Court-Martial's climactic hand-to-hand duel scene as he attempts to save the Enterprise from certain doom! Jimmers sure does have an affinity for flesh exposure on this show, hmmm? 'Late
Rating: 
Summary: Below average, by season one's standards
Review: The Galileo Seven-This episode, in which a shuttlecraft is forced to land on a planet with giant bear/ape-like creatures, was an average offering by first season standards. The episode has sufficient action, and explores the circumstances under which even otherwise well-behaved crews may be led to (?) mutiny. As others have noted, this episode, one of the few in which Kirk has a secondary role, was seminal to Spock's development. Unfortunately, the logic vs. emotion arguments are overdone, to the extent that they-and the participants-become somewhat tedious. The creatures also looked pretty silly, but as I've said before I try not to hold Star Trek to a high standard when it comes to such things; the effects weren't bad enough to totally compromise the `primal fear' element so central to this (and few other) episodes. (3 stars) Court Martial-This courtroom whodunit, featuring Kirk in the hot seat, is a slightly below average episode. As in virtually every courtroom drama ever put to screen, the trial scenes drag. But this whole episode, quite frankly, is dull. Shatner definitely gets up for his "request it?..I demand it!" line, but somehow this episode just feels flat, despite the strong performance by Elisha Cook Jr. as an eccentric lawyer. It doesn't help that the finale's bombshell, pulled somewhat out of left field, just isn't explosive. Themes explored here, including the importance of 1) presumption of innocence, and 2) recognizing the fallibility of machines, would be better explored in other episodes. (2.5 stars)
Rating:
Summary: Below average, by season one's standards
Review: The Galileo Seven-This episode, in which a shuttlecraft is forced to land on a planet with giant bear/ape-like creatures, was an average offering by first season standards. The episode has sufficient action, and explores the circumstances under which even otherwise well-behaved crews may be led to (?) mutiny. As others have noted, this episode, one of the few in which Kirk has a secondary role, was seminal to Spock's development. Unfortunately, the logic vs. emotion arguments are overdone, to the extent that they-and the participants-become somewhat tedious. The creatures also looked pretty silly, but as I've said before I try not to hold Star Trek to a high standard when it comes to such things; the effects weren't bad enough to totally compromise the 'primal fear' element so central to this (and few other) episodes. (3 stars) Court Martial-This courtroom whodunit, featuring Kirk in the hot seat, is a slightly below average episode. As in virtually every courtroom drama ever put to screen, the trial scenes drag. But this whole episode, quite frankly, is dull. Shatner definitely gets up for his "request it?..I demand it!" line, but somehow this episode just feels flat, despite the strong performance by Elisha Cook Jr. as an eccentric lawyer. It doesn't help that the finale's bombshell, pulled somewhat out of left field, just isn't explosive. Themes explored here, including the importance of 1) presumption of innocence, and 2) recognizing the fallibility of machines, would be better explored in other episodes. (2.5 stars)
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