Trekkies of the World Rejoice!

On Tuesday, the first season of the original Star Trek television series was released on DVD. Previously, the show was only available on 40 separate DVDs that contained just 2 episodes per disk. The disks were pricey and took up a lot of shelf space.

As a Trek fan, I held off on buying these DVDs. I was content with the 30 or so episodes that I had taped off of television. Needless to say, I am pretty excited by this new release. The 29 episodes that make up season one are some of the series’ best. "Arena," "The Enemy Within," "Space Seed," and "The City on the Edge of Forever," are just a handful of the episodes that are considered classics.

I've been a Trek fan for as long as I can remember. Some of the most vivid memories from my childhood revolve around my brother and me watching the original series in re-runs and playing with some of the large size action figures. On one occasion, we were playing outside, and decided to throw the Kirk and Spock up in the air. We were having a blast until the Spock figure got stuck in a tree. He never came down. As an adult, I still cringe at the thought that we were so careless with a figure that is now highly collectible.

As I got older, I tried to catch the show whenever it was on. While in college, and living with my grandfather, I made it a point to be at home on Sunday nights. WPIX out of New York ran the show at 11 pm, and I would be able to get my weekly fix if my grandfather (who preferred the news) had fallen asleep in front of the TV.

My greatest Star Trek memory occurred after college. I was still living at home one summer in the mid 90s when WPIX ran a 24 hour Trek marathon on July 4th. I was ecstatic. Not only would I be treated to 24 straight hours of one of my favorite shows, but I would be able to tape them and edit out the commercials at the same time.

I bought enough VHS tapes to record the whole marathon, took a nice long nap, and commandeered the family living room at 6 pm. The couch would be my captain’s chair for the duration of the marathon.

The first six episodes flew by. Everyone in the house had gone to bed by this time, and I knew that the next few hours were going to test me. I had failed to stock up on any real food and drinks that would help keep me awake, and finally had to settle on a box of Ritz crackers that I found in the kitchen cabinet.

The hours between 3 and 6 am proved to be the toughest, and the only thing that saved me from falling asleep for good were the bumpers played right before and after the commercials. They came on loud and advertised, "You’re in the middle of the Star Trek marathon." The increase in volume would wake me up if I had nodded off, allowing me to pause the VCR during the break.

I was awake and deep into the marathon by morning. My family was astonished that I was still awake at 8 am. They all spent the day at the pool, while I followed the exploits of the crew of the Starship Enterprise. I was in heaven. By mid-afternoon, I was a wreck. I hadn't left the couch in hours and the lack of sleep had made me highly irritable. My family moved around oblivious to me, but if they made the slightest noise, I would shoot them dirty looks. How dare anyone disturb me during my 24 hour geekfest!

I made it to the end of the marathon without assaulting any of my family though, and had 24 commercial-free episodes on tape. Every time I sat down to watch one of those episodes in the months or years that followed, the viewing experience was that much more satisfying because of what I had gone through to get them on tape.

I've recently begun watching the newly released DVDs and have been amazed at how great the show is despite being 40 years old. And I love the show for more than just its mere nostalgia. The greatest thing about Star Trek is that it was a cutting edge show that dealt with relevant social issues, while dressing them up in a sci-fi facade.

Star Trek fans rejoice! The first season is here, digitally preserved for years of continuous viewing. And unless you really want to, no 24 hour geekfest is required to enjoy it.